Peneflix MOVIE REVIEWS BY PENEFLIX
Bollywood treats its cricketers with reverence, without eradicating human frailties, giving them life and vibrancy, palpating exuberance informs every scene, seizing the viewer’s attention from commencement to conclusion; director Kabir khan, focuses on the 1983 World Cup and India’s gut-wrenching march to grasp an almost unattainable victory; the “march” is worthy of every moment, every second of “83’s” compelling quest. As a Westerner, I will forever remain remedial in grasping the intricacies of cricket: bowling, wide, Jaffa (corker), wickets, no-ball, etc., but I am entranced by the poetry of movement, the instantaneous transference from winners to losers; it is never over “until the fat lady sings”; I love the skill, dedication and passion exhibited in, not only cricket, but in all competitive games; uniting humanity, eliminating prejudice, animosities and pejoratives; cricket, even for a neophyte, is a metaphor for man rising above the natural and striding into and conquering the realm of the supernatural. Cricket, a national sport of India has generated some of their best films; “Lagaan” (2001) an awarding winning film that pits India’s villagers against British subjugators; a remarkable movie starring inimitable Aamir Khan; “MS Dhoni” (2016), based upon the life of cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, “Captain”, tears and cheers resonate for its entirety; “Iqbal” (2005), a hearing and speech impaired young man yearns to be a cricketer, a tale about tenacity and obstinacy transcending inordinate obstacles.
“83” champions India’s historic heroes, elucidating the rest of the world.
FOUR STARS!!!!
“FLEE” (Danish: English subtitles, in theatres) previously reviewed
One of the finest films of 2021 and a star at The Chicago International Film Festival; I was frozen by its creativity, profundity and staggering combination of animation and live action; director Jonas Poher Rasmussen documents the life of his boyfriend, Amin Nawabi; his harrowing escape from Afghanistan to his life and career in Denmark. The beauty lies in the evocative, heartbreaking reality of a gay, immigrant’s struggle, painfully trudging towards self-awareness and acceptance.
FIVE STARS!!!!!
Peneflix
