“Monos”: The Best Film You Didn’t See Last Year

Like many people, my favorite film of 2019 was Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning Parasite, but it very nearly got bumped off the top spot by another foreign film. It wasn’t nominated for the International Feature Oscar (it wasn’t even shortlisted!), and it was pretty much passed over by the entire cinephile community during the end-of-year retrospective. Alejandro Landes’ Monos (2019) out of Colombia is a stunning piece of work: a feast for the eyes and ears unlike few films we’ve seen in the past decade. But more than just a sensory cinematic experience, it is a fascinating look at the detrimental effects of war on youth and how the culture of conformity impacts a generation that prefers not to define itself by rigid guidelines.

“Pain and Glory” Film Review: The Virtues of Vulnerability

Pain and Glory (2019) is the latest film from esteemed Spanish filmmaker and two-time Oscar winner Pedro Almodóvar. It stars Antonio Banderas as Salvador Mallo, a film director undergoing a life crisis, in the semi-autobiographical tale of Almodóvar’s life. It was one of the most acclaimed films out of Cannes Film Festival, where Banderas won the Best Actor award. Where does it rank among Almodóvar’s filmography? Will the film stand a chance in this stacked Oscar field?

Foreign Film Fridays: “Monos” (Colombia, 2019)

Welcome back to my recurring Foreign Films series, where I examine some of the best foreign-language movies of the recent past! Today we have a new release that’s still in theaters: Sundance-favorite Monos, from Colombian documentarian Alejandro Landes. This war drama follows a group of child soldiers in a guerrilla outfit of a rebel army, tasked with guarding a captured American known only as “Doctora”. Despite 2019 being such a strong year for foreign cinema, Monos has managed to carve out a place for itself and make a case for awards consideration in several categories. What sets this film apart?

Foreign Film Fridays: “Pan’s Labyrinth” (Spain, 2006)

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) is a Spanish dark fantasy film from Guillermo Del Toro. It tells the story of Ofelia, the young stepdaugher of a cruel Francoist general in the midst of a war with guerrilla rebels. Ofelia stumbles upon a fairytale-like world and must complete various mystical tasks to claim her long-lost throne as princess of the Underworld. The film is often cited as one of the greatest foreign-language films ever made and launched Del Toro into worldwide recognition. How does such dark and twisted film cast a spell on so many?

“Roma” Film Review & Analysis

**UPDATE: For more analysis of Roma, check out my Script Analysis post where I dissect the screenplay to determine the hidden themes and messages of the film!

---

Roma (2018) is the latest from Alfonso Cuaron, one of my favorite working directors. It stars Yalitza Aparicio as Cleo, a housekeeper for a middle-class family in 1970’s Mexico. The film has drawn serious accolades thus far and is a frontrunner for Best Picture already, despite not dropping officially on Netflix until next Friday. What is all the buzz about? *SPOILERS AHEAD!*

Foreign Film Fridays: “Y Tu Mamá También” (Mexico, 2001)

Welcome back to Foreign Film Fridays, where I talk about some of my favorite non-English language films! (And yes I know it’s Thursday, but I have a new review planned for tomorrow, so stay tuned!) Today we’re going back to turn-of-the-century Mexico and the breakthrough film for a future Oscar winner: Alfonso Cuarón. Y Tu Mamá También stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna as Julio and Tenoch, two upper-class teens who embark on a spontaneous road trip across Mexico with Luisa (Maríbel Verdú), a woman ten years their elder.

I had this film on my watch list for many years but never got around to it until just last month. I decided to put it on in preparation for Cuarón’s upcoming film Roma, which will be a return to a more grounded examination of his home country, Mexico. This film was well-received but largely passed over for awards consideration, though it did snag an Oscar nom for Best Original Screenplay (a rarity for a foreign film). It was controversial at the time for its explicit sexuality and drug references, perhaps dampening its impact and exposure with many viewers. But setting that aside, this is a masterful work that manages to mask its complexity behind a facade of realism, working on multiple levels at once. For this reason, I didn’t feel comfortable sharing my thoughts on the film until I’d let it sit for a while and then watched it a second time with a better sense of what to look for. And after doing so, I can conclude that this is one of the best films I’ve ever seen, foreign or otherwise. *SPOILERS AHEAD!*