The films are recommended by directors Marta Elīna Martinsone and Jānis Ābele / Article / LSM.lv

The incomprehensible genius of American directing Orson Wells and the French actor Matier Amalrik, who also proves himself in the director’s chair – such main figures in the current “Sofa Cinema”.

Recommended by Marta Elīna Martinsone

Debut full-length film by Marta Elīna Martinson, director and creator of Latvijas Radio 3 “Klasika” program “Seaside Climate”KneelShe is currently in the post-processing phase and, if all goes according to plan, she will go to Prague in mid-April to take part in the sound processing. The film will tell about three girlfriends, 9th grade schoolgirls, who decide to become the most popular girls in the class. And it all happens in 1999, so shortly before the new millennium.

Martinsone begins his recommendations for “Sofa Cinema” by highlighting one of his favorite directors – Orson Wales. The Netflix platform is currently screening the documentary They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead, which tells the story of Wales’ latest film, a biographical and non-biographical drama, Wind the other side ”or“ The Other Side of The Wind ”.

Like Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 masterpiece, in this film Wales wanted to create a portrait of a director who is lost in his principles or, on the contrary, wants to bring them to life once and for all. One hundred hours of footage were assembled by his colleagues, and this version is available on the Netflix platform. It should be noted that by the time this film was made, Orson Wales had already been removed from the throne on which he was built by “Citizen Keynes” – Wales’ most popular film, which in many polls is recognized as the best film of all time.

Marta Elīna Martinsone suggests watching one of the greatest entertainment films in her opinion – “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”. The film by director Edgar Wright can also be viewed on the Netflix platform.

In conclusion, Martinsone recommends that anyone who has not yet seen the HBO series “Succession” finally watch it: “I consider it one of the best series of recent years. It is a harsh satire about very wealthy people and a family drama about how power, money spoils people. I would say that there is something very “shakespeare” in this series, and I definitely recommend watching it, especially in one go, if you want to forget for a few days. “

The two seasons of the series with subtitles in Latvian are available on the platform “Shortcut”.

Recommended by Jānis Ābele

Director Jānis Ābels continues his collaboration with writer Jānis Joņevs – after the film “Jelgava 94” it is time for documentary cinema. His project just now gained support A documentary about the writer and poet Anatoly Imerman will be made in the production competition of the National Film Center.

Jānis Ābele begins his triad of recommendations with a story about a principle that is common enough in the world of cinema, in which an actor becomes a director. This time it is about the French actor Matthew Amalric, who you may have seen in the film “Spacesuit and Butterfly”, in the film about James Bond – “The Quantum of Consolation” or Ves Anderson’s “Hotel in Great Budapest”.

The first suggestion from the work of Matthew Amalick directed by the film “Blue Room” (“La Chambre bleue”).

The second suggestion is the movie “Barbara”. Apple calls this film one of the best biographical dramas or “biopic”. The film allegedly depicts the creative group’s efforts to make a film about chanson singer Barbara. In a self-directed biographical drama, Matier Amalrik also plays the role of a director. Jānis Ābele continues: “Matthew Amalrika’s confession in making a biographical film about a legendary French singer is that it is impossible for us to get to that real person.[..], all we do is just our interpretation of what Barbara might have been. ”

Jānis Ābele considers the Netflix platform to be, as he himself says, a “malignant tumor of modern culture”, therefore he has watched all the recommended films on MUBI.com. There is also a retrospective of the films of the French director Anés Varda. From this, Abel chooses to highlight the film “One Hundred and One Nights” (“Les Cent et une nuits de Simon Cinéma”). This film is like a confession of love to a cinema.

Concluding remarks from an Iranian cinema – director Moss McMalbaf’s film, called “A Moment of Innocence” in English.

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