A friend involved in A Free Palestine (a series of events marking the anniversary of the Nakba) recommended me this film.

Palestine ‘36, directed by Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, portrays village life during the Great Arab Revolt of 1936 — the largest and longest uprising against Britain’s three decades of colonial rule in the region. Through a tapestry of characters from distinct walks of life, the film weaves together overlapping tensions: colonial oppression, deep religious identity, an unbreakable love for the land, and the rise of rebel groups pushing back against both the British establishment and Zionist colonial ambitions.

Shot on location in Palestine — remarkably, the only feature film to do so in the past two years — it premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival to a 20-minute standing ovation.

After watching it, I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to broaden their understanding of the Palestinian political conflict — particularly its historical roots, which are often absent from contemporary coverage.

What stays with you is the weight of knowing this happened nearly 90 years ago, and that the situation has only deteriorated since.

Arriving just after Hitchcock’s Psycho and at the early rise of the psychological thriller era¹, “Red Desert” carves out a space that is wholly its own. Instead of focusing solely on its protagonist’s mental struggles—a mother navigating her unease—Antonioni’s first venture into color directs attention outward. The result is a vivid meditation on industrialization, rendered through evocative visuals and atmospheric sound.

Richard Brody of The New Yorker notes, “The characters in his movies seem thin because their environment is developed so thickly; yet that environment, he suggests, is, though exterior to them, an inextricable part of them.” This captures the film’s spirit: the landscape and inner life are woven together, making “Red Desert” far more than a study in psychological distress. It’s an exploration of how the world and those who inhabit it shape one another.

On one random day in the San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will each become part of a dazzling multiplicity of plots, but one story.

A wealthy Italian household is turned upside down when a handsome stranger arrives, seduces every family member and then disappears. Each has an epiphany of sorts, but none can figure out who the seductive visitor was or why he came.

A modern classic, “Y tu mamá también” exchanges the restraint of Teorema’s conservative household for Mexico’s vibrant, contrasting scenery. It’s a story about youth and desire, portrayed with refreshing honesty and a touch of eroticism.

The film’s philosophical, poetic narrations provide deeper context, quietly revealing how chance, circumstance, and class shape the lives onscreen. These moments remind us that decisions ripple far beyond the present.

It leaves an impression—an inward odyssey unfolding against a restless landscape.

For those captivated by Guillermo’s imagination in Pan’s Labyrinth, this documentary provides an insightful look at the influences—from formative religious experiences to the mysteries beneath the surface—that have shaped his creative vision.

A classic. Must read for anyone who believes in love, and for those who want to learn about it… a sneak peak into lots of should’ve, would’ve, could’ve done in life. A lesson for life.