I try not to know too much in advance about films I watch. When I saw a DVD for “Riders of Justice” (2021) with Mads Mikkelsen’s big, bearded mean-mug on the box, I assumed it was a sloppy, meathead, biker action flick. I mean, his name is MADS. Well, Mads supplies plenty of gunfire, but I was the one walking into an ambush – subtitles (they’re speaking Dansk), wacky professors, deep conversations about math, death and fairness (both separately and together), and some truly dark humor. And it’s a Christmas movie! It’s no coincidence pleasant surprises are often the greatest joys.
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Everyone knows the story of a boy and his dog is endearing. What about an old man and his dog? Better yet, old Italian men and their old Italian dogs? “The Truffle Hunters” (2021) is ostensibly a documentary about the quirky world of truffles – the prized tuber of haute cuisine. I still don’t know why they’re so expensive, but they’re dealt like drugs in back alleys at night, with buyers, sellers and middlemen all BS-ing each other. The emotional center of the story, however, is the hunter-dog bond. After, long, quiet interludes, we’re rewarded with priceless moments. Just like hunting.
Just what we need, a subtitle film trying to make an artistic statement about the madness of war. Never seen one of those before. The pointlessness of ethnic violence seems to be the point of the otherwise pointless “Before the Rain” (1995), which runs a cycle of Macedonian killing though a time warp worthy of Maurits Escher. The conflict is seen through three perspectives, each more depressing than the one before. The main characters are all flawed and unlikeable. The theme is that people will always find a reason to fight, and if you’re neighborhood isn’t at war, just wait.
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