Quick takes on Olga and other foreign films

First up is a film from the storied Taiwan film industry. Reclaim follows 60-something Ms Yeh, a woman who gave up her young-life goals of being a world traveler to stay in the city and raise a family. Her children are grown and moved out, but Ms Yeh has become surrogate mother to her husband, who is retired and just loafs around the house, letting his wife pick up after him and do all of the chores. Things are quiet, but about to get hectic. Ms Yeh’s mother is 85 and her memory is going, so Yeh cleans up the extra bedroom in their apartment to allow her mom to move in. Before that happens though, the couple’s daughter takes the bedroom back; recently quitting her job to pursue a solo career, she’s broke until she can complete her first solo project as an architect. Then, the couple’s son (and his wife) may move in as well. There’s simply no room in their tiny apartment, so Ms Yeh starts looking for a bigger place, willing to put off retiring from her teaching job in order to make it happen. As with all things in her life, Ms Yeh has always put her family’s happiness before her own, but it isn’t always in a healthy way. In fact, it rarely is. Ms Yeh doesn’t just help her kids and husband solve their problems, she tries to solve them herself. But when those problems continue to mount, far exceeding what one person can do, Yeh starts to feel like she’s drowning. There’s no deep plot or illumination in this film, it’s just a simple family drama about a woman who tries to keep juggling no matter how many balls others are tossing in the air in front of her, until it all comes crashing down. You can tell the director is new, as while there are some very nice moments, others feel clunky, especially some of the dream sequences that Ms Yeh has from time to time. But definitely not a bad film for viewers like me, who enjoy a slow-paced personal drama. ★★★½

Costa Brava, Lebanon takes place in the countryside of that nation, in a time in the “near future.” The city of Beirut has succumbed to a massive trash/pollution problem, and Walid Badri left the city with his family nearly a decade ago, to live a healthier life. His daughter Tala had gotten sick from the poor conditions in the city, which was the catalyst for the move, and she now only vaguely remembers that time in her life. The youngest daughter, Rimi, only knows the city from stories from her parents. Walid’s wife, Souraya, gave up a successful singing career to follow her husband; as becomes increasingly known as the movie goes along, the move was definitely his call. Their tranquil time has come to an end though, as the city has started a new landfill just down the hill from their home. Walid declares war, and tries repeatedly to sabotage their efforts, and contacts lawyers in the city to try to curb their efforts. Meanwhile, Tala is smitten by one of the young workers, her first exposure to someone outside of the family in who knows how long, and Walid’s ailing mother, who has always rolled her eyes at her son’s vendetta against the city, relishes the idea of contact with the outside world, even trading for a smartphone with one of the workers. That’s the entire film in a nutshell. The plot is thin, and it’s mostly just a diatribe against human’s terrible influence on the environment. I was hoping for more of an emotional punch. ★★½

If you want that emotion, look no further than All Quiet on the Western Front, the newest film version of the classic anti-war book of the same name. Taking place during World War I, the film starts in 1917, which sounds like it is near the end of the war, but so much can still happen in a year. The main character is Paul Bäumer, a young man newly enlisted in the German army. At a time before TV, the only thing Paul and his friends know of war is the stories of heroes and courage they are fed by the higher-ups, so they head to the front against France with songs on their lips. The reality of war hits them on Day 1. What follows is 2 hours of brutality and cruelty, with each successive battle seemingly worse than the previous. There are moments here and there where Paul can relax with his friends, but they are few and far between, even as his circle of friends shrinks as each dies along the way. Even when November 1918 arrives, when Germany finally sees that they cannot win this war and approaches France for an end to the fighting, the generals in charge, with their massive egos, insist of having the final say on the battlefield, no matter how many more young men die. The film reminded me a lot of Come and See, another savage war film that should be required viewing (if you have the stomach for it). This film will leave you with an ache in the pit of your stomach, wondering how we as a people can do this to each other. ★★★★

Olga is one of those powerhouse kind of films that you can’t help but get swept up in. Leading up to and take place during the Maidan Revolution in Ukraine in 2013/14, the film follows 15-year-old Olga, a promising gymnast whose mom has landed them in trouble. Mom is a journalist and has been very vocal against Ukraine’s government and its corrupt president, Yanukovich. As such, she’s put herself and Olga in danger. She’s willing to risk herself for what she sees is an important story to tell to the world, but wanting Olga to be safe, she sends her daughter to Switzerland. Olga’s absent father is Swiss, so Olga at least has the chance to compete for that country in the upcoming European competitions. But it will not be easy for Olga. The other girls are accepting enough, but Olga has to balance her competitive drive and lifelong goals with her very real fears for the friends and family back in Ukraine, even as that country starts to tear itself apart. Olga faces the real world when the competition arrives, and she sees her best friend has cut her hair short, so as to blend in better during protests, and their former Ukrainian coach has left and is now coaching for Russia, a country that backs Yanukovich and obviously an enemy to a free Ukraine (they would annex Crimea and welcome Yanukovich in exile when he was removed from office in 2014). This film will sweep you up in the emotions of a young woman with a whole lot on her shoulders. The movie uses real footage from the protests, and has actual gymnasts cast in the roles of those athletes, with Ukranian national team member Anastasia Budiashkina as Olga. ★★★★½

Miracle, out of Romania, is another film that will stick with you long after the credits roll, but for entirely different reasons. It starts simple enough, but you have no idea what you are getting yourself into. At a convent, a visibly upset young nun, Cristina, has been trying to reach someone by phone, but isn’t getting an answer. She has a fellow nun arrange for a taxi ride into the city. Along the way, Cristina lies to the driver as well as another passenger about her goal that day, telling them she is going to the hospital for headaches. When they get there, she instead goes to the OB/GYN floor, so the viewer can see this nun is in a whole lot more trouble than expected. She is supposed to meet the same taxi driver later in the day, but since he was giving off creepy vibes earlier, Cristina instead decides to get a new driver to take her back to the convent. The new guy, much more affable, seems great, until he, and the movie, take a stark left turn. The guy rapes Cristina, and though the camera thankfully pans off the brutal scene, we can still hear the violence, and it goes on and on. When the film resumes, some time has passed, and a brash investigator, Marius, is trying to solve the crime. We don’t even know if Cristina survived the brutal attack, but the cop starts at the convent, interviewing and digging, and proceeds from there. We learn they already have the prime suspect in custody, but we don’t even get to know if it is the right person until near the end. Marius will stop at nothing on pinning this crime on their suspect though, and again, the viewer is left in the dark as to why Marius is so invested in this case. All will become clear by the end, if you have the stomach to make it that far. It’s a harsh film to watch, but again, one of those that will keep you up at night, thinking about it for a long time. ★★★½

• TV series currently watching: Superman & Lois (season 2)
• Book currently reading: War of the Twins by Weis & Hickman