HOBO - A Wandering Podcast about Cinema HOBO - A Podcast about Cinema

One may wonder: what can a three-hour film set almost entirely in a car, shot with a fixed camera from the rear, offer cinematically? The answer is an unexpectedly engaging observation of the rhythms of daily life and a catalogue of suburban worries. The Plains by David Easteal charts the passage of time as the seasons change. The pitter-patter of rain on the windows and the familiar cocoon of the car provide a sense of comfort and safety from the outside elements.

What happens when an agency task at protecting the citizenry and ensuring that the duly constituted laws of the land are adhered to becomes the enforcer of human rights violations? This is the question posed by “When the Waves Are Gone”, the latest film by Filipino master Lav Diaz. The very current shocking Ukraine invasion by Russia and the resultant brutality seems unheard of but it is just a magnification of the human malady that has been with us forever—how humanity has become so accepting to a form of psychosis in approving evil leadership, how humanity has become so helpless to a wall of petrified ignorance. «Putin, Duterte, Assad, Trump... they’ve been with us forever, The Grim Reapers of the world», says the director in this extensive interview recorded during the 79th Venice Film Festival.

Dogborn by Isabella Carbonell had its world premiere at Venice International Film Critics’ Week. The story, penned by Carbonell herself, revolves around two Lithuanian twins struggling to make ends meet. Through brilliant writing choices and excellent direction, the film manages to set up a clear conflict between the two lead characters: the sister (played by Swedish rapper Silvana Imam) who initially seems ready to achieve her goals at all costs, and her brother (portrayed by Philip Oros), who instead is a kind-hearted, silent giant that at has stopped speaking owing to some unspecified past traumas.

Anhell69 by Theo Montoya had its world premiere at Venice International Film Critics’ Week. A funeral car cruises the streets of Medellín, while a young director tells the story of his past in this violent and conservative city. He remembers the pre- production of his first film, a B-movie with ghosts. The young queer scene of Medellín is casted for the film, but the main protagonist dies of a heroin overdose at the age of 21, just like many friends of the director. ANHELL69 explores the dreams, doubts and fears of an annihilated generation, and the struggle to carry on making cinema.

Aus meiner Haut (Skin Deep) directed by Alex Schaad and written by Dimitrij Schaad (presented in the Venice International Film Critics’ Week) won the Queer Lion 2022 awarded by the jury chaired by Rich Cline, journalist and film critic. The intimate, character-driven story sees a young couple – played by “And Tomorrow the Entire World” actor Mala Emde and Jonas Dassler – deciding to visit a remote island, hoping they might be able to solve their problems in a place that literally allows you to be someone else.

A misfit teenager, an anxious mother, and a recent widow see their day interrupted by a mysterious natural phenomenon. As their world descends into chaos, the three women struggle to find their place in life. This is the initial idea of ​​Ordinary Failures, an apocalyptic tale calling for human solidarity directed by Cristina Groșan.