Movies: The Divine Order, Thelma, The Swindlers

The Divine Order

It is hard to believe that women in Switzerland were still struggling to gain the right to vote decades after most of the Western world secured these rights.  This insightful film zeroes in on a small village in Switzerland and the housewife where the movement began.  Switzerland finally granted women the right to vote in 1971.

All the actors are European, mostly Swiss and Italian.  All are impressive character roles.  It was filmed in English, German, Italian and Swiss German with English subtitles.

What was most impressive about the film was how the women characters slowly bonded together, each supporting the other, each for different reasons.  It is a fascinating peek behind the curtains.

This film is not rated.  The genre is noted as Art House & International, Drama.  It runs a quick 96 minutes.

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Thelma

What sparked our interest in this newly released film is it’s Norway’s submission for the 2017 Foreign Film Oscar.  We also noticed very high ratings from the most prominent critics.  (That should have been a clue…)

The story follows a young college student when she suddenly experiences extreme seizures for no apparent reason.  As time continues, the extent of her condition challenges her friends and family well beyond the pale.

The acting is quite good.  It is a small but skilled cast.  The production gets a bit goofy as it drifts in one direction then suddenly in another.  Maybe that is the intent.  Half the time we could not figure out what was going on.

The film is not rated.  It is listed as Art House, International, Mystery & Suspense.  We do not recommend this film for children due to drug use, graphic sexuality, extreme and violent behavior.  Run time is just under 2 hours.  Norwegian with English subtitles.

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The Swindlers

This was an interesting and confusing movie about a Korean con artist who was reported dead but rumored to be alive.  When the “less than clean” Prosecutor meets another fraudster that is looking for the same con man they decide to join forces but for very different reasons.

It’s an entirely Korean cast and production with bits of sarcasm and a fair amount of overacting.  There is also some great stunt work, impressive driving and some jazzy special effects.

On the downside, the English subtitles flash on the screen so fast to keep up with the dialog it often makes the story difficult to follow.

This film is not rated.  It is quite violent, plenty of foul language and certainly not suitable for children.  The genre is listed as Drama, Mystery and Suspense.  Run time is 1 hour, 57 minutes.  It might be worth a look if you are up for something a bit different.

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