Cinema Escapist
Explore and connect the world through a cinematic lens
Review: Jia Zhangke’s “Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue” Meanders Through Modern Chinese Literature
BY Anthony Kao
Auteur Jia Zhangke tells a literary history of post-1949 China in his latest documentary “Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue.”
“76 Days” Features Heart-Wrenching Footage of Wuhan During the Worst Days of COVID-19
BY Richard Yu
Hao Wu's latest documentary features never-before-seen footage of a hospital struggling to save lives amidst the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in China.
Review: “The Wife of a Spy” Is an Elegant Musing on Japanese Fascism from a Civilian’s Perspective
BY Akshay Suggula
Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "The Wife of a Spy" depicts Japan’s gradual plunge into fascist darkness with an aesthetic evoking Japan’s Golden Age of Cinema.
Review: Manijeh Hekmat’s “Bandar Band” Is An Empathetic Road Trip Through A Flood-Stricken Iran
BY Lorna Codrai
"Bandar Band" offers a portrait of young dreamers clinging to hope as they navigate through an environmental crisis in Iran.
Review: “The Best Is Yet to Come” Views China’s Hepatitis B Discrimination Through An Auteur Lens
BY Anthony Kao
Jia Zhangke protégé Wang Jing’s directorial debut “The Best Is Yet to Come” screened at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals.
Review: “Once Upon a Time in Venezuela” Is an Immersive Dive Into a Vanishing Village
BY Kieran Davey
Anabel Rodríguez Ríos's documentary "Once Upon A Time In Venezuela" beautifully depicts a village that offers a microcosmic view of Venezuela's broader political challenges.
Review: “They Say Nothing Stays The Same” Tackles Westernization In Meiji-era Japan
BY Brenda Chang
Japanese director Joe Odagiri’s debut “They Say Nothing Stays the Same” has stunning vistas, but the film’s forays into genre muddle the point.
Review: “Gaza Mon Amour” Is an Irresistibly Charming Film About Love And Desire
BY Lorna Codrai
In "Gaza mon amour," Palestinian filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser offer a delightful look at a late-life romance within a conflict-ravaged territory.
Review: Netflix’s “Record of Youth” Highlights Millennial Struggles in the Fashion Industry
BY Lindsay Wong
Park Bo-gum and Park So-dam star in a drama that eschews K-drama romance clichés, instead highlighting the frustrations of millennials
Review: “Yellow Cat” Is a Whimsical and Artsy Kazakh Dark Comedy
BY Anthony Kao
Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s “Yellow Cat” tells a quirky Bonnie and Clyde-esque story set amidst Kazakhstan’s steppe.