Cultural assimilation for immigrants and newcomers is a loaded topic. There are those who believe that people coming to a new country should adopt some sense of that country’s broad mores and values in order to be a respectable, contributing member of society. Others contend that such people don’t owe a new country their assimilation, that they should hold onto their own traditions and sense of identity as a way of preserving their cultural roots. Some believe the correct position is somewhere in the middle of these, or that it depends on circumstances and a case-by-case basis. It is always a bit of a tricky issue to navigate. But that didn’t stop director Christian Mungiu from diving into it wholeheartedly in his new movie Fjord , winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It is a severe and challenging movie. And all the more curious given it deals with a crisis involving cultural assimilation in a country like Norway, which prides itself on its openness and progre...
For the kind of plot that this movie engages in, it is a surprisingly, refreshingly sombre movie. There is a time crunch through a decent chunk of it, and yet the script doesn’t treat it as such. It holds and is patient as it veers into other priorities, the rationale for which isn’t exposed until the end. It is rather poetic in fact. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is a film by Noah Segan, typically an actor best known for his various roles in films by Rian Johnson (who serves as an executive producer here). And it is indeed a movie about petty crime perpetrated by an expert petty criminal against the most endeared New York backdrop of any movie in years. There are elements of typical crime thrillers in its story and make-up, and yet it appears to be a character study more than anything, dwelling on his life, his friendships, kindly attitude, and noble humanity before also touching on the past faults of his character, the ramifications of these and his regrets. It is as though...