Jio MAMI 2023: 8 films you cannot miss at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival

This courtroom drama which starts off as a murder mystery quickly becomes an analysis of the ‘fall’ of a marriage over years of resentments and betrayals. Sandra, a German writer finds herself in the middle of a nightmare when a French court indicts her for the murder of her husband. What follows is not just a trial but an unsettling psychological journey into the depths of Sandra and Samuel's conflicted relationship. This is director Justine Triet’s third film and the winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Watch this scintillating, provocative thriller for some riveting courtroom scenes and amazing performance from Sandra Hüller (possibly the best of the year).

Maestro

Dir: Bradley Cooper 2hrs 9min

Maestro is a warm yet melancholic portrait of legendary American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia. The biopic spans over 30 years - from the time they met in 1946 at a party and continues through two engagements, a 25 year marriage and three children. This is Cooper’s second film as a director (after "A Star Is Born"), and he is extraordinary as Leonard Bernstein. Carey Mulligan as wife and soulmate is equally great. Don’t miss this movie full of great performances, luminous black-and-white scenes, Bernstein’s own music and make-up artist Kazu Hiro’s expert job on Cooper’s prosthetic nose.

Kennedy

Dir: Anurag Kashyap 2h 38m

Writer-director Anurag Kashyap’s Kennedy is the story of an insomniac ex-cop, long thought to be dead but still operating for the corrupt system. The film is inspired from the police noir novels of Jean-Patrick Manchette and the films of Jean-Pierre Melville. Kennedy which stars Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone in the lead roles, was shot at night, between 12 midnight and 4 am and carries the feel of a noir thriller. Not as engaging as Kashyap’s breakout feature Gangs of Wasseypur, which vaulted him to auteur status but this dark thriller is worth your time for the action sequences, gripping foot chase across the rooftops and walkways of Mumbai and the haunting background score by Prague Philharmonic Choir.

Monster

Dir: Hirokazu Kore-eda
2h 6m

Monster is an exceptionally detailed and deeply moving drama about a young boy Minato, his mom and his teacher. When Minato’s behaviour becomes erratic, his mother feels the teacher has something to do with it and storms into his school demanding to know what’s going on. But as the story unfolds it reveals how little we know about our children and the difference between a child's perspective and that of an adult. Monster is a another striking piece of work from the Japanese master after ‘Broker’ and France set ‘The Truth.’ Watch it also for the brilliant music by late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Monster was his final work, as he died two months before its release.

Perfect Days

Dir: Wim Wenders
2h 3m

Perfect Days marks the return of Wim Wenders a prominent face of New German Cinema to the world stage, after more than a decade. The movie competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, where it won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the Best Actor Award for Kōji Yakusho, who plays the lead in the film. Perfect Days is the bittersweet tale of an apparently contented toilet cleaner Hirayama in Tokyo. Like many of Wim Wenders' films, this one too is a poetic reflection on finding beauty in the everyday world around us. The lovely magic-hour scenes from cinematographer Franz Lustig is a bonus.

Beyond Utopia

Dir: Madeleine Gavin
1h 55m

This Sundance award-winning documentary uses hidden camera footage to take viewers on a harrowing journey as one family risks everything to escape from North Korea. The documentary’s central figure is Pastor Seungeun Kim, a South Korean Christian who himself defected from North Korea and has helped 1,000 people to escape in the last 10 years. An extremely moving and powerful documentary  about incredible human courage.

Fallen Leaves

Dir: Aki Kaurismäki 1h 21m

This delightful comedy-drama by Aki Kaurismäki is a part of a trilogy which already includes Shadows in Paradise, Ariel, and The Match Factory Girl. The story involves two lonely people (Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen) who meet each other by chance in the Helsinki night and try to find the first, only, and ultimate love of their lives. But first they must tackle the man's alcoholism, lost phone numbers and life's general tendency to place obstacles in the way of those seeking their happiness. Melancholic but immensely watchable.

La Chimera

Dir: Alice Rohrwacher 2h 10m

Set during the 1980s in the clandestine world of the tombaroli, or tomb robbers, La Chimera tells the story of a young English archaeologist (Josh O’Connor) caught up in the illegal trafficking of ancient finds. The film pulses with history and Rohrwacher’s unique and engrossing story telling adds to it. This whimsical film also has some mesmerizing visuals by DP Hélène Louvart and excellent acting by the very gifted O’Connor.

Note: The festival will run from October 27 to November 5. Screenings will take place across 20 screens in eight venues across Mumbai, with the opening taking place at the festival’s main hub — the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC). The opening and closing films are yet to be revealed.