Renfield ★★★
FANTASY (2023)
Directed by: Chris McKay
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina

Count Dracula, one of the most iconic characters in cinematic history, returns with an interpretation by Nicolas Cage, in a film in which, however, he is not the absolute protagonist. Instead, here is Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), Dracula’s eternal henchman and servant, who takes care of all his needs: shelter from daylight, a comfortable coffin, and, of course, fresh human sacrifices to satisfy his master’s need for blood. In return, he also enjoys a portion of the latter’s immense power. However, having reached the present day, Renfield is now ready to put an end to this co-dependent relationship with the help of an impulsive female cop (Awkwafina).

Based on a short story by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), Chris McKay’s film faithfully serves the style splatter genre without going too dark for any sort of realism or more “serious” approach. Instead, dark humor reigns supreme, Cage in his element, all the exaggerated grimaces and killer lines. Otherwise, the action, as we have already said, is impressive and bloody, with a comical character, which is aimed more at laughter than at frightening the viewer.

Golden Athena at the Premiere Nights and official participation at the Cannes Film Festival for a special film that brilliantly tells about the roots, ancestors, as well as random events that determine people’s lives. Freddy, 25, from France, travels to South Korea, where she was born, for the first time to find her biological parents. There, in addition to the heartbreaking process of assimilation, she will also face cultural differences and a language barrier, in a country that is her homeland, but is practically a completely alien world.

What is interesting about Davy Chu’s film is how he manages to put the viewer into a whirlpool of alternative stories, despite the fact that in fact we are only watching one: making small jumps in time every 3-4 years, we see Freddie in different phases, with others people, with other jobs, as with a separate life that this girl could have lived if things had turned out differently. The common denominator is, of course, the always-old trauma of being cut off from one’s parents, which dramatically permeates the entire film right up to the touching finale.

From Israel comes a somewhat bizarre story of imprisonment that aims to highlight the pressing issues of the country’s various communities. Sami, an Israeli citizen of Palestinian origin, travels to his Arab village for his brother’s wedding. That same night, the Israeli army blockades the entire area, essentially making everyone prisoner in their places, with no other explanation. With no electricity or running water now, chaos will soon erupt among the villagers as general anger is mixed with personal disagreements and revelations. Kolirin’s film offers several apt observations that are relevant to small communities as well as Israeli-Palestinian relations, while downplaying some serious issues in favor of a surreal comic approach.

Call Jane ★★½
DRAMA (2022)
Directed by Phyllis Nagy
Cast: Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver.

Phyllis Nagy’s film takes us back to the 1960s, when abortion was banned in America. Married and now mother Joy has a potentially dangerous pregnancy, but doctors refuse to terminate it. The young woman then finds refuge with Jane, a group whose mission is to provide safe abortions for those who need them.

The best game in the world ★★
COMEDY (2022)
Directed by: James Ute
Interpretations: Jamel Debuse, Daniel Hauteig

The most enjoyable film of the week comes out of France, starring the one and only Jamel Debus as a debt-laden man who accepts a tempting offer: to become a living gift toy for a spoiled rich kid who has everything but real friends. life. French comedy, albeit in a clichéd and repetitive manner, speaks to the value of real human relationships that cannot be bought with all the money in the world.

Ben Affleck stars in Robert Rodriguez’s new film. The latter plays detective Danny Rourke, who is looking for his missing daughter when he becomes involved in a series of unbelievable events while investigating a series of bank robberies with a gifted psychic as his assistant.