chong_an

16-year-old Seydou, with his cousin Moussa, takes "a trip" from Dakar, Senegal, to Europe. There are roadblocks along the way. There is a trek across the sand dunes of the Sahara. (I believe that is because the trucks can't get thru, but that is not explained.) There is a ride in an overcrowded boat that takes longer than advertised. There are fake ids that cost more than expected, bribes to be paid, and sophisticated robberies There is a post-robbery robbery, where the migrants are threatened with torture or death, unless they give phone numbers of family members to shake down for ransom. Seydou is lucky to be befriended by a man old enough to be his father, where they manage to be only sold as slaves, and manage to impress their owner enough to be freed.

Seydou eventually reunites with Moussa in Tripoli, and, needing to cross quickly, ends up agreeing to steer the migrant boat in return for passage. Because he is a minor, he can't be prosecuted by European authorities. His instructions: " Just go north, keeping the compass at zero". This is where the title "Me, Captain" comes from.

This is alleged to be a composite story from actual successful migrants, so it comes across as the Biblical trials of Job, as everything possible seems to happen to them. Also, by keeping the film to 2 hours, the audience does not get the experience of the arduousness of the journey. Every event is over in 10-15 minutes, while in the hands of another director, this could be a 3-hour epic.

The dangers of the journey are mentioned - partly by a shaman before he eventually blesses their trip, and partly from the instructions on how to steer if the boat hits rough waters. I kept thinking of episodes of Star Trek Classic, where new officers or crew members are introduced, only to be killed off soon after. However, I consider the overall effect to be "benign", and not the unrelenting horror story it could have been.

I have seen other films about migrants before, though this is the 1st I have seen about the African experience. There is no overall "snakehead", who orchestrates the whole journey. But the route is sufficiently well-known, that at each step along the way, there is someone who solicits passengers, to arrange passage to the next point.

While this is illuminating in the context of the journey, unlike other migrant stories, it does not make me sympathetic to the participants. They are migrants in search of fame and fortune, seduced by images of life in advanced countries, fantasizing about "White people asking for our autographs". At 16, by working as casual labor without family knowledge, they have managed to earn sufficient money (they think) for the trip. Seydou tells his mother that he can send money home from Europe to help the family, when he could have done so immediately with his local earnings.

Suze is a successful professional woman, divorced, feeling possessive of their only child, daughter Brooke. She has been pressuring Brooke to drop her boyfriend, ne'er do well musician Gage, who is unable to finish high school. Suze is planning on Brooke to attend a local university while staying at home, and is shocked when Brooke heads off to McGill, a 6-hour drive away. Brooke proceeds to break up with Gage by text message, then ghosts both of them.

After a suicide attempt, Gage ends up under the care of Suze, whose dislike grows into a bonding experience, as both miss Brooke, and both turn out to be otherwise lonely people. That part of the plot has a parallel with the teacher-student duo in The Holdovers.

There is smart writing in the events and vignettes that flesh out the characters, with the theme that life happens, and you just have to deal with it.

Rudolf Hess is a successful executive in Germany. He runs a large institution efficiently, and lives right next door with his family. While he does plan family time, his wife Hedwig considers him a workaholic, and, besides raising their children, has built a nice garden and greenhouse on empty land adjacent to their house. Upon being promoted to head office in Berlin, Rudolf at least manages to keep the family in the home they lived in.

The institution is the Auschwitz concentration camp, Hess is the commandant for most of its existence, and what might be banal gets an undertone of horror. We barely see more than the entrance to the camp, but we occasionally hear trains and prisoner noises. Hess impassionately discusses a proposal to build a continuous crematorium, with chambers in rotating use. The family discusses the open spaces in the East that Germany is expanding to. They get gifts of clothing and other items from the dead, with Hedwig recounting her dislike of a rich Jewish woman who had lorded it over her. Meanwhile, industrialists are looking for free labor from the camp. Hoss also gets to have sex with a servant girl.

But the winds of change are coming. In Berlin, there is reference to a funeral of those who died in an air raid. And Hoss is returned to Auschwitz, which will become the focal point of Operation Hoss, the deportation of Jews from Hungary.

This is a very interesting take on the Holocaust, but viewed from the other side. I am just puzzled by some black-and-white scenes in the movie, that does not seem to have anything to do with the main plot.

Felix is a popular student at Oxford, from an aristocratic background. Oliver is a scholarship student from more humble roots, who may be too intellectual to make friends. Still, Oliver manages to befriend Felix, and gets invited to stay for the summer in Felix's family mansion / estate Saltburn.

There, he meets the family - quiet father, inquisitive mother, sexually-forward sister, intimidating butler, and a couple of other houseguests. They "dress for dinner", but somehow also wear their formal clothes to play tennis. On the flip side, when the siblings invite Oliver to join them in a field of tall grass, the dress code is nudity.

As Felix's sister lusts after Oliver, Oliver lusts after his only friend Felix, who lives next door and shares a bathroom. There is a certain pan-sexuality in many characters, with his mother declaring "I was a lesbian once, but found women too wet". However, after Felix finds out Oliver's secret - which Oliver rejects - things start to unravel.

Even before I saw the film, I envisioned Oliver as Jack in Titanic, a non-aristocrat living among aristocrats, and I was correct. There is some awkward editing near the end, where happeniings have to be inferred. Like the contemporary film The Holdovers, which takes a long time to get down to the main characters, Saltburn takes a bit long (30 minutes) to get to the titular esttate.

Enjoyable, but sometimes I wish I could have turned on closed captioning, as I seem to be missing parts of the dialog.

During World War 2, the young boy Mahito lives in Tokyo, and is traumatized when a big fire occurs, which burned down the hospital his mother was working in. His father takes him to a small town, and introduces him to his pregnant "new mother", who bears a physical resemblance to his deceased mother. They live on her estate, where his father owns and operates a factory on the edge of it. When his New Mother disappears into the woods , he finds a path that leads to a mysterious forbidden mansion, where he ends up in a world that has the living, the dead, and the unborn. As he searches for his mothers, he finds his potential destiny. He is helped along the way by a talking heron, who has been stalking him ever since his arrival at the estate, along with some human characters.

The animation artwork is gorgeous, but I find parts of the plot dubious. Starting the story in WW2 Tokyo, any big fire invokes the American firebombings, which did not happen until the final months, so the time line seems compressed. There is no explanation as to why the family would leave a large traditional Japanese house in the estate to the elderly servants, and live in a modest western one. The relationships between some of the characters seem to be telegraphed early in the film. A couple of times, there is a blackout, and Mahito finds himself in a totally new situation, with no explanation as to how he got there.

This is a film that fans of Hayao Miyazaki can rave about. For others, it is slightly less rave-worthy,

Napoleon is a film that traces his career from the 1st significant battle that made him noticed, until his exile and death. It also covers his relationship with Josephine, with times of love, separation, and infidelity. At over 2-1/2 hours, it seems long, but in viewing, it seems to be an attempt at an Epic, but very rushed, as various characters seem to cameo and disappear. One example is Josephine's daughter, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, whrn Josephine was supposed to be infertile. I expect a longer Director's Cut would make more sense - either with an intermission, or in 2 or 3 Parts.

A lot of the life of Napoleon can be easily researched, but it seems that Ridley Scott bent history to suit his idea of drama, and not logically. At the battle of Waterloo, Napoleon's cannons could hit the jumping-off point of Wellington's troops and beyond, but when the English troops marched forward in tight formations, the cannons were silent. All this drove me to look on the internet, which is not likely Scott's intention.

I saw this in 70 mm, and some battle scenes would have benefitted from seeing an IMAX screening, but this film is destined for streaming, which appears to be a waste.

Many people know Leonard Bernstein by his recordings of classical music, and by his compositions for Broadway and movies. This film shows the private side of his life - his relationship with his wife Felicia, herself a busy actress. It also includes his relationship with his children (mostly his daughter), and the various men that float thru his life - which his wife accepts, as long as he is discreet.

Backing the story are excerpts from Bernstein's career. The soundtrack includes music he composed, including West Side Story, and combined with bits of classical music. There is a scene of a rehearsal of the dancing sailors from On The Town, while the classical highlight is Bradley Cooper conducting (allegedly live) the finale of Mahler's Symphony #2 "Resurrection".

Since the time period spans ore than a quarter century, there is a problem of having too many characters who are basically cameos, which I had trouble following.

Shooting the earlier scenes in black-and-white is an interesting attempt at "documentary", given that it was the time period before color film The makeup for Bernstein is impressive, changing as he ages. Also interestingly, Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre is given top billing, even though she has less screen time than Bradley Cooper, but Cooper already has credits for Director, Writer, and Producer as well.

So this film will appeal to lovers of certain genres of music, while it will not resonate among those who don't know Bernstein.

It is Christmas break in 1970, in a boarding school for boys of mostly well-off parents. A killjoy teacher gets the task of supervising the students who are not going home (or elsewhere) for the holidays. When they get down to one last student, s troublemaker, the teacher-and-student duo end up bonding with each, oftn breaking the "Barton boys' code" of never lying, just to cover for each other.

While this is a nice story and well acted, I find too many holes in it.

It becomes apparent that that teacher really has no place to go himself over the holidays, so the plot about rotating teachers is suspect.

It takes too much time to get rid of the other students, while making feeble attempts to flesh out those characters.

By story and looks, the teacher is in his 50s, though they meet with a Harvard classmate of his, who is more likely in his 30s, and having just gotten tenure at his university post (easy in that era, with the baby boomers swelling the post-secondary population).

The chief cook's son just got killed in Vietnam, but now her sister seems to be pregnant for the 1st time. How big an age difference is there between them?

However, I did like the bits of dialogue that trashes how kids of rich and influential parents have power over mere mortals.

In a south London gay rugby club, the team has managed to reach respectability, and the owner persuaded to form a developmental "B" team. Mark, a star on the B team, meets Warren from the A team, who is on injury rehab. Warren seduces Mark, and they have a continuing affair, despite the fact that both have boyfriends, and a continuing relationship is breaking the rules of open relationship.

While Mark's rich boyfriend is often away on business, Warren's boyfriend is also a member of the A team. Also, a member of the B team is interested in at least "friending" Mark. But as the affair continues, Mark and Warren get ever more bold.

My chief complaint about this film is that there is too much rugby. Too many scenes of training, post-game pub events, and dance halls / parties. I suppose it is a rugby film first, and the relationship is somewhat secondary.

Charlie is morbidly obese. He gets regular visits from his friend and nurse Liz, who tells him to go to hospital, which he adamantly refuses.

Maybe 10 years ago, he found a boyfriend and left his wife and daughter. However, his boyfriend was disowned by his family and his church, causing his decline and eventual death. Still grieving, Charlie may be trying to eat himself to death.

With his wife having full custody, he has not seen his daughter since she was 8, but now he managed to contact her and try to reconcile with her. Given his profession of teacher of writing (via Zoom), he tries to help her with her essay.

Into the mix comes a young missionary from the very church that he caused the grief, and he has his own personal problems.

There are a couple of double meanings in the story. Charlie is obsessed with an essay about Moby Dick, and the hunt for a whale. Also, the missionary talks about end times for humanity, though Charlie could be entering into his own end times.

As befits a story that started as a stage play, the story mostly unfolds in Charlie's living room, as he spends most of his time on the couch. The cinematography, leans towards the dark, but I suppose it does set the mood. The various characters do get to vent their frustrations, at situations they find themselves in.

This is a good but depressing film, with an undercurrent of condemnation of churches who demand that their adherents stay on a narrow path of behavior.

60 years ago this August, there was the March on Washington, which concluded with the "I Have a Dream" speech. Lost in the shuffle is the lead organizer of the event, Bayard Rustin, whose homosexuality pushed him out of the "leading face" role.

This is a dramatization of Rustin's role in the organization of the march. It went thru several changes in concept, as he and his mostly-youthful volunteers arranged massive logistics for what was planned as a 100,000 person event. More modifications had to be made as heads of major unions and religious groups came on board.

However, detractors from the right picked at his Communist background, and his homosexuality, which meant that he had to keep a lower profile, and he was not one of the "Big Ten" who were invited to meet with President Kennedy afterwards.

Some parts of the story had to be condensed, but the backbone remains intact. The producers did a good job of shooting the crowd scenes, including some marchers in "period costume". Colman Domingo did an excellent job in the lead role of the driven Rusin.

I saw this at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the audience at various times broke out into spontaneous applause. The producers talked about sending the script to Barack Obama, which brought the Obamas on board as executive producers. Obama, who had given Rustin the Presidential Medal of Freedom on the 50th anniversary of the march, even recorded an introduction to the film.

In small-town Hungary, Ana is a beloved teacher of literature, who tends not to slavishly follow the official curriculum, but uses creative methods. In discussing the French poet Rimbaud, she assigns as optional homework the viewing of the film Total Eclipse (1995), which depicts Rimbaud in a homosexual relationship. While she has done that for many years without complaint, this time a conservative father happens upon his son watching the film on his computer, and he launches a complaint about the immoral material. A committee is formed to determine whether the film is age-appropriate.

Concerned with the school's upcoming 150th-anniversary celebrations, the school principal tries to sweep this under the carpet with a temporary reprimand. But Ana is standing on principle, and is worried about the implications of censorship, so she appeals. That brave and foolish move forces a bigger inquiry, which causes a bigger fuss.

I saw this at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the director said it was inspired by a real incident. Written during the COVID lockdown and shot in 2021, this film has become very topical, as issues of banning the discussion of sexuality in even high schools has emerged in various locations outside Hungary.

Simon is a performer in drag cabaret. He meets newcomer Olivier, and they form a partnership, both personal and professional, going from solo acts to duets. Simon's sister is very supportive, creating the costumes Simon wears, and also costumes for other members of the troupe.

Simon's mother is a famous opera singer, and things get complicated when she comes into town for a series of performances. Simon tries to squeeze in time to meet her, and to get her to see him perform. It turns out that he has a special solo act prepared just for her.

This is a good showcase of Montreal's drag entertainment scene, with both snippets of performances and backstage activity. And while lip-synching is an art, the main emphasis is on performing the songs, often in a flamboyant manner.

This film won the TIFF Best Canadian film award. Recommended for those who are drag-curious, or at least not drag-averse.

Jeanne lives a bifurcated life.

At home, she is the eldest of 3 children in a single-parent family. Their father is a police officer who needs his overtime work to make ends meet, so she often ends up playing the "mother" role in the family. It gets complicated when her ex-boyfriend returns after a 4-year assignment away with the army, expecting to resume their relationship. But she has had a bad sexual encounter with him, and has been ghosting him all this time.

Professionally, she dreams of being in the world of high finance - investment banking or hedge funds - despite the fact that she is mostly self-taught. Trying to become a quantitative analyst (or "quant"), she binds her breasts and wears a man's suit, while still using her female name. By spotting an error in computer code, she parlays her role as an intern into such a job, and even gets an offer for a quant job in Singapore, which causes tensions within the family.

The Spirit of Ecstasy is the hood ornament seem in the car her boss rides in, and which she later emulates, posing out of the sunroof of a moving car.

I saw this at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the 1st-time lead actress mentioned that she spent a year rehearsing and researching the world of finance. She did a decent job, and the soundscapes were good. However, I have problems with the script. I had trouble with both the overall arc of the story, and also some specific scenes. As such, it was not worth my battling with the subtitles.

In Saudi Arabia, there is a culture of camel racing, and "hajjan" is a camel-racing jockey. Matar is a teen boy from a line of camel racers. When his older brother gets knocked off his camel in a race and dies, Matar is supposed to join his nearest relative, his uncle, in the city, and his beloved camel Hofira sold for meat. Matar successfully pleads to be able to race his camel at least once, but his success meant that Hofira is instead sold to the local camel-racing baron, and Matar is allowed to go along.

There, he finds an owner who is obsessed with the immortality of winning the Great Race. His local tactics include having "support" camels, whose riders interfere with potential challengers in the race, a tactic he could not apply to the Great Race, until Matar qualifies Hofira as a second camel.

An interesting slice of the camel racing culture was the support cars. Not only does the play-by-play announcer drive around the outside of the track in a car following the action, various coaches / trainers are racing along, calling in instructions by pocket radio. Another is how male-dominated the culture is. The only women in the film were the owner's wife and step-daughter.

I saw this at the world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the director considered this to be a "western" - someone coming into town and cleaning it up, though in this case the cleaner was a young man, who was cast partly because he "looked innocent". Matar is buffeted by various interpretations of what it means to be a "real man", and it is the path he takes that leads to the "cleanup" ending, not some form of gunslinging. The film also reflected the myths and legends passed on, where oral history has everyone having a grandfather who was a great hajjan. Interestingly, despite the years posted on the wall of victors, the director kept time-marking artifacts (like cell phones) to a minimum, trying to create a somewhat timeless story.

This film runs on two parallel tracks. In 1938-39, young British stockbroker Nicholas Winton volunteers to spend one week in Prague helping the refugee organization there organize their files. He found children who had fled Germany or German-occupied Sudetenland, and decided that he needed to get them out to Britain. That involved finding foster parents, getting visas from initially reluctant bureaucrats, and raising money, not just for the trip, but a deposit for returning the children "when it was safe to do so". It ended when Britain declared war on Germany, and a British visa became worthless as protection against German authorities.

The other track is in 1987, when Nicky hands over his Prague scrapbook to a researcher. It included the photographs, names, and last known addresses of the children. The information went to a normally-fluffy British TV show, where Nicky was introduced to one of his "children" the show had found. That led to a follow-up show after many other "Nicky's children" contacted the TV show.

This story has been the subject of at least one documentary, but not yet brought to life as a drama. The cinematography was interesting, in that the color palette could immediately inform the viewer of the time period of the story. The 1987 scenes have the bigger stars, but the 1939 scenes form the bulk of the film, and are far more gripping.

I saw this at the world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Due the the actors' strike, the actors were not present, but they managed to assemble maybe a dozen of Nicky's children to see their own story on the screen.

Alberta is the most conservative province in Canada, politically and religiously. However, each year there is a one-week camp geared towards non-straight teenagers - gay, queer, trans, fluctuating, etc. The camp counselors are also a mixed bag of like people, so the kids can be kids without being judged by straight peers.

This documentary shows the kids doing regular camp activities, like crafts, nature walks, and climbing a rock-climbing tower. But there are other custom activities like make-up and clothing swaps (especially useful for trans kids). Another event at that camp was a meeting was gay senior citizens, who could compare experiences with them. Some are repeat campers, while many express their hope to return next year.

The film starts with interviews with some of the subjects at home, as they discuss their affectional or gender identities, then follows them to camp. A very useful aid in what might be an overwhelming set of characters is that often there would be captions for the subject's name and pronouns.

I saw this at its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, with the presence of directors, producers, and 3 of the kids (and their families). The kids (and their families) were pre-interviewed online, to get their buy-in for the project. The film crew were almost all from the LGBTQ+ community as well, which helped keep the kids relaxed. The experience did give the kids more interpersonal confidence.

A later chance meeting with the director informed me that this camp, at the end of August, was an "added week" to a regular children's camp, that the regular camp staff were present in a monitoring role, but kept their distance (and off camera). Also, the camp was subsidized by charitable organizations and people, since several of the kids came from families who would not be able to afford sending them to camp.

This is a worthwhile documentary of a worthwhile event. It was 1st runner-up in the TIFF People's Choice Award in the Documentary category.

This is a reboot of The Parent Trap as a musical. Identical twins separated at birth, each brought up by a single parent, both become top salesman at the same company. When they are brought together, they realize their relationship. Hankering for a "normal" 2-parent family, they hatch a plot to get their parents together and re-marry.

Switching identities, they each visit the other parent's apartments, and work on getting their reclusive parents to go out to dinner, where they would then meet. However, rather than detail the parents' eccentricities to each other in advance, they both jump in uninformed, and are shocked at what they find.

Originating as a 2-person play, most scenes are 2-person scenes, except for the extravagant musical numbers. Bowen Yang does an amusing turn as God, leading the ensemble in the song "Love is Love". Megan Thee Stallion plays the business founder, and her song is about a power woman dominating men. Nathan Lane is the father who has come out as gay, and is reasonably (but not overly) flamboyant. Having worked together for years, the main characters are very comfortable with each other.

I saw this at the world premiere weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the directors were present, even though as the main actors they would be on strike. This was presented as part of the Midnight Madness program, and they were awed at seeing their "little" project on really big screens (my presentation was on an IMAX screen, and that was not the biggest screen the film played on). In response to a question, they said that they had no trouble getting their "dream team" to work on the film, as the various big-name actors had a positive reaction to the script.

I did find some parts overwhelming - the mother's apartment decor, and the father's pets. Also, the twins did not make any attempt to look alike, despite everyone around them keeping confusing them for each other. This suspension of disbelief is common in live theater, but seems iffy on film.

This film won the TIFF People's Choice Award in the Midnight Madness category.

Luke is a mid-20s white man in London, divorced, with custody of his 5-year-old son, working as a mechanic in his father's garage. One night, he stumbles upon a south Asian nightclub, meets alluring woman Aysha, and they kiss, before he realizes that "she" is a drag queen.

Aysha feels an interest in Luke, and also needs a driver to drive her to various gayasian events where she performs. She tracks down Luke, and he agrees to the job because he needs the money. However, this develops into at least a friendship, as they do other things together, like sing karaoke.

So here are two people who are divided by race, culture, religion (Aysha's family in Manchester is Moslem), sexual orientation, and gender identity. Can they overcome all these differences, and be each others' unicorns?

I saw this at the world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the director said he was inspired by an out British Asian drag queen. He noted that South Asian drag was realistic rather than glamorous, and a certain number of the background characters were actual drag queens in their customary attire.

In a seaside small town, 17-year-old Jim is an aspiring boxer, training for his 1st professional bout. HIs coach is his father Stan, whose boxing gym has only Jim as its client, his day job is disapppearing, and (unknown to Jim) is dying of cancer. Mostly Jim sees his father as a repeated drunk, and he gets enticed to switch coaches.

Jim is also distracted by his girlfriend, who keeps wanting more of his time. But in his training runs, he meets becomes mates with Whetu, a Maori living on his own in a shack. Openly gay, Whetu is bullied, harassed, and worse, and wants to leave town immediately upon finishing school. While Jim spends a lot of time with Whelan, Jim can't stand up for, or defend him. As Jim prepares for his fight, he has to navigate his feelings towards his father, his girlfriend, and his new mate.

The scenery is nice, and the lead role is well acted. Also, as Whelan complains, the "straight boy" keeps going around shirtless, showing off his tempting body. There may be a bit too many training scenes, at the expense of more character development. Still, a decent gay coming-of-age story.

Halim is the master tailor in the caftan store he inherited from his father. He is a traditionalist, hand-sewing everything including the embroidery, eschewing machines .To help keep pace with his orders, he takes on new apprentice Youssef.

Even early on, we see Halim going to the baths, not just to get clean, but to meet men for sex, though that is something Halim struggles against. So it is difficult for him when he gets close to Youssef.

Halim's wife Mina is "his rock", and runs the front of store. Halim's earlier apprentices didn't work out, and she gets jealous when Youssef seems to enjoy the work, spending lots of time with Halim.

However, Mina is ailing, with bouts and periods of weakness, and eventually Youssef has to temporarily run the store, and is welcomed into the family.

The thread that runs thru the film is the titular caftan, custom-made for a rich woman with lots of embroidery, which master and apprentice work on all thru the story.

The film is a bit slow-moving, with scenes being repeated in variation. It seems to be like watching a caftan being sewn by hand, and therefore may be deliberate. However, it evokes the right mood, and is a delicate exposition of the various relationships.

Something I am puzzled about: every review mentions Morocco, yet in the scene with the police I thought I heard "Medina".

In small-town Australia, young gay man Casey can't get what he wants locally, instead causing a deadly scandal. He hitchhikes to Sydney, "to see the ocean".

Living on the streets and by his wits, he hooks up with guys he meets on his phone's online app. One is Tib, who takes him in, providing him with couch, some work, companionship, and sex. But when Tib's own problems causes him to revert to his s promiscuous ways, , things get difficult between them.

There is lots of male nudity and (likely simulated) sex, which leads me to believe the film is geared to a particular audience. However, Casey does have a back story that is slowly revealed, and part of his journey is to let go of his past, and reconcile his feelings of unworthiness with his streak of independence.

This is a story of "12 up", of the relationship of 2 people at 12-year intervals.

In Korea,, at around the age of 12, Na Young and Hae Sung are best friends, academic rivals, and incipient lovers. However, Na Young emigrates with her family to Canada (Toronto?), though her mother encourages her to play with Hae Sung, to "give her good memories of Korea".

12 years later, Na Young (now westernized as Nora) is an aspiring writer living in New York, while Hae Sung is an engineering student in Korea. They connect over the internet, and Hae Sung considers (but does not) go visit Nora, and they break off the relationship. At a writers' retreat, Nora meets Arthur, a Jewish aspiring writer, and they marry, partly for Nora to get a green card.

Another 12 years go by, and Nora seems to be a successful playwright, while Hae Sung has broken up with his girlfriend, considering (by his Korean standards) that he is not fit to marry. He decides to visit New York City, mostly to reconnect with Nora, and this arouses the questions of what-ifs.

Note that "past lives" has a dual meaning. They repeatedly refer to a Buddhist concept where what someone has done in their past lives may affect their current lives, including "random" or coincidental events.

As we see in the 3rd Act, when they finally reunite, they still have a spark. This is where it gets heart-wrenching. But now they live in very different cultural universes, so that they might not be compatible even if Nora was not married.

This is a good story and well acted. As some other comments point out, this is a story for adults - not because of any sex scenes, but because the viewer has to have personally made decisions in life and wondered "what if I had decided differently".

In the hills of New York, Joan built a summer camp for kids who are int theater. When Joan falls into a coma, her non-arts son Troy has to take over as manager, and he has to grapple with the camp's precarious finances.

Meanwhile, the staff have to deal with the theater. There is reference to producing an existing play and musical, but the highlight is supposed to be an original musical written by the staff. This year, they decide to honor Joan by basing it on her life story, and the writing barely keeps up with the rehearsals.

The emphasis is mostly on the adults, and some of the tensions between them. The performing kids put on a good show, though I somewhat doubt that they could have done that well in the very limited rehearsal time. The off-stage talent is almost nowhere to be seen.

So this is a nice, lightweight film for those not into the summer action / explosion blockbusters.

With the film being available in IMAX and 70 mm formats, there is a promise of large-scale action of some sort. Instead, most of the activity occurs in small rooms, with the most expansive scenes being some of he New Mexico desert.

There are too many characters, as Oppenheimer is shown starting from his student days. I can accept the scientists he meets only once, as they are introduced and can be forgotten. However, people like the scientists on his team tend to blur, as they are not given enough screen time each, nor played by big enough stars to meld their faces and characters.

At 3 hours, this is a long film. However, the main theme running thru it is a rival scientist who felt humiliated by Oppenheimer, and got revenge by later denying him a continuation of his security clearance, and destroying his reputation. As the U. S. moved into a "red scare" period after the Soviet Union detonated its 1st atomic bomb, Oppenheimer's humanism was used against him - his earlier social justice associations with American Communists, and his pacifism after he developed the bomb. The film would have been a lot better if this was greatly abbreviated or eliminated.