Cannes film festival
Nyoni uses unsettlingly playful surrealism in this account of a malign uncle and the family mythmaking that effaces his crimes
Rungano Nyoni is the Zambian-Welsh film-maker who in 2017 had an arthouse smash with her debut, the witty and distinctive misogyny fable I Am Not a Witch. Her new film is an oblique, intensely self-aware and often seriocomically strange family drama about sexual abuse. Its final moments give us something of the magic realism that the title hints at, but its playfully and startlingly surreal images are perhaps at odds with the fundamental seriousness of what this film is about. While it’s such an intriguing idea, an almost absurdist scrutiny of what avoidance looks like and how families choreograph their collective denial, there is something a little bit contrived in it and, though always engaged, I found myself longing for some outright passion or rage or confrontation.
Nyoni uses unsettlingly playful surrealism in this account of a malign uncle and the family mythmaking that effaces his crimes
Rungano Nyoni is the Zambian-Welsh film-maker who in 2017 had an arthouse smash with her debut, the witty and distinctive misogyny fable I Am Not a Witch. Her new film is an oblique, intensely self-aware and often seriocomically strange family drama about sexual abuse. Its final moments give us something of the magic realism that the title hints at, but its playfully and startlingly surreal images are perhaps at odds with the fundamental seriousness of what this film is about. While it’s such an intriguing idea, an almost absurdist scrutiny of what avoidance looks like and how families choreograph their collective denial, there is something a little bit contrived in it and, though always engaged, I found myself longing for some outright passion or rage or confrontation.
- 5/16/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Rungano Nyoni made her name in 2017 with her Directors’ Fortnight entry I am Not a Witch, a surreal comedy of sorts in which a young Zambian girl named Shula is forced to choose between being turned into a goat or confessing that she is a witch. Opting for the latter, Shula is sent to a witch camp and put to work in the service of the community, the source of some uncomfortable satire, creating a space for Nyoni to explore the points of conflict between superstition and civilization in modern African society.
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, by its total alone, suggests something similar, but although the protagonist is also called Shula, Nyoni’s sophomore film is something darker and altogether more serious. This time, the focus is the rub between tradition and modernity, using the occasion of a family funeral as the jumping-off point for a slow-burn drama builds,...
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, by its total alone, suggests something similar, but although the protagonist is also called Shula, Nyoni’s sophomore film is something darker and altogether more serious. This time, the focus is the rub between tradition and modernity, using the occasion of a family funeral as the jumping-off point for a slow-burn drama builds,...
- 5/16/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
It is polite, we are told, not to speak ill of the dead, though it’s just as often prudent not to speak ill of the living. For victims with grievances against those older and more powerful than them, it’s hard to know when to speak up at all. But a quivering collective fury scalds through the silence in Rungano Nyoni’s tremendous new film “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” — as a group of young women, nursing the scars of sexual abuse, chafe against the quiet complicity of family elders when their shared perpetrator drops suddenly and none-too-sadly dead. Blending molasses-dark comedy with searing poetic realism to capture contemporary Zambian society at a generational impasse between staunch tradition and social progress, this is palpably new, future-minded filmmaking, at once intrepidly daring and rigorously poised.
Unspooling in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar — though more worthy of a spot in the main Competition,...
Unspooling in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar — though more worthy of a spot in the main Competition,...
- 5/16/2024
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Actress Emma Stone took home 29th Critics Choice Awards in the Best Actor Female category for her performance in ‘Poor Things’ and she said she is in full blown shock and I that she didn’t have anything that she was going to say because this is “completely crazy”.
‘The Curse* actress’ speech was heartfelt, hilarious and totally on brand, she said: “I’m going to be honest, I’m in like full blown shock. I didn’t have anything that I was going to say because this is completely crazy. This category is ridiculous – Lily (Gladstone), I mean come on. Margot (Robbie) – what in the. Carrie (Mulligan) – okay. Greta and Sandra Hüller.
“This doesn’t make any sense. Thank you so much for this, it means so much to me. I was being serious. I don’t know what to say.”
Further thanking her cast and crew, the ‘La La Land...
‘The Curse* actress’ speech was heartfelt, hilarious and totally on brand, she said: “I’m going to be honest, I’m in like full blown shock. I didn’t have anything that I was going to say because this is completely crazy. This category is ridiculous – Lily (Gladstone), I mean come on. Margot (Robbie) – what in the. Carrie (Mulligan) – okay. Greta and Sandra Hüller.
“This doesn’t make any sense. Thank you so much for this, it means so much to me. I was being serious. I don’t know what to say.”
Further thanking her cast and crew, the ‘La La Land...
- 1/15/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Apple TV+ has ordered a third season of “Tehran,” the global espionage thriller starring Niv Sultan and Glenn Close. Ten-time Emmy-nominated “House” star Hugh Laurie is the newest addition to the ensemble cast.
“Tehran,” which launched on Apple TV+ last summer, follows a Mossad hacker-agent named Tamar (Sultan) who infiltrates Tehran using a false identity. At the close of Season 2, she goes rogue following the loss of a close ally; in Season 3, she must once again reinvent herself to earn back Mossad’s support in order to survive.
Laurie will play Eric Peterson, a South African nuclear inspector. Other cast additions include Sasson Gabai, Bahar Pars and Phoenix Raei. Along with Sultan, Shaun Toub and Shila Omm will also return. Production is already underway.
Also Read:
‘Bosch’ Spinoffs Focused on Jerry Edgar, Renee Ballard in the Works at Amazon Studios
“‘Tehran’ is a nonstop thrill ride that has hooked fans around the globe.
“Tehran,” which launched on Apple TV+ last summer, follows a Mossad hacker-agent named Tamar (Sultan) who infiltrates Tehran using a false identity. At the close of Season 2, she goes rogue following the loss of a close ally; in Season 3, she must once again reinvent herself to earn back Mossad’s support in order to survive.
Laurie will play Eric Peterson, a South African nuclear inspector. Other cast additions include Sasson Gabai, Bahar Pars and Phoenix Raei. Along with Sultan, Shaun Toub and Shila Omm will also return. Production is already underway.
Also Read:
‘Bosch’ Spinoffs Focused on Jerry Edgar, Renee Ballard in the Works at Amazon Studios
“‘Tehran’ is a nonstop thrill ride that has hooked fans around the globe.
- 2/8/2023
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
Apple TV+ has renewed “Tehran” for a third season, in which Hugh Laurie will join the cast as Eric Peterson, a South African nuclear inspector.
“Tehran” follows Tamar (Niv Sultan), a Mossad hacker-agent who infiltrates Tehran under a false identity. After going rogue at the end of Season 2 and reeling from the loss of her closest allies, in Season 3, Tamar must find a way to reinvent herself and win back the Mossad’s support if she is to survive. Shaun Toub and Shila Ommi return to play Faraz and Nahid, respectively, while Sasson Gabai, Bahar Pars and Phoenix Raei are new additions to the series.
Laurie is best known for starring as Dr. Gregory House in the Fox medical drama “House” for eight seasons, with other prominent credits including BBC One and AMC’s “The Night Manager,” HBO’s “Veep” and the films “Sense and Sensibility,” “The Borrowers” and “The Personal History of David Copperfield.
“Tehran” follows Tamar (Niv Sultan), a Mossad hacker-agent who infiltrates Tehran under a false identity. After going rogue at the end of Season 2 and reeling from the loss of her closest allies, in Season 3, Tamar must find a way to reinvent herself and win back the Mossad’s support if she is to survive. Shaun Toub and Shila Ommi return to play Faraz and Nahid, respectively, while Sasson Gabai, Bahar Pars and Phoenix Raei are new additions to the series.
Laurie is best known for starring as Dr. Gregory House in the Fox medical drama “House” for eight seasons, with other prominent credits including BBC One and AMC’s “The Night Manager,” HBO’s “Veep” and the films “Sense and Sensibility,” “The Borrowers” and “The Personal History of David Copperfield.
- 2/8/2023
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
The International Emmy-winning drama Tehran is getting a third season at Apple TV+ — and adding another Emmy nominee to its cast.
The tech giant’s streaming service has renewed Tehran for its third season and will add Hugh Laurie to its cast for the coming run. His casting follows that of Glenn Close, who appeared in season two of the Israeli spy thriller. Season three is in production; a debut date hasn’t been set.
Tehran follows Mossad agent Tamar Rabinyan (Niv Sultan), who goes on a deep-cover mission in the Iranian capital. Season three finds her reeling from the loss of her closest allies and looking for a way to reinvent herself and win back the Mossad’s support after going rogue at the end of season two.
“Tehran is a nonstop thrill ride that has hooked fans around the globe. Like viewers everywhere, we can’t wait for another heart-pounding season from Dana,...
The tech giant’s streaming service has renewed Tehran for its third season and will add Hugh Laurie to its cast for the coming run. His casting follows that of Glenn Close, who appeared in season two of the Israeli spy thriller. Season three is in production; a debut date hasn’t been set.
Tehran follows Mossad agent Tamar Rabinyan (Niv Sultan), who goes on a deep-cover mission in the Iranian capital. Season three finds her reeling from the loss of her closest allies and looking for a way to reinvent herself and win back the Mossad’s support after going rogue at the end of season two.
“Tehran is a nonstop thrill ride that has hooked fans around the globe. Like viewers everywhere, we can’t wait for another heart-pounding season from Dana,...
- 2/8/2023
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
First published August 19th, 2022, on Substack and Patreon.
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This is true: In the 1990s and into the early 2000s, a British man called Robert Freegard pretended to be an MI5 agent...
Don’t spend hours scrolling the menus at Netflix, Prime Video, and other movie services. I point you to the best new films and hidden gems to stream.
Movies included here may be available on services other than those mentioned, and in other regions, too. JustWatch and Reelgood are great for finding which films are on what streamers; you can customize each site so that it shows you only those services you have access to.
When you rent or purchase a film through the Prime Video and Apple links here, I get a small affiliate fee that helps support my work. Please use them if you can! (Affiliate fees do not increase your cost.)
both sides of the pond
This is true: In the 1990s and into the early 2000s, a British man called Robert Freegard pretended to be an MI5 agent...
- 9/18/2022
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
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