RHINEGOLD
Genre
Drama
Running time
140 minutes
Year
2022
Language
German, Kurdish, Turkish, Dutch, English and Arabic
Subtitle
English and German
Country
Germany, Netherlands, Morocco and Mexico
Director
Fatih Akin
Bio
Producer
Fatih Akin, Nurhan Şekerci-Porst, Herman Weigel
Cast
Emilio Sakraya, Kardo Razzazi, Mona Pirzad, Arman Kashani, Hüseyin Top, Sogol Faghani
Scriptwriter
Fatih Akin
Born during a bombing raid in a cave swarming with bats, Giwar Jajabi, aka Xatar, was never going to have a quiet life. Feted filmmaker Fatih Akin hurtles at breakneck speed through the monstrous all-true adventures of the surprisingly likeable German rapper, whose father was an Iraqi concert pianist. Xatar's life of crime reached its apogee with plans for a sensational gold heist that landed him in a Syrian prison. It is here that the film opens, with the muscle-bound Xatar (Emilio Sakraya) being tortured by fellow inmates wanting him to reveal where the gold is. It's an experience that takes him right back to his first incarceration as a child with his parents in revolutionary Iran. Akin's energetic use of freeze frames, slow-motion and a rocking soundtrack recalls early Guy Ritchie films; 140 minutes of crime, drug-dealing, fights and Xatar's eventual success in the music industry just flies by.
Other movies
THE WORLD OF LOVE
Director: Yoon Ga-Eun
How do we rebuild our sense of self after deep emotional wounds? The World Of Love, the latest from Korean director Yoon Ga-eun, offers a moving portrait of a teenager navigating trauma with unexpected honesty and detachment. Jooin (Seo Su-bin), appears cheerful and outspoken, but her confidence masks a more painful past. Rather than focusing on suffering, the film explores resilience and the subtle power of reclaiming one’s own story. With understated direction and a remarkable performance from Chang Hyae-jin as Jooin’s mother, Yoon brings a lyrical sensitivity to the emotional terrain of family relationships and adolescence. Grounded and quietly courageous, The World Of Love is a deeply human story of survival and the quiet triumph of emotional healing.
THE STORIES
Director: Abu Bakr Shawky
In the summer of 1967 in Egypt, aspiring pianist Ahmed begins a long-distance friendship with Liz, his Austrian pen-pal. Their bond, met with suspicion by relatives, helps drive Ahmed’s pursuit of his dream: to perform in a public concert. As they navigate life’s joys and heartaches, their connection and shared ambition endure through the war, family drama and societal opposition they face in Egypt during the 1980s. The film, like Yomeddine, is infused with the director's distinct personality, showing his talent for creating characters and dialogue that are touching and memorable. This is a vivid and authentic tribute to Egypt, capturing a love story filled with the innocence and ambition of a generation during a key period in Arab history.
ALL THAT'S LEFT OF YOU
Director: Cherien Dabis
This compelling family drama traces three generations of Palestinians from 1948-2022, revealing the profound impacts of the Nakba. The story begins in 1988 with Noor, a man who joins a protest that turns violent in the West Bank. Decades later his mother, Hanan, recounts her son’s story, starting with the 1948 expulsion of his grandfather from Jaffa. Amid the hardship, the family holds on to the hope of returning to their ancestral home. A love story between Hanan and her husband Salim serves as a beacon of light. Through intimate, moving performances, this film explores how trauma and heritage shape the bonds between a grandfather, a father and son, while filled with moments of joy, love and humor.