Welcome back to the Cause Cinema Spotlight.
This week, we have two more amazing foreign entries for the International Oscars category, one is an unsettling tale of British colonial racism, the other a peaceful Japanese work, the latest by Wim Wenders. Plus a documentary with real stories, rooted in nature. We’ll start there with…
Trees, and Other Entanglements
People and the natural world intertwine in the stories of a young boy hidden among trees, an artist refining American bonsai, a photographer observing trees, a mother fighting to protect the forests, and a man who steadfastly plants them.
You can see Trees and Other Entanglements on Max.
The Settlers
In Chile, 1901, three horsemen embark on an expedition, tasked with securing a wealthy landowner's vast property. Accompanying a reckless British lieutenant and an American mercenary is mestizo marksman Segundo, who comes to realize their true mission is to violently "remove" the indigenous population.
A sharp-edged social commentary on European colonial racism, the film was over a decade in the making. The Settlers takes a look at the brutal genocide of the now-extinct Selk’nam people, who were native to the Patagonian region of southern Argentina and Chile. Following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and acquisition by MUBI, the film continued a terrific festival run and was selected as Chile’s Oscar submission for the International Feature category.
The Settlers was just released in theaters today, January 12th, and will expand before it is available for streaming on Mubi. For a terrific interview with the filmmaker click here.
Ending on a brighter note - Japan’s Official submission for the Best International Feature Oscar - we have a new film by master Wim Wenders.
Perfect Days
Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. And he loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past. A deeply moving and poetic reflection on finding beauty in the everyday world around us.
Kôji Yakusho won the Best Actor prize when the film played at the Cannes Film Festival in in 2023.
Perfect Days is currently playing in select theaters.
That’s a wrap for this week’s Cause Cinema Spotlight.
Until next time, you take care.
Trees, Settlers & Perfect Days