From the ever-prolific Iranian cinema came another family story with profound social implications. The creator of the acclaimed film 6.5, Said Rustagi, also opens the film with an extremely intense and feverishly filmed opening scene, set in a factory that is forcibly closed. But then the tone drops as one of the workers leaves to return to his hometown. There, 40-year-old Leyla (Tarane Alidusti) has spent her entire life caring for her parents and four siblings who only work occasionally. With the family on the verge of bankruptcy, Layla devises a plan to save her, but her father has made other promises that will soon pit him against his own children. The Iranian director undertakes to lead us into the depths of Iranian society, where the broader family relations, largely determined by the institution of marriage, are above all. Poor people, like Layla’s father, hope to be recognized by the family through a luxurious wedding, which they even ask to sponsor with their (non-existent) backlog. All this paranoia is filtered through a humorous script designed to highlight the clash of old and new in all its tragicomic glory. The only real downside here is the length of the marathon, which approaches three hours, likely tiring the less familiar viewer.

Maria Schröder (“Somebody’s Spoke”, “Unorthodox”) here signs a German film that deals with the topic of artificial intelligence from a deeply human point of view. Alma (Maren Eggert), a lone antiquities researcher, faces funding problems for her science program; to solve them, she agrees to take part in a groundbreaking experiment, living for three weeks with Tom (Dan Stevens), a specially crafted humanoid. a robot to offer her absolute happiness.

The only indication that mankind has advanced far enough to create robots with almost perfect human behavior is the humanoids themselves; otherwise, Schroeder’s film takes place in contemporary Berlin, where Alma will gradually discover this interaction with a partner, even if… artificial, can help her cope with the traumas of the past. At the same time, of course, the film touches upon the practical, ethical and even metaphysical questions that arise in connection with our relationship to technology in general and artificial intelligence in particular.

Another chapter in the history of professional executioner John Wick offers a new cycle of endless action starring Keanu Reeves. Determined once and for all to get rid of the evil High Bank and win freedom, John will face the last powerful enemy that can hunt him around the world. As stylish and attention to detail as the previous ones, the new sequel will take us from New York to Tokyo, and from there to Berlin and Paris. The comedic action, although quite inventive – some of the episodes are really great – gets terribly repetitive, to the point of being boring, from a point on. And Keanu Reeves, who is perhaps slower at stunts now, seems to be wondering if it will ever end.

Forgotten ★★½
THRILLER (2017)
Directed by: Luciano and Nicholas Onetti
Interpretations: Mirta Busnelli, Gustavo Garzon

The contemporary B-movie is inspired by the real-life destruction of the Argentine resort town of Epequen, which was completely submerged in 1985. Thirty years later, as the waters recede, a small group of filmmakers arrive on the scene to film a documentary. But soon they’ll realize they’re not alone… The Onetti brothers’ film tests just about every cliché of the slasher genre, but usually does so in a sweet and (thankfully) old-fashioned way.

From Bolivia comes out (rarely) a discreet but very touching film that speaks primarily through the power of its images. Somewhere in the high mountainous regions of the country, an elderly couple from the Quechua tribe has been living the same daily routine for decades. A prolonged drought, however, threatens their very survival, and now they – along with their newcomer grandson – will have to decide whether they will continue to fight or be expelled from their land. Documentary realism and at the same time a philosophical essay on the passage of time for the film, which has a magical photograph and frames-verses that emphasize the importance of a minimum in the chaos of the world.