Minority Mindset

I’m so excited about this new Kingsman movie! It’s a prequel, taking us all the way back to World War I with Ralph Fiennes leading the charge. It’s definitely a spy thriller, but it doesn’t shy away from showing the realities of the war. And honestly, there’s one scene in particular that I think is genuinely one of the greatest ever filmed – it’s just that good!

Rafael Manuel’s Filipiñana feels like a unique and captivating newcomer at the Park City festival. It stands out with its precise, stylized approach, offering a refreshing contrast to more conventional, heartfelt films. It’s a movie that demands your full attention and willingness to observe—not because it’s slow or confusing, but because it’s constructed entirely from carefully considered details. (Influential director Jia Zhangke produced the film and mentored Manuel, who also worked on Jia’s recent acclaimed film, Caught by the Tides.) In Filipiñana, even small things—like the way a golf club is held, a piece of fruit lying on the ground, or a simple look—can be surprisingly suspenseful, moving, or breathtaking.

The film’s title, One in a Million, hints at both incredible luck and the overwhelming scale of displacement. While Israa and her family survived a dangerous journey – a fate many others didn’t share – it also acknowledges that they are just one family among millions uprooted by war. Directors Azzam and MacInnes, who lived in Damascus when the conflict began in 2011 and later fled to London, tell Israa’s story. Upon arriving in Cologne, the family finds a modest but welcoming home, and Israa starts school where she’s met with kindness and curiosity. But as time passes, things become more difficult. Israa feels increasingly scrutinized and begins to push back against her family, especially her father, Tarek. They were once very close, but now he seems stuck in the past and unable to adapt to their new life. The typical challenges of adolescence are amplified for Israa by the cultural differences she experiences both at home and with her peers.