Welcome to the fifth of the chronicles that we will dedicate day after day to the 57th edition of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival. 'Canine (Nightbitch)' – It is still a commercial production by Fox (Searchlight), and it is still a story of self-help for the (very) well-to-do middle class. Marielle Heller is not a transgressive filmmaker either, nor can Amy Adams work miracles. 'Canine (Nightbitch)' It unfolds in an interesting and promising way. And with a touch of bad temper. Until the inevitable moment arrives when he picks up the cable, and instead of going in to kill, he takes refuge in the comfort of being, on a conceptual level, a (very) well-off white middle-class heterosexual. That is, an ultimately bucolic Fox (Searchlight) production about postcard motherhood and feminism that seeks to gently shake the tree, not tear it down, much less challenge or upset taxpayers. ****** 'Sister Midnight' – It is not the film that, due to its synopsis or nationality, it might seem to be. In fact, too often it does not even seem like a film, but rather an accumulation of scenes, moments or sketches that, when viewed together, trace the path towards the liberation and/or self-realization of an Indian woman. Karan Kandhari shows determination and energy, but his debut film lacks some order among so much cryptic excess. It is above all a question of harmony, given that its narrative, although always entertaining, is nevertheless too battered by a succession of events that are as stimulating as they are disconcerting. And despite its benefits, it is difficult to get the point of a film that lives by stepping on the accelerator and brake without a break in continuity. ****** 'The Kingdom' – A kind of 'Aftersun' set in the mafia world with a French accent (but Italian appearance). 'The Kindgom' It is a sober and contained dramatic thriller cooked over very slow heat, one of those in which it seems that sooner or later it is going to get messed up. And the truth is that in the end it doesn't get out of hand, since in fact, it is not so much a film about the mafia as, like the aforementioned Charlotte Wells film, one about the last summer that a father and a mother will spend together. daughter. All of this shown, too, with the same naturalistic closeness and an adolescent innocence that brings freshness to this, also, solid Mediterranean representation of the endless endless loop of violence between rival criminal gangs. ******* '100 Yards' – On an audiovisual level, the film is a true luxury that, seen on a big screen, looks wonderful. Now, at the plot level it is the living image of confusion. It is true that it may be due to cultural differences, although it is no less true that it is not so difficult to “understand” many other films of this style. What style? That of the martial artists of the early 20th century facing off over issues of honor and what they will say. Something similar to the 'Ip Man' franchise but presented with much more solemnity, a much more restless camera and a less pragmatic sense of spectacle. What counts in any case, the fights, are constant and very successful, even though the film is not as effective as one might expect due to what has been said, the constant feeling of meaninglessness that surrounds everything. ******
