MOON

Other movies
IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU
Director: Mary Bronstein
Rose Byrne dominates in Mary Bronstein’s psychologically oppressive and compulsively dark story of a mother firmly on the edge. Both the actress and director take no prisoners as Linda (Byrne) appears in a cacophony of demands on her time as a wife, mother and (a barely functioning) therapist. Her sickly daughter is never seen, only a barrage of requests are heard, compounded by the ceiling that has caved in on her apartment, forcing Linda to move to a motel as her long-distance husband occasionally dials in. And one of her patients has disappeared. While the stress ramps up on screen, there is a catharsis to it all. Watch out for a deft cameo from A$AP Rocky.
THE SECRET AGENT
Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Fasten your seatbelts: Brazil is in the throes of a military dictatorship and left-leaning academic Marcelo (Wagner Moura) is on the run and headed to Recife with his young son. Once there, he has to get his papers — and best the rogue’s gallery of characters and scenarios strewn in his path by director Kleber Mendonça Filho. Set in 1977, The Secret Agent is full of surprises, cycling between B movie set pieces, some pointed satire and duelling timelines and perspectives. It is a sharp political drama that delivers an entertaining and suspenseful ride, which won best actor and best director at Cannes this year for Moura and Filho respectively. It is also Brazil’s submission to the US Academy Awards.
GHOST SCHOOL
Director: Seemab Gul
This gentle yet arresting debut feature from Seemab Gul centers around 10-year-old Rabia, a clear-eyed, logical-thinking, courageous child protagonist who wants to understand the real reason for the abrupt closure of her school. Rumours start that the school is haunted and her teacher is possessed by supernatural beings. However, her day-long quest for the truth, fuelled by her simple desire for an education, leads her into an adult world that has been plunged into superstition. What soon becomes clear are the machinations behind a corrupt regime and classist society, giving way to the nature of its real victims. Ghost School is a bittersweet portrayal of injustice for Rabia and the hope of a better future for all younger generations.