Hind to Hormuz |
DYSTOPIAN fantasies are a time-honoured cinematic genre — and among comedies that deserve to be taken seriously, Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove stands out at as a masterpiece that still resonates six decades later. It won no Oscars. One Battle After Another picked up six statuettes on Sunday.
A couple of months ago, encouraged by the critical approbation and the hype about an anti-fascist movie for fascist times, I gave it a try. And subsequently regretted the waste of time. Sure, its depictions of vast detention centres and a heavily militarised America find echoes in the current disorder. Overall, it’s a fairly incoherent shemozzle.
Any mention of vampires is a turn-off, so I haven’t watched Sinners. The only other Oscar nominee I can comment on is The Voice of Hind Rajab, which will haunt most viewers for the rest of their lives. It’s harrowing theme should be known to everyone who has paid any attention to the genocide in Gaza, where the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has butchered more than 20,000 children in the past 26 months alone.
The details should be familiar: a five-year-old trapped two years ago in a car filled with murdered relatives, surrounded by Israeli tanks. An uncle, an aunt and four cousins.........