Movies
Iron Lung (2026) - Mark Fischbach
Original: English | Watched in: English
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After occasionally hearing about Iron Lung and "Movie Mark" here and there, a friend invited me to see it in theaters. It was only playing for a few days, so at 23:00 we went to watch it together. I had never properly seen a horror film before and wasn't sure what to expect, but when we stumbled out at 2:00 in the morning, I definitely needed a moment to breathe.
The film is intensely claustrophobic, and I loved it for that. I sat through most of it with my shoulders tensed, watching the plot slowly stitch itself together. It unfolded evenly, never confusing, always intriguing. The blood occasionally looked a bit... tomato-soup colored, but I could easily overlook that. With such a small cast, the performances had to carry the weight, and they did. Simon in particular was haunting to watch as his mental state gradually deteriorated.
Many of the (spoiler-free) reviews I had seen beforehand somehwat dampened my expectations. Critics called the plot weak, the acting unconvincing, the pacing uneven, and the production cheap. I didn’t agree. None of those supposed flaws distracted me. I found the simplicity part of the appeal, and the pacing and acting never felt boring or poor. I thoroughly enjoyed the film from beginning to end.
Seeing a small-budget independent project find commercial success felt genuinely encouraging. Whatever one thinks of the movie, it stands as proof that an ambitious creative vision, even one that feels niche or risky, can find its audience.
"I just want to live. Is that so wrong? Why doesn't anybody else want that?"
Der Schuh des Manitu (2001) - Michael "Bully" Herbig
Original: German | Watched in: German
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Review
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Some time ago, I came across an artist whose entire schtick revolved around creating ironic as well as strangely tender videos and artwork about the film Der Schuh des Manitu. I had noticed that its sequel was playing in local theaters, though I mostly rolled my eyes at the thought of it. Recently, however, I stumbled across the same artist’s work again, and this time I found myself genuinely curious about what the movie was actually about.
This was probably the first comedy I’ve properly sat down to watch, and the fact that it’s a comedy is unmistakable. From the bavarian accents to the sheer absurdity of what unfolds on screen, I was laughing throughout. The film commits fully to being a parody Western, so much so that it becomes a parody of parody Westerns. The "interesting" twists (Winnetouch… whatever exactly was going on there) and characters like Dimitri really add to the chaos. And Winnetouch, oh my God. An outrageously exaggerated gay caricature that somehow works because the film is so unapologetically over the top. The characters, absurd as they are, still manage to feel cohesive, and I found myself genuinely rooting for them.
When the narrative finally tightens toward the end, it does so rather abruptly, but it works. Somehow: "His gingerbread heart saved his life!". I later learned that the film is one of the highest-grossing German movies since the Second World War, as well as a parody of Karl May’s Winnetou. Knowing that context really cemented its status as a comedy classic.
I would absolutely watch this film again, preferably with a friend, because I know I’d end up laughing just as hard, if not harder.
They're after us... and they've dug up... the folding chair.
Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987) - Louis Malle
Original: French | Watched in: French
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Review
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After finishing the book Les Mauvaises Notes (see "Books") and thoroughly enjoying it, I found myself craving something similar. On a whim, I searched "French schoolboy movies" and clicked on the first result: Au Revoir les Enfants. I had never heard of the film before, but the synopsis convinced me it was worth watching. By the end, I was both horrified and deeply moved.
I became incredibly invested in both the story and the characters, and I was initially surprised by how overly rude everyone seemed. Although, these are preteens living together away from their parents. I especially enjoyed how the film took time to show the rhythms of daily life, both the nicer and uglier sides. The two main boys felt entirely believable for their age, with their own problems, interests, and behaviors. Julien isn’t ignorant, but painfully unaware, not entirely understanding what's going on, which only hurt me more, while Jean is hauntingly self aware: "I'm the only one in this school who thinks about death. It's incredible!" (Jean Kippelstein).
The twist toward the end surprised me. While it was largely understandable in hindsight, it did feel somewhat abrupt. The film also felt significantly longer than its actual runtime, though that may just have been beacuse of the site I watched it on constantly pausing. Regardless, once it finally ended, part of me briefly thought, No, wait. This can’t be the end, right? before the screen cut to black, leaving me in shambles, overwhelmed almost. Looking back, though, that ending was the only right choice, sugarcoating anything would've been completely innapropriate. What I appreciated most about the film was its focus on the other side of the Second World War; not battlefields, but the everyday lives of children.
I would absolutely watch this film again, and likely several times over; it feels truly timeless. After reading more about it, I learned that the story is autobiographical, which made the experience all the more devastating, and strangely tender.
"You scared?" – "All the time."