Film recommendations week 48

Where: Trondheim Kino

Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes, two young Mormon missionaries, are forced to test their faith when they knock on the door of the seemingly welcoming Mr. Reed. Invited inside, what begins as a pleasant visit quickly spirals into a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets), and Chloe East (The Fabelmans), Heretic is written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the creative minds behind A Quiet Place.

Where: Cinemateket

This is Edward Yang’s towering achievement and one of the finest films of the 1990s. In fact, many consider it one of the greatest films of all time.

With sweeping, hypnotically beautiful imagery, Yang transports us to 1960s Taipei, where two rival youth gangs vie for control of the neighborhood. At the center of the story is Xiao Si’r, who is in love with Ming, a girl already involved with Honey, one of the most notorious gang members. Si’r and Ming spy on a film production, and when discovered, Ming is invited to audition. In the evenings, they gather at a dance hall where a band performs unforgettable versions of American hits.

Beyond being a tale of youth, crime, and love, the film is also a lyrical and intimate portrait of a family and a meditation on Taiwan’s history. It delves into the lives of refugees from mainland China and memories of Taiwan's time as a Japanese colony.

A Brighter Summer Day is a film to lose yourself in and to study for its radiant cinematic qualities. Every frame is meticulously composed yet restrained and elegant, while the story unfolds like a nostalgic dream. The film's rhythm is fluid and sensory, never resorting to visual clichés or sentimentality.

Where: Free on Filmoteket

During its heyday, cinephiles could find their mecca scattered across Manhattan in Yongman Kim’s legendary video stores. However, when the last store closed its doors, the massive film collection disappeared across the Atlantic.

The documentary Kim’s Video is both a tribute to a bygone era and the story of an attempt to restore Kim’s film archive—a dream come true for film lovers.