MOTHER AND SON (Mat i syn)

Directed by Aleksandr Sokurov
Starring Aleksei Ananishnov, Gudrun Geyer
1997

This film is about the relationship between a sick mother and her son. Surely, this isn't for the average viewer: narrative is slow, events nonexistent; the film consists mostly of painting-like "still-lives" with very little dialogue. The mother and son walk along the beautiful sceneries (the film is done on the island of Rügen, by the coast of Germany), approach each other, take contact by embracing and hugging.

Nick Cave, the rock singer, said somewhere that this film is the most beautiful he has ever seen. I agree that it is maybe Sokurov's best: the twisted images of the landscapes, great camera work and almost meditative feeling are something I love to see in the cinema - if nothing else, just as an attempt this is a great film, instead of all the run-of-the-mill "narratives" we come across.

Awards:
1997 Moscow International Film Festival
Andrei Tarkovsky Award
Russian Film Critics Award
Special Jury Prize

Character (Karakter)

Director: Mike van Diem
Main Cast: Jonathan Maxwell Reeves, Fedja van Huêt, Jan Decleir, Betty Schuurman, Hans Kesting, Victor Löw
1997

This dark drama from the Netherlands won the 1998 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Dreverhaven (Jan Decleir), the most ruthless and intimidating bailiff in Rotterdam, is brutally murdered, and a young attorney, Katadreuffe (Fedja Van Huet), is arrested in connection with the crime. Under questioning, the angry young lawyer reveals a hidden motive for the killing -- he is Dreverhaven's illegitimate son.

The complicated relationship between Katadreuffe and Dreverhaven lies at the center of this film. Viewers are left wondering whether Dreverhaven was really acting in his son's best interest, by being harsh with him, or taking revenge, either on an unwanted child or the boy's mother, who refused to marry him.

Tomorrow Never Dies

Director:Roger Spottiswoode
Starring:Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher
1997

The 18th chapter in the 35-year-old James Bond series (excluding Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again). James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and Michelle Yeoh deliver action in this edge-of-your-seat thrill ride...

This is what I call an action movie!