3b1h2k

2.5/5 stars

A comedy that confused some , had some messiness/randomness, but some found it lighthearted and funny!

4.28/5 Stars

Very emotional and touching movie! In our first Bollywood movie, the majority enjoyed the main characters . The comedy, dance, and singing were particularly enjoyable.

3.65/5 stars
There were a couple of parts that seemed useless ( to some ) , and some people thought it was boring and more melancholy than scary. Even if some of us expected the plot twist, almost all of us still felt taken aback by the actual twist, which was the part that gained the most praise!!

4.13/5 stars

Honestly, best movie discussion we’ve had so far. Wes Anderson really delivered with this one ! The stop-motion was so cool, and the dogs had such fun personalities. The voice cast was perfect. Some of us weren’t huge fans of the setting, but overall the story had the right mix of heart and humor. 4/5 stars from most of us. Wes Anderson for president!!

4.23/5

First musical watch of the club! decided to go for an iconic classic that will be a fun watch for all , Even non musical lovers praised and enjoyed this movie . #musicalsforever

4.18/5

Equal praise for both Anthony and Olivia and their performances, an emotional drama that touched many people!

3.05/5 either loved it or hated it; we discussed all the philosophical concepts, the dialogue, and the characters.

3.9/5

Amazing performance by Jake Gyllenhaal , beautiful cinematography.

3.7/5
Beautiful cinematography and soundtrack , if yearning was a movie this would be it

3.95/5 stars . The majority agreed how perfect the ending was! filled with amazing dialogue and tiny details that are important to appreciating the beauty of the movie

Intense, thrilling, action-packed, and bloody with great fights and suspense.

A heartbreaking emotional and visually stunning film that's both gut-wrenching and beautifully cinematic.

Watched on Thursday November 7, 2024.

The movie is tense and nerve-wracking, capturing the horror and psychological distress of real-life trauma.

Watched on Thursday October 24, 2024.

Watched on Thursday October 17, 2024.

Watched on Thursday October 10, 2024.

Watched on Thursday October 3, 2024.

"Thought daughter" is defined as a girl who thinks deeply and is very introspective. This could also be characterized as an overthinker. For the girls who get told not to overthink or overcomplicate things, the girls who overanalyze every scene, every reference—this is to know the beauty of the thought daughter, the one who watches movies that will forever be ingrained in her mind and stay in the back of her brain.

Made by Hamda Alazdi ( heahhh) and Fatima Fahd (gyllenlloey)

• Aftersun
• Lilya 4-ever
• Girl, Interrupted
• Bones and All
• Past Lives
• Mysterious Skin
• The Holdovers
• The Virgin Suicides
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Us and Them

...plus 39 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

As we all know, film is a male-dominated field; this list is to show appreciation to all female directors and the beauty of their films. This list showcases movies directed or co-directed by women all over the world, not just limited to the West. All genres are included, from romance to horror to comedy, though the films are organized by genre, but not perfectly so. The genres include drama, comedy, romance, horror/thriller, international, action/adventure, and classics. I've collected movies from my own list, from the recommendations of club , and articles across the internet as well.

Made and edited by Hamda Alazdi
My Letterboxd: @heahhh

• The Piano
• Anatomy of a Fall
• Nomadland
• The Lost Daughter
• The Babadook
• Lady Bird
• Aftersun
• The Virgin Suicides
• Cléo from 5 to 7
• Past Lives

...plus 99 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Persian cinema is celebrated for its poetic, dramatic, and realistic storytelling and universal themes. This list highlights essential films that showcase the depth and beauty of Iranian filmmaking, offering a perfect starting point for those interested in Persian cinema.

Made by Fatima Fahd ( gyllenlloey ) and Faris Alhammadi ( SPEfaris)

• A Separation
• Children of Heaven
• The White Balloon
• About Elly
• Leila's Brothers
• Daughter
• A Hero
• The Salesman
• No Date, No Signature
• There Is No Evil

...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Movies with two main characters with remarkable performances, either they are both protagonists or one protagonist and the other antagonist. Elevating those movies to greatness through their remarkable portrayals and compelling relationships. That's why I consider those equally brilliant performances one of their best.

Made by Mohamed Almarzooqi
 letterboxd: @joyboy0

• Heat
• Whiplash
• The Godfather
• The Godfather Part II
• Memories of Murder
• Se7en
• The Shawshank Redemption
• Prisoners
• The Prestige
• Rush

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

This list is all about movies where the main characters are university students. Whether they’re solving mysteries, chasing their dreams, or dealing with the challenges life throws at them, these films dive into the ups and downs of college life. The list has something from every genre, from drama to comedy, and more!

• Good Will Hunting
• 3 Idiots
• Whiplash
• A Beautiful Mind
• The Social Network
• Monsters University
• 22 Jump Street
• Pitch Perfect
• Legally Blonde
• The Roommate

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

South Korean cinema is unbelievable when it comes to Crime/Thriller. A few Hollywood Crime/Thriller movies shocked me, but this list, with no exceptions, was all shocking. The first four, especially, are true MASTERPIECES. Sharp storytelling, stunning cinematography, and unforgettable twists. I felt different after watching them, maybe because of the endings and memorable soundtracks. I can never get past them.

written and made by mohamed almarzooqi
letterboxd : @joyboy0

1. Oldboy
2. Memories of Murder
3. I Saw the Devil
4. A Bittersweet Life
5. The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil
6. New World
7. Decision to Leave
8. Forgotten
9. The Chaser
10. The Man from Nowhere

It’s been three years since I saw this masterpiece for the first time, and I'm not the same person since then. I always define movies that changed my perspective on life as poems, rather than a sequence of frames, a medley, rather than a usual story to be told. Close is a visual poem, a painting of innocence lost and the unbearable consequences of a single question.

Topics like brotherhood, friendship, soulmates, and adolescence have been portrayed in the media multiple times. However, they can never sur Close. Before I get into the core beauty of this film, it is significant to mention that the Western media succeeded in brainwashing people, making us believe that every rare interaction we see in male friendships signifies something else. Like in Close, a moment where Leo leaned his head on Remi’s shoulder, which was an act of pure boyhood, friendship, and brotherly love, was overanalyzed, criticized, and later on, broke two worlds and families apart.

Art can be interpreted in any form, but the original meaning behind it remains above all interpretations. It is important to realize that if the filmmakers never intentionally introduced a subject in their films, then it means that it doesn’t exist, and no perspective can change that.
To me, Close is for us to understand the pain of growing up in a world that rushes to define things that should simply be. It speaks to anyone who has ever lost something not because it was broken, but because the world couldn’t let it exist as it is.

Color is the unspeaking narrator of Close. Remi is red, and according to the science of colors, red indicates characteristics such as deep, emotional, and intense, just like Remi, who never wore any color but red during the film. He was a quiet flame that warms and eventually burns a whole forest.

On the other hand, Leo is yellow, bright, and energetic, but it also means caution and fragility. It was not until recently, while discussing the film with my film friend Sara, that she mentioned Leo’s color was yellow. All that time, I thought it was white for multiple reasons, such as a symbol of his emotional status: empty. However, that was not the case, as I explained above.

The way these colors are woven through their clothes and surroundings isn’t random. Red clings to Remi like his unexpressed emotions, and yellow surrounds Leo, full of movement and brightness, but always on the edge of fading. There was a scene where they were sleeping together on the same bed: Remi was facing the red walls of his room, and Leo’s back was facing the sun rays escaping from the window. Together, they cast a colorful rhythm, the palette of their beautiful friendship. These colors aren’t just palettes; they are identities, a clear description of who they are as friends and individuals, and when their friendship begins to unravel, it's as if these colors begin to clash, no longer blending, no longer safe.

The last time we see the color red cast on Leo was right after he was told that Remi died, specifically when he was walking alone at night, stabbed in the heart by the sharp reality that his soulmate is no longer here. Even when Leo saw the door that locked Remi’s body, the frame was filled with both red and yellow shadows. When Leo visited Remi's room, probably months after his death, the walls cast a red shadow on him again, and for the last time, making me realize that this color, Remi, is within him now, not around him. Red is the color of Leo’s memories with Remi.

There was a scene shown before Remi’s death that, to me, was a clear hint of what would happen to his character: the scene showed a field of red flowers being mowed down during the night, no dialogue, no clear signs, just red flowers being removed from the soil, and that was Remi, removed by Leo from his life, without a goodbye, quickly and in silence.

The Fall of a Pure Bond 714a5m

What breaks this world is not an event, but a question, a simple, careless question at school, and suddenly, innocence is shattered. The tragedy of Close isn’t just that Leo pulls away; it’s that he’s made to believe he must. This leads me to dissect his character to understand his response and reaction and compare them to Remi’s.

When the question was asked, Leo’s reaction was quite defensive; it made him create an unconscious shield against the threat of otherness to protect himself. That question triggered a chain of realization he never thought about! It made him realize that the purity of friendship, of sleeping beside someone you trust, or sharing a wind sound story to calm them, must be “something else,” and so, he distances himself, not from Remi's actions, but from the weight of other people's gazes. 

In developmental psychology, adolescents would do anything to belong, no matter what; it’s their living nightmare to be viewed as “different,” and I believe that was Leo’s biggest fear during that time. He was terrified of losing his chance to be from the “us” group instead of the “them" group. He was convinced that his pure brotherhood love for Remi must either be redefined or die, and he chose the second option.

Remi didn’t care much, he didn’t overanalyze what they said because he knew that his friendship with Leo had nothing to do with the category those girls identified them as, he knew by heart that Leo is the dearest to him because he’s his soulmate, and nothing further, he couldn’t figure out why Leo started creating that distance between them, which indicates that he never experienced the thoughts Leo faced after that question, and therefore, he kept getting closer to him, because this is what he’s used to, what he wants: to be close to his friend.

I must mention that Remi had his own mental problems too, he was suffering, and Leo was his only escape alongside his family, when Leo drew the line between them, he was left with the voices that only Leo, who mimicked the sound of the wind, could stop.

My friend Sara said that after rewatching Close, she went back to search for the last interaction between Leo and Remi, and she found out that it was during the exam, where Leo kept staring at Remi from a distance, then was caught by the teacher and asked to lower his gaze, and that was it…that was the last glance.

Remi’s death was the end of this friendship, but the beginning of Leo’s unexpected journey. When Leo was told that there’s something wrong about Remi, the first question he asked was “is he at the hospital?” which indicates that he didn’t expect him to be gone, he didn’t realize until that exact moment that this is what he caused.

Parallels and Echoes 2g5x2q

The film is full of parallel scenes that mirror the emotional clash between the boys, most hauntingly, the field, which was their sanctuary, the place where they used to imagine enemies running after them, where Remi’s parents would chase them during the day, where all their laughter echoes were buried under the soil. At the beginning, Leo and Remi run together, laughter carried by the wind, like two birds in sync. It was a dance of brotherhood, but by the end, Leo runs alone. The field is the same, but the meaning, colors, and beauty have collapsed; the absence is louder than any dialogue. Close, in that moment, was basically grief in motion.

Another echo: Remi's music, my favorite scene, where Leo watches Remi play his instrument—that moment is so intimate, not romantic, and vulnerable and doesn’t hold any meanings beyond pure iration. And I believe most of us experienced this moment, where you look at a friend, shining so bright that you wish you could make them live this moment, see their beauty through your eyes. Leo doesn’t just watch; he sees him, and that’s what’s so rare.
Then there's the bird story: when Remi couldn't sleep, Leo, sensing his anxiety, tells him a tale about a special bird, comparing it to Remi, and then he mimics the wind with his mouth, a soft, whirling lullaby of care… I could write essays just about this scene, and it’ll never fully express the beauty it holds.

Lastly, the running scenes through the flower fields and the moments of them riding their bicycles have always carried a deeper meaning for me. Early on we often see Leo and Remi running together, sharing pure and unfiltered joy, yet even in those playful moments, Leo would usually run ahead, leaving Remi behind, and the camera would follow Leo, capturing him alone for a few fleeting seconds. This visual choice subtly hints at the underlying rhythm of their friendship, and it foreshadows the emotional distance that will eventually grow between them, suggesting that Remi’s presence, once so central, is quietly beginning to fade from Leo’s story, which was heartbreaking to realize. 

Later, after their first argument, which is the circular fracture in their friendship, the visual dynamic shifts as they ride their bicycles to school. We now see Remi ahead, driving faster than Leo, and this time, the camera follows Remi instead, staying close to him. To me, this change in focus is not random, it marks Remi’s moment of realization. It is as if, for the first time, Remi senses the shift between them, the widening gap, the new loneliness he must now understand. The way the camera isolates him in this scene underscores his growing awareness that something essential has been lost, and that he is now moving forward without the comfort of their faded closeness.

Leo and Remi’s Mother

The silence of Leo’s guilt was not performative; it was paralyzing. Of course, he never meant to hurt Remi, but what hurts the most is that he couldn’t stop the consequences of what he didn’t say and what he didn’t stand up for. Guilt was holding him under its tight grip. And then there’s Remi’s mother, who, I believe, saw Leo as her second son, the only person in whom she could see Remi’s reflection, the only one who re her son as he was. Their relationship is gentle, unspoken, yet profoundly important. To Leo, she represents safety; she doesn’t have all the answers, and that makes her the actual reflection of Leo. I think they both grieve in the same way, with guilt, shame, self-blame, and silence, showing people expressions they don’t really mean and saying things that don't explain what they actually feel. 

It was quite devastating, watching Leo live with this loss while clinging to her, the mother of his friend, who he believed he caused all that pain to. I think Leo prohibited grieving; he didn’t allow himself to fully express his emotions and thoughts and probably believed that he didn’t deserve to let it all out because he caused this; therefore, he must deal with this pain alone, in silence.

The only way I think he expressed some kind of self-punishment was through ice hockey, which then broke his arm, the crack that Leo’s pain started escaping from. Then we see him crying while getting a cast. He cried, not from physical pain alone, but because it was the fall that woke him up: “Remi is actually dead, and I am the reason!”

Close is a masterpiece in stillness. It captures the pain of growing up in a world that rushes to define things that should simply be. This film is my kind of art, one where meaning isn’t told; it’s felt! where colors are rhythms, silence is a scream, and eyes are pits of emotions. It’s a film where a boy running alone in a field, looking behind his back as if he heard the echoes of his friend’s laughter and rushing footsteps, says more than any line of dialogue could.

Written and edited by the talented Fatima Fahd ( future film critic and amazing writer)
check out Fatima's Letterboxd for more of her phenomenal writing! ( gyllenlloey)

boxd.it/y4qa

"The art of living is the art of knowing how to believe lies. The fearful thing about it is that not knowing what the truth may be, we can still recognize lies."
Cesare Pavese, This Business of Living: Diaries 1935-1950.

 Since the day I saw A Separation for the first time, a hesitation about writing any review or analysis of the film grew within me. I feared that my simple language and words would never fully explain the perfection of this film. However, now, after rewatching it four times over three years, I think I'm ready for that… maybe.

     A Separation, to me, is a political, social, philosophical, and religious statement. This film was never really about physical distance; it is about the invisible emotional scars or cracks that form and widen long before two people walk away from each other. It is about words left unsaid and the quiet disappearance of certainty… which was told clearly through both Simin and Nader’s eyes.

 Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation is not solely a film about divorce; it is a debate on what is truth and what is a lie. Who gets to decide which is which? It is a study of the ugly face of every choice we make and how morality is never pure.

The film opens with Simin and Nader sitting before a judge, a scene that I consider the best opening scene among all films…an astounding and perfect example of realism in media. We notice that their marriage has already ed the point of repair. At first glance, their conflict seems straightforward, a simple clash of priorities. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that there is no singular truth, no clear right or wrong. Instead, there are only perspectives, each colored by its own shades of justice, morality, and fears.

 The brilliance of A Separation lies in its refusal to take sides. As humans, we have this natural desire to pick sides; we can’t stand in the middle all the time. Especially in movies, we look for the “right” side to stand with and until the last minute of the film, mostly because we relate to them or understand them more than the opposing party… but no one is capable of that in A Separation. Every character is deeply human, drowning in flaws yet justified in their actions. Razieh, Nader's father’s caregiver, is trapped between duty and faith, trying to care for Nader’s father while adhering to her religious beliefs. Her husband, Hodjat, is drowning in financial struggles and pride, fighting for dignity in a system that has already decided his role in life. Even Termeh, my favorite character, is too young to bear the weight of these conflicts and is forced to survive in a world where truth obeys the greatness of necessity.

  As the audience, we don’t perceive the “acting” as acting in this film; it almost feels as if we’re watching a documentary… we are just watching people living a life. Everything is just… REAL in A Separation. The way people talk over each other, the background noises, the attitudes, the sudden actions…everything is so real that many people find it depressing. One aspect I completely adore about this film is the absence of any disturbance caused by music, especially during tense scenes. You just hear real-life noises, which is the music we were introduced to since birth… the natural music we try to escape by drowning it out with instrumental sounds.

Final Scene: A Separation

 The first time I watched the final scene, I couldn't fully comprehend the fact that this was how the film ended. I was left with an unanswered question stuck in my brain. When Termeh is asked to choose between her parents, you, as the viewer, have the answer you produced throughout the film…it’s in your brain waiting to be confirmed in the last few minutes. Some might be certain she will pick her father since we saw how attached she is to him. Some will assume it’s the mother because her idea of who her father is changed after all that happened. But then you never get the confirmation you wished for. Instead of focusing on Termeh’s choice, we get to observe Simin and Nader standing in the court’s corridor, waiting… and finally separated. Perhaps that is the true weight of choice…it doesn’t lie in deciding, but in living with the aftermath, which is always between regret and satisfaction.

Who Took the Money?
 A Separation succeeded in producing endless questions in our minds, some of which were never a mystery in the first place. However, if you’re used to Asghar Farhadi’s art, you’d know that he cares about the psychology behind the way humans shift their beliefs based on where they stand in a situation. It seems obvious that he deliberately presented this uncertainty to us and made us question till the end: who took the money? And like many people, I couldn't find an answer to this mystery just by watching the movie, and I was completely stunned once I saw the scene that revealed to me that what I thought was a mystery was never a mystery in the first place!
  
In Barry Oshiba’s video essay Who Took the Money? (Video Essay on Realist Mystery), he unravels the genuineness behind that realistic mystery, explaining: “The average viewer won’t the shot later on because it’s treated as nothing special. This ingenious realist technique is used frequently in the film. The storyline provokes you to have so many questions, and the magic of realism blends all the answers into subtlety.” So no, the missing money isn’t a mystery;it’s a reflection of the film’s deeper message…that in the end, we see only what we want to see.

 Farhadi created a world where every choice is stuck between the flux and reflux of uncertainty, suddenly causing unexpected consequences. A single moment, where Nader pushes Razieh, sets off a chain reaction of accusations, legal battles, and family downfalls. Nevertheless, the real tragedy is not the event itself, it is the way each character’s silence and half-truths shape the course of their fate. The film questions whether justice can ever truly be served when the full story can never be told?
boxd.it/gvo
Written and edited by Fatima Fahd

Aftersun is, at its core, a stream of memories—a fragmented, tender, and haunting journey housed in Sophie’s mind. The film presents a life lesson about how, as children, we rarely see our parents as individuals with dreams, personalities, and struggles of their own. Only when we grow up can we begin to empathize with them, piecing together the behaviors we couldn’t comprehend during childhood. While Aftersun portrays the weight of childhood awareness, where kids become acutely conscious of their parents’ financial struggles, there’s an even darker side: the hidden mental battles parents endure.

Calum’s Perspective: Hints of an Internal Struggle 1k6a9

Calum, Sophie’s father, exhibits behavior that feels strange at first because the film presents his story through Sophie’s eyes. The audience is left to infer his struggles with depression, as it is never explicitly mentioned. Instead, subtle hints are scattered throughout the film: moments like Calum standing on the balcony smoking and dancing in silence, staying up all night watching video recordings of Sophie, and seeming happiest only when removed from reality.

Small details, like his detached demeanor or cryptic comments, suggest an inner turmoil. For instance, his line, “I can’t see myself at 40. I’m surprised I made it to 30,” reveals his growing despair. The film masterfully conveys his carelessness toward life, crossing streets without hesitation, taking reckless risks like diving without a license, and making impulsive purchases like an expensive Turkish rug. His actions reflect a man teetering on the edge, indifferent to consequences because, to him, time is running out.

The poignant scene of Calum walking into the ocean encapsulates his mental state. Lost in his thoughts, the boundary between drowning in the sea and his emotions blurs. It’s an expression of how depression can erode the line between survival and surrender.

Sophie’s Journey: Coming of Age and Understanding 6f5o5m

Sophie, caught between childhood and adolescence, yearns to experience and understand the world around her. Her perspective gives Aftersun a “coming-of-age” tone in certain moments, contrasting with the underlying sadness of Calum’s story. As an adult, Sophie begins to understand her father better, recognizing the signs of depression that once confused her. She recalls his “weird ninja moves,” which she now understands were meditation techniques to manage stress.

In a poignant moment, Sophie describes a feeling eerily similar to depression: “Don’t you ever feel like you’ve just had an amazing day, but then you come home and feel tired, down, like your bones don’t work, and you’re sinking?” Calum’s silent understanding of her words foreshadows her eventual realization that she shares his struggles.

The Distance Depression Creates 3dc3e

Depression’s isolating nature is vividly portrayed in the birthday scene, where Sophie gathers strangers to sing to her father. While others celebrate, Calum stands at a distance, physically and emotionally detached. Afterward, he sobs alone, conflicted by his inability to feel joy in such moments. The physical distance in the scene mirrors the emotional gap his depression creates, a separation he desperately wants to bridge but cannot.

The metaphor extends to the film’s visual language. The director deliberately frames this scene against a wall, symbolizing the absence of a future for Calum. Sophie’s mention of Cleopatra’s suicide earlier in the film subtly foreshadows his tragic fate.

Calum’s Role as a Father 4d656a

Calum’s interactions with Sophie reveal his deep love and protective instincts. When he speaks positively about her future, he omits himself, telling her, “You can live wherever you want and be whoever you want to be. You have time.” These are words he likely needed to hear at her age, but they also reflect his resignation. For Calum, it’s too late to explore his dreams, but he clings to hope for Sophie’s future.

A powerful moment comes when Calum watches a father harshly scold his child. The scene suggests echoes of Calum’s own childhood, perhaps a glimpse into the trauma that shaped his depression and his determination to protect Sophie from a similar fate. This determination is evident when he teaches her self-defense, an act layered with unspoken history.

The Symbolism of Memory 3g179

Aftersun is a film about memories—their fragility, their permanence, and their power to shape our understanding. One key scene shows Sophie recording an interview with her father, asking what he thought he’d be doing as an adult. Calum answers only after Sophie stops recording, leaving part of the memory preserved on tape and part locked in her mind. This moment reflects the duality of memory: the tangible fragments we capture and the fleeting, unrecorded moments we hold onto.

Later, we see the Turkish rug Calum bought in Sophie’s adult home, symbolizing her connection to him. It’s her way of preserving his story, a tangible piece of a father who now exists only in her memories. The final moments of the film are especially poignant. Sophie and Calum’s last dance mirrors their shared in-betweenness: Sophie on the cusp of adolescence and Calum feeling his life nearing its end. The shift in color tones, warm and nostalgic in Sophie’s childhood memories and cold and detached in her adult recollections, emphasizes how her perception of her father evolves.

A Poetic Farewell: “This Is Our Last Dance” 4n3n5l

The final act of Aftersun encapsulates the film’s themes of memory and loss. When Calum closes the camera, it symbolizes the end of their trip and, ultimately, his presence in Sophie’s life. By walking back into the disco—a space that represents Sophie’s mind—Calum transitions from a tangible figure in her reality to a cherished fragment of her memory.
Throughout the film, water serves as a recurring metaphor for Calum’s emotional state. He is often shown entering water, yet we never see him resurface, a haunting symbol of his internal struggles. Similarly, the Polaroid scene, where we hear their voices over a frozen image, illustrates the nature of memories: they preserve fleeting moments while holding echoes of conversations, laughter, and life beyond the captured frame.

Closing Thoughts 4r3m1k

Aftersun is not just a story about a father and daughter; it’s a meditation on the weight of memories, the complexity of relationships, and the silent battles many carry. The film’s brilliance lies in its ability to capture the unspoken, the quiet moments that linger, shaping how we understand ourselves and those we love.
boxd.it/Arw0

Words by Fatima Fahd, Future Film Critic