Danish director Mads Mengel discusses his feature debut, Denmark’s tradition of family dramas, the film’s restrained microaggressions, and creating the conditions for productive chaos on set.
A tragic event shatters a rich art collector’s life, awakening her primal nature. She destroys her privileged existence to build a new concept of family, leading her on a path of destruction and animalistic transformation.
The acclaimed Danish actor discusses embracing first-time filmmakers, finding the human being behind mental illness, improvising within a rigorously conceived script and refusing to pass judgment on the volatile mother at the center of Mads Mengel’s family drama.
Three generations of women reunite in a remote cabin to avenge a loved one’s death, only to discover their captive isn’t who he seems to be and his family is closing in, waiting for sundown.
Two years ago, a Pakistani film was released despite heavy restrictions from the censorship board, as well as several flaws that made it stand out from the pack. I’m talking about Taxali Gate (2024), written and directed by Abu Aleeha, which gained a positive rating on IMDb. In the Pakistani context, Taxali Gate is a reference to the red-light area in Lahore, Pakistan, which is famous for prostitution, and this is exactly what the film highlights. The film explores rape, sheds light on consent, considers the complexities of legal systems, examines manipulations by power elites, and ponders class dynamics, all beautifully plugged into the narrative. Taxali Gate stars Ayesha Omar as the sharp-witted Muskaan, and Yasir Hussain as a neighborhood pimp. Yasir’s elder brother is…
The Italian-born, London-based filmmaker discusses casting Dudley O’Shaughnessy, drawing on David Fincher and Brian De Palma, and transforming the Barbican into a psychological maze.
Plus: ‘The Kidnapping of Arabella’ and ’40 Watts From Nowhere.’
Austrian filmmaker Rosa Friedrich discusses the making of the unconventional documentary.
In the article series Sound and Vision we take a look at music videos from notable directors. This week we discuss two distinct music videos by Nicolas Winding Refn. Nicolas Winding Refn has evolved a lot as a director since his early years. Starting out with grimey crime dramas like the Pusher Trilogy and Bleeder, he has worn his influences on his sleeve, embracing classic cinematic auteurs like the many directors name-dropped by the protagonist in Bleeder. Think the Kubricks and the Scorceses. But the more outré trash and avant-garde-auteurs like Andy Milligan, Kenneth Anger, Ron Ormond and Doris Wishman always have been a frame of reference as well. Somewhere around Valhalla Rising and Bronson Refn started to coalesce his references into his own singular…
