Our team carefully selected some movies and TV shows they have watched in 2023 that they would like to recommend to our readers. Some you may know, some you may have heard, all deserve to be explored. Enjoy, and happy 2024 from the entire team.
“The Truman Show” by Peter Weir.
The Truman Show is not a new movie. Therefore, many of you have already watched it or many of you have overlooked it. I am counting on the latter for this review. Even though the film pales in comparison to the over-produced, blockbuster films and franchises that are gripping the zeitgeist, it is its simplicity, ingenuity, and ability to evoke discomfort that makes it such a suitable watch for these chaotic times.
The premise of the film is that an ordinary man named Truman Burbank (played by Jim Carrey) is living a life, unbeknownst to him, that is fabricated and is entertainment fodder for the rest of the world. I apologize if the premise is too vague, but the beauty of this movie lies in its element of surprise.
It is unabashedly and effortlessly funny and deep and explores themes of surveillance and existentialism. It is a truth and a platitude that we are living in a world that is becoming increasingly uncertain, dangerous, and complex. Nothing is shocking anymore. Except, of course, for the eerie but misplaced familiarity of ‘The Truman Show.’ This movie is bound to move you, especially the last scene where a boat sailing a fake ocean, crashes into a horizon that is plaster and cement. So go grab a blanket and some popcorn and give it a watch!
Jeett Ratadia
“Succession” by Jesse Armstrong
I am a playlist person, meaning that I love conveying feelings through Spotify playlists. The last time I was so enthusiastic about curating a new one was when I finished watching the third episode of Succession’s final season this year, “Connor’s Wedding”. I felt like I needed someone to talk to about the emotional roller coaster that I just got off, and Spotify gave me a helping hand. Starring Jeremy Strong, Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, and Sarah Snook, Succession is a renowned American TV series focusing on the power struggles within the Roy family. To describe it more briefly, it is a series by the rich criticizing the rich. The dramedy successfully portrays how corrupt people can be in their fight for power and money. The series’ four seasons not only dominated the Emmys for years but also proved to be one of the greatest of all times. Succession is an incredibly funny satire of money, family, power, the rich, and the US- you laugh, get sad, cannot wait until the next episode, and laugh again. Sometimes you cry too, just like I did after finding out that there will not be a 5th season.
Egemen Aray
“The Fabelmans” di Steven Spielberg
Autobiografia di Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans” è un’ode alla passione intrecciata alla razionalità che ne lima le imperfezioni e le conferisce del magico. “L’arte non paga”, si dice. Ma Spielberg, sin da bambino viene affascinato dalla maledizione del cinema, che si rafforza durante gli anni da scout in cui il suo istinto irrefrenabile per creare scenette ed effetti speciali, emerge naturalmente. Durante I primi atti del film, dopo una breve visione dell’infanzia e dell’adolescenza dall’esterno, Spielberg, riprende il ruolo d’osservatore e rende la sua famiglia, vera protagonista dell’opera. Una particolare cura viene posta nei confronti della mamma, un personaggio libero, una musicista in possesso di una scimmietta che spesso balla sull’orlo della follia. Nel suo ritratto, immortalato dalla cineprese del figlio, sembra esserci la via dell’arte che il regista avrebbe potuto credere sbagliata durante gli anni universitari. Il padre è invece, un ingegnere il cui più importante scopo è l’avanzamento della sua carriera in ambito informatico e che quasi sembra non capire l’innamoramento della moglie per il suo migliore amico. Istinto e ragione, I genitori del regista, seppure in forte conflitto, daranno a Spielberg le radici della sua essenza che lo renderà uno dei più grandi registi della storia del cinema.
Claudia Caffo
“La chimera” by Alice Rohrwacher
Personal grief for a lost loved one blends with impersonal grief for the loss of Art. Against the backdrop of the Italian Maremma – a sunny, lush portion of countryside between Lazio and Toscana – the movie explores the frailty of our irreplaceable cultural heritage, that is so often exploited for personal interest. This interest touches upon the life of the protagonist, whose ambiguous relationship with Art, together with a magical talent, leads him into a questionable game of tomb raiders. Among unusual criminals, a broken family and an unimagined visitor, the protagonist must face a choice that will inevitably shatter the status quo. “La chimera” is overall a stunning meditation on loss, time and heritage of individuals and peoples alike.
Lorenzo Garbarino
“Frances Ha” by Noah Baumbach
This movie is a breath of fresh air, a move away from the idea that growing up, along with the traditional “coming of age” movies that showcase it, is something that stops as such with our late teens. What if we were still growing, falling and making mistakes late into our twenties? Maybe a daunting prospect, but a reality that has its beautiful facets. This is Frances Ha. A woman in her late twenties still figuring out who she is, who she wants to be, and more importantly what she wants to do in this life. Dealing with the realities of a world that at times appears shallow, or warm, or uncertain, is a journey we can empathise with. Starring the wonderful talent that is Greta Gerwig. Directed by Noah Baumbach. The first movie co-written by the duo Gerwig Baumbach, by now more widely know for their following films and work on Barbie (2023).
“Io Capitano” by Matteo Garrone
A movie that must be shown in schools. That is the sentence that was replaying in my mind as I left the the cinema after watching Io Capitano earlier in the year. Carried with truthfulness and sensitivity, the incredible power of this film is its potential to neutralise apathy. Described as a modern odyssey, it recounts the story of two young boys as they leave Dakar and undertake their harrowing journey to Europe crossing the Sahara and, then the Mediterranean. It’s a movie that greatly benefits from the innocence of its main characters. It is through these kids’ innocent and hopeful eyes that we, audience, are faced with the mercilessly and cruelty of their journey. By doing so, it’s one of the few movies that manages to perfectly balance lightness and heartbreaking darkness. The movie is directed by Matteo Garrone and inspired by the real life story of Mamadou Kouassi.
Elisa Latora
“Mystic River” by Clint Eastwood
How well do we know the people we grow up with? To what extent are we able to comprehend what motivates them, what they base their decisions on, and what they are capable of? What is trauma, and is encapsulating traumatic experiences into a standard set of terms that we can comprehend and that allows us to think that we can predict behaviors representative of reality? These are just some of the many questions that this movie deals with. Starring Sean Penn, Kevin Beacon, and Tim Robbins, three childhood friends who as kids have shared a traumatic episode and who in older age find themselves dealing with a brutal murder that feels deeply connected to their past, “Mystic River” is a cruel and heart-breaking movie that in a world increasingly depicted as black and white stresses the importance of greyness. And it shows, once again, that no one ever fully escapes their past, no matter how hard they try.
Bojan Zeric
Articles written by the various members of our team.
