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Utopia (2013)
Wonderful television
I find myself writing this review 2 years after I watched Utopia, in part to relive this magical piece of television, but also to confirm its presence on screen.
After 30 minutes, the viewer is thrown head first in to frightful frenzy of events that are rooted right from the very top of our society. One of the many wonders of Utopia is that it keeps its fast pace but at the same time is patient in everything but story line; creating this real but fake environment, both utopian and and dystopian in equal measure.
The array of colours, the oddity of the characters and the squeamish, hostile yet fantastic soundtrack only add to the eeriness of both seasons.
This is something I would wholly recommend and one that doesn't require reviewing first - I stumbled upon this on 4oD and couldn't stop. The only shame is that Series 3 didn't go ahead...
Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Masterfull Executed
I first heard of Beasts of No Nation some time ago, being tipped that Idris Elba was to be portraying a Child Soldier General. Forgetting about it for a while, I ended up skimming through Netflix on the day of its release, and jumped in without hesitation.
This, throughout it's entirety, is an exceptional portrayal of an all too real circumstance. Hitting home from very early on, the film grows and adapts throughout, providing some excellent story telling.
BoNN is very similar to Thin Red Line, only more relevant to the current time. It's beautifully captured shots, intense colour and soft narrative are exceptional; something that I loved in Thin Red Line. Every scene is enjoyable and entertaining, which is in contrast to it's dark story.
Acting wise this is brilliant, not a single child in this film lets up. When introduced to Idris' character, I was sceptical at first – slightly 'Kony 2012/ stereotypical African General'. My opinion, however, was quickly erased and only down to the costume design – Idris gives a monumental performance throughout.
Not one to watch in the background, one to really digest
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Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (2015)
Beautifully captured, lacking complete political coverage
As these events occurred an extremely recent history, I followed the events that took place loosely, with what I could regard as having an informed opinion of them – although not the full picture. What Winter On Fire achieves is to bring you face-to-face with the events that occurred over those months, something that it captures excellently. Hats off to all involved, and again shows how Netflix is asserting it's dominance and reputation.
Beautifully edited and extremely linear, what I was impressed most with is WoF's attention to detail in showing the audience the struggles and turmoil of this dark period in Maidan. The piece really does immerse, with some very captivating hand-held shots.
Winter On Fire is definitely worth the time, and am struggling not to give it a higher star rating – as far as the film goes it is brilliant. Where this film does potentially lack, however, is that it would need to include a more well-rounded view of all the surrounding events; I am aware that this film is an account of those involved, but needs more description around outside events.