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    'Dune' Director Furious at Warner Bros. Over Decision to Release Movie on HBO Max

    Legendary Entertainment/Chiabella James

    Denis Villeneuve has publicly called out the movie studio for their decision to release his movie on the streaming service on the same day it hits theaters.

    Dec 12, 2020
    AceShowbiz – “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve has penned an op-ed slamming Warner Bros. for their decision to release his movie on HBO Max, as part of a huge new deal with the streaming platform.
    The Oscar-nominated director opened up about his feelings surrounding the move in the piece for Variety, as he also revealed that he found out about the deal by reading about it in the news – just like everyone else.
    “I learned in the news that Warner Bros. has decided to release Dune on HBO Max at the same time as our theatrical release, using prominent images from our movie to promote their streaming service,” he wrote. “With this decision AT&T has hijacked one of the most respectable and important studios in film history. There is absolutely no love for cinema, nor for the audience here.”
    “Warner Bros.’ sudden reversal from being a legacy home for filmmakers to the new era of complete disregard draws a clear line for me. Filmmaking is a collaboration, reliant on the mutual trust of team work and Warner Bros. has declared they are no longer on the same team.”

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    Calling Dune “by far the best movie” he’s ever made, Villeneuve added that Warner Bros. “might just have killed the Dune franchise” with their decision.
    Villeneuve’s op-ed comes after it was reported that Legendary Entertainment, the production company behind “Dune”, is considering filing a lawsuit against Warner Bros. over the studio’s new release plans.
    “(They’re) hoping to first negotiate a more generous deal, but isn’t taking legal action off the table should the two companies fail to come to a compromise,” a source told Variety.
    Legendary Entertainment also produced “Godzilla vs. Kong” – another movie which Warner Bros. is planning to release on HBO Max on the same day it hits theatres.

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    ‘Safety’ Review: It Takes a University to Raise a Child

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best MoviesBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest TheaterBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main story‘Safety’ Review: It Takes a University to Raise a ChildThis Disney+ film isn’t your typical sports or adversity movie; it asks questions of what educational institutions owe to their community.Jay Reeves and Thaddeus J. Mixson II in “Safety.”Credit…Chuck Zlotnik/DisneyDec. 11, 2020, 9:00 a.m. ETSafetyDirected by Reginald HudlinBiography, Drama, SportPGFind TicketsWhen you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.They say it takes a village to raise a child, but in “Safety,” it takes an entire university campus to do so. Overly sentimental traps line the plot of the film, streaming on Disney+. But it scores points for giving its lead characters complicated situations, emotional depth and political dimension.Based on a true story, the movie follows the Clemson University freshman football player Ray McElrathbey (Jay Reeves), affectionately called “Ray Ray” by his peers. The ambitious student athlete has a lot on his plate. When his mother (Amanda Warren) goes into addiction recovery, he’s forced to take care of his younger brother, Fahmarr (Thaddeus J. Mixson), housing him in the dorm. With this new task, Ray Ray’s ability to balance family, school, friends and athletics risks being toppled. That’s when his coaches and teammates step in.[embedded content]“Safety” is, for better, neither a strict sports movie nor a rigid tale of adversity. Banal time management scenes are enlivened by the director Reginald Hudlin’s fun camera swooping and rollicking tumbles as Ray’s life grows dizzyingly busy. Some of the earlier moments in the film, like when Fahmarr hides in increasingly ludicrous spots, have the humor of a heist comedy. And Hudlin intermittently blends in sharp visual gags.But the film’s touchdown is its sincere questioning of what colleges and universities owe to its students and, more broadly, the community around them. Hudlin transforms a film that would be, in lesser hands, a formulaic hardship-as-aesthetic drama, into an earnest examination of what community means on the field, in the classroom and in our society.SafetyRated PG. Running time: 1 hour 58 minutes. Watch on Disney+.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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    ‘Giving Voice’ Review: August Wilson Is Uplifting a New Generation

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best MoviesBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest TheaterBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyCritic’s Pick‘Giving Voice’ Review: August Wilson Is Uplifting a New GenerationNetflix’s inspirational documentary follows talented theater kids who are devoting themselves to Wilson’s writing.Cody Merridith performs an August Wilson monologue in the documentary “Giving Voice.”Credit…NetflixDec. 11, 2020, 7:00 a.m. ETGiving VoiceNYT Critic’s PickDirected by James D. Stern, Fernando VillenaDocumentaryPG-131h 27mFind TicketsWhen you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.The everyday hopes and heartbreaks of African-Americans were dramatized in August Wilson’s 10-play Century Cycle. And every year, since Wilson’s death in 2005, thousands of students from 12 different cities vie for the chance to perform a monologue from one of his plays for the competition’s final round on Broadway. James D. Stern and Fernando Villena’s uplifting documentary “Giving Voice” (streaming on Netflix) further explores this competition and explains how the playwright’s legacy is inspiring a new generation.Interviews with the actors Viola Davis, who is one of the film’s executive producers, Denzel Washington and Stephen McKinley Henderson (all from the film adaptation of Wilson’s “Fences”) are interspersed between segments that follow teenagers advancing through the 2018 iteration of the competition.[embedded content]This is a film that worships the ways acting can instill determination in young people. Gerardo Navarro, from South Central Los Angeles, says he was unaware a space for Latinx actors existed in theater, but feels seen by Wilson’s work. Callie Holley, hailing from Houston, sees her mother, who weathered cancer and the 2008 financial crisis, in the character of Berniece from “The Piano Lesson.” And the Chicago high schooler Cody Merridith, who performs from “King Hedley II,” innately feels the hurt present in Wilson’s work. Not only does Cody come from the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, where poverty is a daily struggle for many of its residents, but also his school is without an arts program of any kind.In addition to hearing themselves in the voices of these characters, the kids hear their aunts, uncles, grandparents and neighbors, too. They hear the timeless struggle of Black America reaching across the generations. They heave the emotional weight of Ma Rainey, Cutler and Hedley with a maturity far beyond their years and come out empowered. And in capturing these moments, “Giving Voice” becomes as inspirational as Wilson’s words, as fulfilling as each teen’s declaration of self-worth.Giving VoiceRated PG-13 for the power of theater. Running time: 1 hour 27 minutes. Watch on Netflix.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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    ‘The Bee Gees’ Review: Night Fever, for Decades

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best MoviesBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest TheaterBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main story‘The Bee Gees’ Review: Night Fever, for DecadesThe documentary “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” from Frank Marshall, strives to paint a wider picture of the band often associated with its disco hits.From left, Maurice, Barry and Robin Gibb, the subjects of the documentary “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.”Credit…HBO/ShutterstockDec. 11, 2020, 7:00 a.m. ETThe Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken HeartDirected by Frank MarshallDocumentary1h 51mFind TicketsWhen you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.“The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” pays tribute to the Gibb brothers with a tour of their pop music reign. Grooving through the decades, this entertaining documentary aspires to prove that the Bee Gees were more than a hitmaker for disco nightclubs. Rather, Barry, Maurice and Robin were master songwriters and chameleons, continually reinventing themselves to harmonize with the times.Working largely off archival footage intercut with interviews — both original and vintage — of the brothers and their collaborators, the director Frank Marshall graphs the band’s ups and downs onto a chronology of ’60s, ’70s and ’80s popular music. At first the Bee Gees, forming at a young age, echoed early Beatles albums. As their warbling harmonies evolved, the brothers’ star rose.[embedded content]In addition to laying out the personality of each member, the film offers a satisfying look at the process of making and marketing music. Barry recalls that he found his trademark falsetto, later flaunted on disco hits like “Stayin’ Alive,” after a producer urged him to let loose while recording “Nights on Broadway.” Barry also confesses that the song was originally “Lights on Broadway”; an executive suggested they change the lyric to make the band seem more adult.Once it reaches the disco era, the documentary hits a bump. Interviews with the DJ Nicky Siano and the dance music producer Vince Lawrence detail how disco was born in Black and gay spaces before the music was commercialized and eventually axed in a backlash inflamed by racism and homophobia. The movie implies that the Bee Gees, evermore linked to the genre after “Saturday Night Fever,” got swept up in the chaos. Crucially, Marshall fails to probe where the Bee Gees fit into a history of whitewashing and profiting from Black music. For several pesky beats, the film slips into hagiography — like an awkward bridge in a song that, otherwise, makes you want to hit the dance floor.The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken HeartNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 51 minutes. Watch on HBO Max beginning Dec. 12.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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    Harrison Ford Teams Up With 'Logan' Director to Close Out Indiana Jones' Journey

    Paramount Pictures

    The Han Solo of the ‘Star Wars’ film series is set to return for the fifth and final ‘Indiana Jones’ film that is currently in pre-production and will kick off production next spring.

    Dec 11, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Harrison Ford is set to embark on his one last adventure as Indiana Jones. The actor has been confirmed to reprise his role as the title character in the upcoming fifth and final installment of the “Indiana Jones” film franchise.
    Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy brought the good news to fans during the 2020 Disney Investor Day presentation on Thursday, December 3. At the event, “Logan” helmer James Mangold was also announced to be on board to direct the film.
    According to Kennedy, “Indiana Jones V” will “conclude this iconic character’s journey.” Reiterating her announcement, Disney tweeted, “Lucasfilm is in pre-production on the next installment of Indiana Jones. At the helm is James @Mang0ld, director of ‘Ford v Ferrari,’ and Indy himself, Harrison Ford, will be back to continue his iconic character’s journey.”
    Filming is slated to kick off in spring 2021 for a July 2022 release date. There’s no word about Chris Pratt’s involvement in the project, although the “Guardians of the Galaxy” star was previously rumored to be attached to star in the fifth “Indiana Jones” movie.

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    Prior to the announcement at the Disney Investor Day presentation, producer Frank Marshall revealed that Mangold has been working on the script. He also assured that Ford will not be recast in the title role.
    “Yeah, we are working on the script,” he told Den of Geek. “There will only be one Indiana Jones and that’s Harrison Ford. What I’m excited about with Jim is a great story. I think you see that in his movies like Ford vs Ferrari. It’s all about characters and telling a good story. So I’m excited to see what he comes up with. I haven’t seen (the script) yet so I don’t know what to tell you.”
    The fourth “Indiana Jones” movie, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, featured Shia LaBeouf as Indy’s protege/son Mutt Williams. The film seemed to hint that Indy would pass the torch to his son, but Ford has been persistently against the idea.
    “I think it just doesn’t work that way. And there’s definitely a distinction between passing the fedora and someone picking it up,” he said in 2008 of the final scene, which saw Indy’s iconic hat being blown away by wind and landed at Mutt’s feet, before Indy grabbed it out of Mutt’s hands and put it on his head again.

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    'Star Wars: Rogue Squadron' Hires Patty Jenkins as First Female Director for the Franchise

    The ‘Wonder Woman’ director explains her personal reason why she’s thrilled about the project, which is going to ‘introduce a new generation of Star Wars pilots,’ in a Twitter video.

    Dec 11, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Patty Jenkins is set to lead a trip into a galaxy far, far away with her next project. The “Wonder Woman” director has been tapped to helm a new “Star Wars” movie, “Star Wars: Rogue Squadron”, becoming the first female director taking on the role for a film of the franchise.
    Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed in a statement, “I couldn’t be more excited that our next Star Wars feature film will be directed by Patty Jenkins.” She went on revealing the premise of the new movie as saying, “Patty, director of the ‘Wonder Woman’ franchise, will bring her inspired vision to ‘Rogue Squadron’. This story will introduce a new generation of star fighter pilots as they earn their wings and risk their lives in a boundary-pushing high speed thrill ride. The legend of Rogue Squadron has been long beloved by ‘Star Wars’ fans and will move us into a future era of the galaxy.”
    In a video posted on Twitter, Jenkins explained her personal reason why she’s thrilled to be working on the project. As a daughter of a late great fighter pilot, she loves speed. “Every day I would wake up and go outside and look up to see my father and his squadron taking off in the Air Force, roaring across the sky,” she shared.
    “It was the most thrilling thing I’ve experienced in my entire life. So when he lost his life in service to this country, it ignited a desire in me to turn all of that tragedy and thrill into one day making the greatest fighter-pilot movie of all time,” she continued. Jenkins added that she couldn’t find the “right story ever” until now.

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    The video ends with a first look at the movie’s logo.
    [embedded content]
    In “Star Wars” lore, Rogue Nation is the elite Rebel X-wing fighter attack force that Luke Skywalker joins in “A New Hope”. The team was named after the group that sacrifices themselves to obtain the Death Star plans in the movie “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”. The squadron has been featured in a video game series, comic book series and in “Star Wars” novels.
    Other details of the project, including the cast and release date, are yet to be announced.

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    ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Pinocchio’ and More as Disney Leans Sharply Into Streaming

    AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main story‘Star Wars,’ ‘Pinocchio’ and More as Disney Leans Sharply Into StreamingThe company unveiled a blitz of new projects on Thursday, including 10 series from the “Star Wars” universe for Disney+, which now has 87 million subscribers. Hulu will also get a major content boost.The Disney+ hit “The Mandalorian” will soon have two spinoffs.Credit…Disney Plus, via Associated PressDec. 10, 2020Updated 7:36 p.m. ETLOS ANGELES — In February, Robert A. Iger stepped down as Disney’s chief executive and became executive chairman, saying he would decamp entirely in 2021. But he saw himself as having one final task. “I want to make sure that our creative pipelines are vibrant,” Mr. Iger said in an interview at the time. “That is very, very important, especially as we roll out Disney+ around the world.”On Thursday, as part of a four-hour investor presentation focused on the future of Disney’s streaming business, Wall Street got a sense of what Mr. Iger was talking about. Never have Disney’s content engines been turbocharged like this.Disney unveiled a blitz of new “Star Wars” projects, including 10 television shows — two of which will be “Mandalorian” spinoffs, another that will follow C-3PO and R2-D2 — and a new theatrical film, “Rogue Squadron,” directed by Patty Jenkins (“Wonder Woman”). Ms. Jenkins will be the first female filmmaker in the 43-year history of the “Star Wars” movie franchise.Patty Jenkins will direct a new “Star Wars” movie called “Rogue Squadron,” becoming the franchise’s first female filmmaker.Credit…Mike Coppola/Getty Images For TNTIn the coming years, 15 movies will be released directly on Disney+, with new installments in the “Ice Age,” “Night at the Museum,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “Sister Act” and “Cheaper by the Dozen” franchises on the way. Amy Adams will star in a sequel to the 2007 musical “Enchanted,” while Tom Hanks will appear as Geppetto in a live-action “Pinocchio.” Multiple sports dramas fill out the slate, including one based on the life of the Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.National Geographic, another Disney division, also announced a flurry of Disney+ shows, including an endurance-focused series starring Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”) and directed by the Oscar-winning Darren Aronofsky.Bob Chapek, Disney’s new chief executive, disclosed that Disney’s flagship streaming service had 87 million subscribers as of Thursday, nearing the high end of its initial five-year goal after only a year in operation. Disney+ has benefited from a low monthly price ($7), a smash hit (“The Mandalorian”) and the coronavirus pandemic, which has prompted Disney to reroute theatrical releases like “Hamilton” to the service and created spiking demand from homebound consumers. (A significant percentage of Disney+ subscribers — nearly 30 percent — come from India, where the monthly subscription price is much lower.)Wall Street has started to value Disney less as an old-line entertainment company with challenged businesses (traditional television networks in secular decline, theme parks closed or operating with coronavirus-forced capacity restrictions) and more of a streaming colossus in the making. Disney shares reached roughly $160 in after-hours trading on Thursday, an all-time high.The out-of-the-gate success of Disney+ has generated much of the excitement. Many analysts initially thought it would be lucky to achieve 55 million subscribers within five years. Having missed the mark in such epic fashion, Wall Street is now more willing to give Disney the benefit of the doubt.But daunting challenges lie ahead. Building streaming services is monstrously expensive, and Disney now has four: Disney+, Hulu (39 million subscribers), ESPN+ (11.5 million) and Star+, an overseas version of Hulu that will roll out in Latin America in the coming months. Losses in Disney’s direct-to-consumer division totaled $2.8 billion in the company’s 2020 fiscal year. The company has given up billions of dollars in licensing fees as it has amassed library content on Disney+ rather than selling to outside companies like Netflix.Disney also faces an increasingly competitive streaming environment. HBO Max, CBS All Access (soon to be renamed Paramount+), Peacock, Apple TV+ and the recently announced Discovery+ are determined to make inroads. Netflix and Amazon continue to pour billions of dollars a year into original programming.A significant portion of the presentation was dedicated to Star, which will be stocked with programming from Disney properties like ABC, FX, Freeform, Searchlight and 20th Century Studios, which Rupert Murdoch sold to Disney last year. In Latin America, Star+ will roll out as a stand-alone service in June and also include some ESPN coverage of sporting events. In Europe, Canada, Australia and several other markets, Star+ will be integrated directly into Disney+, which will add a vast amount of more mature programming to the service (“Deadpool 2,” the “Family Guy” cartoon series), allowing Disney to potentially reach an audience far beyond families.The addition of a Star channel inside Disney+ will also justify a price increase of roughly 28 percent, to about $11 a month.New programming is also headed to the Disney-owned Hulu, including the series “Nine Perfect Strangers,” a mystery from David E. Kelley and starring Regina Hall, Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy — what Dana Walden, chairman of entertainment for Walt Disney Television, called “juicy, can’t-turn-it-off content.” The Disney-owned FX, which funnels its programming to multiple Disney streaming services, is working on a television spinoff of the “Alien” movie franchise and a retelling of “Shogun,” the James Clavell saga, along with a half-dozen other high-profile projects.As part of the presentation, Disney discussed its evolving approach to movie distribution. The coronavirus pandemic has forced Disney and other studios to push back the releases of big-budget films — more than half of the cinemas in the United States are closed — and reroute others to streaming services. In September, Disney debuted “Mulan” on Disney+ as part of a “premium access” experiment, charging subscribers $30 for indefinite access. “Soul,” the latest Pixar film, will arrive on Disney+ on Christmas Day for no additional cost.Disney debuted “Mulan” on Disney+ as part of a “premium access” experiment, charging subscribers $30 for indefinite access.Credit…Jasin Boland/Disney, via Associated PressDisney said that some movies would continue to arrive in theaters for an exclusive play period. Others will follow the “Mulan” model; a coming animated film, “Raya and the Last Dragon,” for instance, will be made available on Disney+ in March for a premium price.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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    ‘Gunda’ Review: A Remarkable Pig’s-Eye View of the World

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best MoviesBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest TheaterBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyCritic’s Pick‘Gunda’ Review: A Remarkable Pig’s-Eye View of the WorldThis astonishing documentary offers an intimate look at the lives of a sow, her rambunctious piglets, a one-legged chicken and a herd of cows.Gunda with one of her piglets in Victor Kossakovsky’s documentary.Credit…NeonDec. 10, 2020GundaNYT Critic’s PickDirected by Viktor KosakovskiyDocumentaryG1h 33mFind TicketsWhen you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.What do filmmakers see when they look at animals? Not much, apparently: For the most part, animals in movies are atmospheric background — a solitary cat in a window, a horse in a field glimpsed from a car. Occasionally they are symbols, like the many sacrificed bunnies of cinema (“The Rules of the Game” et al.). At other times, animals are cast as favorite companions, and plenty of dogs have played good boy onscreen. Yet even in films as distinct as “Old Yeller” and “Best in Show,” animals are usually in service to the human story, to our feelings and tears.The astonishing documentary “Gunda” offers another way of looking at animals. Sublimely beautiful and profoundly moving, it offers you the opportunity to look — at animals, yes, but also at qualities that are often subordinated in narratively driven movies, at textures, shapes and light. It’s outwardly simple: For most of its 93 minutes, the movie focuses on a sow and her piglets. In a short section we roam with chickens, including an impressively agile one-legged bird. In another, cows gallop into a misty field to graze, an interlude of pastoral dreaminess that invokes other representations — in novels and landscape paintings — yet is itself visually transfixing.“Gunda” is a passion project of the Russian director Victor Kossakovsky (“Aquarela”), who wanted to make it for years. (Funding movies is always difficult; doing so for documentaries like this is heroic.) His approach was straightforward yet ingenious. Shooting in black-and-white digital, with no music, voice-over or onscreen text or people, he opens an intimate window onto the lives of animals. His star, as it were, is Gunda, a prodigious sow of uncertain age who, when the movie opens, has just given birth to a litter of a dozen or so piglets. Although there’s a tag fixed to her ear, the roomy enclosure suggests that they’re not being factory farmed — a relief.Kossakovsky found Gunda on a Norwegian farm not far from Oslo, on what he has called the first day of casting. Once she was in place, he and his team constructed a replica of her enclosure that allowed them to shoot inside while remaining outside. As you soon discover, this setup gave them an intimate vantage point without, presumably, bothering the inhabitants too much. (Kossakovsky has said that he used a stationary disco ball — never seen, alas — to light the interior.) The filmmakers also laid down dolly tracks outside the pen so they could follow Gunda and her litter as they rooted, played, wandered and sunned outdoors.The film was shot in black-and-white digital, with no music, voice-over or onscreen text or people.Credit…NeonThe results are spellbinding. The movie opens with Gunda lounging (a preferred pastime) on a bed of hay, her body inside the enclosure and her head framed in the doorway. It’s pig heaven. Kossakovsky — who shared cinematography duties with Egil Haskjold Larsen — holds on the still shot long enough for you to admire its lapidary detail and compositional symmetry. And then: Action! As the camera pushes in, a piglet about the size of one of Gunda’s ears scrambles over her head with piping squeals and slides onto the hay outside. And then, as big mama rhythmically grunts, another piglet and then another scales her epic head and tumbles into the world.Not much seems to happen beyond squeals and adorableness. Yet the scene’s spareness is deceptive, which is true of the entire movie. Newborns of any species tend to be delightful, and the piglets — in their tininess and charming ungainliness — prove natural-born scene stealers. Their size helps draw you toward them and even causes you to fret. They’re so small and their mother is so very, very big. Kossakovsky may not be telling an obvious story but he is communicating oceans of meaning cinematically, using images to create cascading associations, starting with the shot of the piglets emerging from the dark door, a visual echo of birth itself.You stay with Gunda and her piglets for a while, during moments of quiet drama, blissful play and nail-biting tension. Kossakovsky shot the movie over a number of months, so the piglets grow by spurts, though never — meaningfully, as you discover — very large. Throughout the scenes of the pigs, and also those of the free-ranging chickens, Kossakovsky mostly keeps the camera at their height, rather than staring down. As Gunda plows her snout in the earth, you see how different the world, the dirt itself, looks from the Lilliputian angle of these beings. These images testify that to see, really see, through the eyes of others, four-legged or otherwise, is to be fully human.Kossakovsky isn’t waving any flags, but “Gunda” is a reminder that the resistance to showing animals in most movies reflects how we no longer look at them, to borrow a thought from the critic John Berger. It also speaks to our unwillingness to acknowledge our abuse of other creatures and, by extension, the natural world. It is, for instance, awfully easy to eat meat; in the developed world, it requires little thought, effort or money. It’s more difficult and certainly more inconvenient to think about the violence inherent in its production, including the environmental devastation. And so, cut off from the natural world, we largely classify animals as pets or meat.In his moving, prophetic 1977 essay “Why Look at Animals?,” Berger considered the tragic costs of humanity’s putative march toward progress and away from the natural world. “To suppose that animals first entered the human imagination as meat or leather or horn is to project a 19th-century attitude backwards across the millennia,” Berger writes. “Animals first entered the imagination as messengers and promises.”Animals were companions in our caves. We looked them in the eye and they looked back. Over time, we put animals — nature itself — at a greater remove. We stopped looking. Yet as Kossakovsky reminds us, even as he spares us the ghastliness of the slaughterhouse, we need to look at animals to honestly see what we have done.GundaRated G for gentle scenes and one very ominous truck. Running time: 1 hour 33 minutes. Watch through virtual cinemas.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More