Tea can be an energizer or a sedative. “Black Tea,” the first film in a decade from veteran Mauritanian auteur Abderrahmane Sissako, sips exclusively from the latter end of the shelf, passing through chamomile-type calm into outright soporific territory. And if that seems a trite metaphor related to the beverage, this tepid Berlinale competition entry has plenty more of its own: A love story between a Chinese tea-shop owner and an Ivory Coast émigré that is rooted in the rituals of brewing and consuming the blessed leaves, the film aims for woozy sensualism but falls way short on the ambient richness and X-factor chemistry required to sell such an essentially confected exercise.
It’s altogether a mystifying misstep from Sissako, typically a filmmaker of such formal and political vigor; by its close, the ten years separating “Black Tea” from 2014’s beautiful, shattering “Timbuktu” feel closer to an eon. Though this...
It’s altogether a mystifying misstep from Sissako, typically a filmmaker of such formal and political vigor; by its close, the ten years separating “Black Tea” from 2014’s beautiful, shattering “Timbuktu” feel closer to an eon. Though this...
- 2/21/2024
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
New releases scarce in the week before ‘Tenet’ hits many markets.
UK-Ireland, opening Friday August 21
It is a quiet weekend for new releases in UK and Irish cinemas, with just two new titles on screens: Sam Quah’s Chinese crime thriller Sheep Without A Shepherd and Grégory Magne’s Perfumes.
Sheep Without A Shepherd reached number one at the Chinese box office following a December 2019 release, and was one of the last blockbuster hits in the country before Covid-19 forced the closure of venues in January. It was re-released on July 20, following the reopening of some cinemas.
Released by Trinity Film...
UK-Ireland, opening Friday August 21
It is a quiet weekend for new releases in UK and Irish cinemas, with just two new titles on screens: Sam Quah’s Chinese crime thriller Sheep Without A Shepherd and Grégory Magne’s Perfumes.
Sheep Without A Shepherd reached number one at the Chinese box office following a December 2019 release, and was one of the last blockbuster hits in the country before Covid-19 forced the closure of venues in January. It was re-released on July 20, following the reopening of some cinemas.
Released by Trinity Film...
- 8/21/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦¬1101325¦Gabriele Niola¦35¦¬158¦Martin Blaney¦40¦
- ScreenDaily
New releases scarce in the week before ‘Tenet’ hits many markets.
UK-Ireland, opening Friday August 21
It is a quiet weekend for new releases in UK and Irish cinemas, with just two new titles on screens: Sam Quah’s Chinese crime thriller Sheep Without A Shepherd and Grégory Magne’s Perfumes.
Sheep Without A Shepherd reached number one at the Chinese box office following a December 2019 release, and was one of the last blockbuster hits in the country before Covid-19 forced the closure of venues in January. It was re-released on July 20, following the reopening of some cinemas.
Released by Trinity Film...
UK-Ireland, opening Friday August 21
It is a quiet weekend for new releases in UK and Irish cinemas, with just two new titles on screens: Sam Quah’s Chinese crime thriller Sheep Without A Shepherd and Grégory Magne’s Perfumes.
Sheep Without A Shepherd reached number one at the Chinese box office following a December 2019 release, and was one of the last blockbuster hits in the country before Covid-19 forced the closure of venues in January. It was re-released on July 20, following the reopening of some cinemas.
Released by Trinity Film...
- 8/21/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦¬1101325¦Gabriele Niola¦35¦¬158¦Martin Blaney¦40¦
- ScreenDaily
A naked woman is found murdered in the Mongolian steppes. Overnight, a young and inexperienced policeman has to secure the crime scene. Since he is not familiar with the dangers on site, a local herder is sent to guard him and the body.
This resolute woman in her mid-thirties knows how to handle a rifle — and how to scare away wolves. She lights a fire against the cold. Alcohol also helps them to stay warm. At her instigation, the two get closer to each other. The next morning, they go their separate ways.
At the center of this film is a tenacious woman in the uninhabited expanse of the steppe. This otherwise self-sufficient herder, known to everyone as ‘dinosaur’, only tolerates her caring neighbor when there is a problem with her herd. Anything that goes beyond that, she brusquely rejects. As for herself and her future, she has her very own plan,...
This resolute woman in her mid-thirties knows how to handle a rifle — and how to scare away wolves. She lights a fire against the cold. Alcohol also helps them to stay warm. At her instigation, the two get closer to each other. The next morning, they go their separate ways.
At the center of this film is a tenacious woman in the uninhabited expanse of the steppe. This otherwise self-sufficient herder, known to everyone as ‘dinosaur’, only tolerates her caring neighbor when there is a problem with her herd. Anything that goes beyond that, she brusquely rejects. As for herself and her future, she has her very own plan,...
- 2/26/2019
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
★☆☆☆☆ Director Quan'an Wang brings his overly-sprawling epic White Deer Plain (2011) - adapted from the controversial novel by Zhongshi Chen - to this year's Berlinale as one of the Golden Bear contenders. Set during the final years of Imperial China, it traces the stories of two ruling clans, the Bai and Lu, who find themselves locked in a battle for land ownership - a microcosm for what occurred in this period of China's history.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 2/16/2012
- by CineVue
- CineVue
Berlin -- The Berlin International Film Festival celebrated its 60th birthday with an opening bash that despite its stylish flairs had the casual feel of kitchen party.
Instead of the all-star lineup many had expected for the anniversary fest, for 2010 the Berlinale has gone back to its roots. The opening film, Wang Quan'an's "Apart Together" is a reminder of Berlin's groundbreaking role as an international platform for Asian cinema. And this year's competition -- despite featuring the world premieres of Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer" and Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" -- is more indie art house than glossy mainstream.
There were plenty of empty seats at the opening-night ceremony -- a result of a snowstorm that, while nothing by Washington standards, kept many from reaching Potsdamer Platz for the gala.
The crowd was low on non-German VIPs, though jury member Renee Zellweger and Berlinale regular Tilda Swinton added a bit of Hollywood glam.
Instead of the all-star lineup many had expected for the anniversary fest, for 2010 the Berlinale has gone back to its roots. The opening film, Wang Quan'an's "Apart Together" is a reminder of Berlin's groundbreaking role as an international platform for Asian cinema. And this year's competition -- despite featuring the world premieres of Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer" and Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" -- is more indie art house than glossy mainstream.
There were plenty of empty seats at the opening-night ceremony -- a result of a snowstorm that, while nothing by Washington standards, kept many from reaching Potsdamer Platz for the gala.
The crowd was low on non-German VIPs, though jury member Renee Zellweger and Berlinale regular Tilda Swinton added a bit of Hollywood glam.
- 2/11/2010
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Berlin -- Asian cinema will bookend the 60th Berlin International Film Festival, with Chinese drama "Apart Together" from Golden Bear winner Wang Quan'an ("Tuya's Marriage") opening the event with its world premiere Feb. 11 and "About Her Brother," the latest from Japanese director, and Berlinale regular Yoji Yamada ("The Twilight Samurai") closing the festival Feb. 20.
"Apart Together" focuses on the reunion of two lovers who were separated when one, a solider, fled from Shanghai to Taiwan in 1949 to escape Mao Tse-tung's troops. The film stars Lu Yan, Ling Feng, Xu Cai Gen and Mo Xiaoqi. The film will screen in competition, giving Wang Quan'an a chance for a second Golden Bear. "Apart Together" will also screen separately in Berlin's Culinary Cinema section on Feb. 17.
"About Her Brother," screening out of competition, will mark Yamada's seventh visit to Berlin. He was last here with the World War II period drama "Kabei: Our Mother,...
"Apart Together" focuses on the reunion of two lovers who were separated when one, a solider, fled from Shanghai to Taiwan in 1949 to escape Mao Tse-tung's troops. The film stars Lu Yan, Ling Feng, Xu Cai Gen and Mo Xiaoqi. The film will screen in competition, giving Wang Quan'an a chance for a second Golden Bear. "Apart Together" will also screen separately in Berlin's Culinary Cinema section on Feb. 17.
"About Her Brother," screening out of competition, will mark Yamada's seventh visit to Berlin. He was last here with the World War II period drama "Kabei: Our Mother,...
- 1/19/2010
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Chinese New Year got off to a spectacular start in Berlin when director Wang Quan'an was awarded the film festival's top honor, the Golden Bear, for Tuya's Marriage. The Chinese movie, which is set in Inner Mongolia, was named on Saturday. A thrilled Wang said, "A very beautiful dream has become reality for me here. Perhaps this is the last glance at the herds people of the region. Ultimately they are going to disappear into the cities. I think that it is important, particularly in this time when the economy is booming, to ponder and reflect on what we're losing." US-born Israeli Joseph Cedar took Best Director for his war drama Beaufort at the film festival, while Best Actor and Actress prizes went to Julio Chavez (The Other) and Nina Hoss (Yella) respectively. Actor-turned-moviemaker Robert De Niro also had a share of the accolades - The Good Shepherd, his drama on the origins of the CIA intelligence service, won for Outstanding Artistic Contribution.
- 2/19/2007
- WENN
COLOGNE, Germany -- French and Asian cinema are back with a vengeance at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, with four French and four Asian films selected for the festival's official competition lineup.
Francois Ozon's Angel, about the rise and fall of a young author in early 20th century England, will close the 57th Berlinale, providing a suitable bookend to an event that kicks off Feb. 8 with the world premiere of La vie en Rose, from another French director, Olivier Dahan.
The other French films in competition -- Andre Techine's The Witness and Jacques Rivette's Don't Touch The Axe -- also will have their world premieres in Berlin.
Asian cinema, which was largely absent from last year's lineup, returns in force with two Chinese productions -- Wang Quan'an drama Tuya's Marriage and Li Yu's urban portrait Lost In Beijing -- and two from Korea -- Zhang Lu's Desert Dream, about a refugee from North Korea who flees to a barren village on the Chinese/Mongolian border, and I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, the highly-anticipated new drama from Park Chan-wook (Oldboy).
This year's Berlinale lineup ranges from such independent productions as Ryan Eslinger's When a Man Falls in the Forest to Zack Snyder's epic 300, an adaptation of the Frank Miller comic book about the battle of Thermopylae between 300 Spartans and a Persian army numbering in the millions. Both films will have their world premieres in Berlin, with "300" unspooling out of competition.
Francois Ozon's Angel, about the rise and fall of a young author in early 20th century England, will close the 57th Berlinale, providing a suitable bookend to an event that kicks off Feb. 8 with the world premiere of La vie en Rose, from another French director, Olivier Dahan.
The other French films in competition -- Andre Techine's The Witness and Jacques Rivette's Don't Touch The Axe -- also will have their world premieres in Berlin.
Asian cinema, which was largely absent from last year's lineup, returns in force with two Chinese productions -- Wang Quan'an drama Tuya's Marriage and Li Yu's urban portrait Lost In Beijing -- and two from Korea -- Zhang Lu's Desert Dream, about a refugee from North Korea who flees to a barren village on the Chinese/Mongolian border, and I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, the highly-anticipated new drama from Park Chan-wook (Oldboy).
This year's Berlinale lineup ranges from such independent productions as Ryan Eslinger's When a Man Falls in the Forest to Zack Snyder's epic 300, an adaptation of the Frank Miller comic book about the battle of Thermopylae between 300 Spartans and a Persian army numbering in the millions. Both films will have their world premieres in Berlin, with "300" unspooling out of competition.
- 1/22/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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