For the penultimate month of 2023, Criterion is bringing in a new classic by Martin Scorsese and Claude Chabrol, but also has three contemporary films all released in 2022. All from different countries – United States, Belgium, France, Italy, and Iceland – they represent the different areas of life in times of unusual circumstances. They are challenging films that connect on different levels and continue to add to Criterion’s melting pot. Here are the new additions.
Mean Streets (1973)
Martin Scorsese’s breakthrough film introduced himself, Harvey Keitel, and Robert DeNiro to the world with his gritty crime drama in Little Italy, New York City. A Catholic guilt-ridden gangster (Keitel) struggles to help his super-reactive friend (DeNiro) with his debts to the hierarchy who threatens retribution as he also has a girlfriend (Amy Robinson) who wants him to cut ties to this deadly life. Fifty years later, it still packs a powerful punch and is a much-worthy addition to Criterion.
La Ceremonie (1995)
French New Wave director Claude Chabrol was still pumping out film after film, and here, stirs up a psychological crime drama loosely inspired by actual events. A new maid at a country mansion (Sandrine Bonnaire) meets a postal worker (Isabelle Huppert) who has a shocking past and begins an unwise friendship. As time winds on, the new maid begins to act out against her employer as the two women conspire for revenge against the bourgeois. Co-starring Jacqueline Bisset and Jean-Pierre Cassel, La Ceremonie is a mind game that thrives off the suspense of viewers.
The Eight Mountains (2022)
Felix van Groeningen (The Broken Circle Breakdown) and Charlotte Vandermeersch direct together a story about a relationship separated years apart and the discoveries they make when they reunite. Rebuilding a deserted cabin on a mountain, Pietro (Luca Marinelli) and Bruno (Alessandro Borghi) reminisce about their past and current lives, but their different attitudes threaten to separate them both again. Winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes, it is a testament to the heights of camaraderie in the toughest of circumstances at any given point.
Godland (2022)
In nineteenth-century Iceland, a priest arrives on the harsh terrain to establish a church. He thinks he can succeed on his own, but the unforgiving forces test his faith and will to continue when he tries to start a congregation. Director Hlynur Pálmason follows the journey of one man, arrogant and proud, as he faces the uncompromising territory that remains a picturesque tale. In fact, this film, while technically a 2022 film, is eligible for this year’s Academy Awards and Iceland has selected Godland as their submission.
Tori And Laika (2022)
From two-time Palme d’Or winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, they once again tell the story of immigrants in Belgium looking to start anew despite the difficulty of integrating. A teenage girl and a young boy from Cameroon become friends and make money in different ways, including selling drugs. But, when the older Laika has to hide after being rejected again for a working visa and is separated from Tori, the friendship becomes tested in regaining each other the right to live in peace.
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