Lucas Belvaux's THIS IS OUR LAND: the frightening growth of the French far right

A uniquely disturbing (because it is so plausible) movie, THIS IS OUR LAND (originally titled as the better, simpler and more ironic Chez Nous) shows us, bit by bit, how a smart, caring, well-liked nurse in a typical provincial French town is slowly and cleverly conned into running for mayor under the banner of the "new" far-right party and its leader (think Marine Le Pen).

Though the far right, along with its neo-Nazis cohorts, has yet to win the major election in France, as Donald Trump and the Republican Party have done here in the USA, their strength in France -- as well as all across the European community -- continues to grow.

Belgian filmmaker Lucas Belvaux (of 38 Witnesses and Rapt) who co-wrote (with Jérôme Leroy, from his novel) and directed the movie has given it a remarkably true-to-life, near-documentary-like approach filled with so many on-the-nose details of small town life -- at work, at home, in relationships with friends and lovers -- that reality is captured almost at once and remains grounded throughout, despite some melodramatic turns and a finale that seems too sudden, coincidental and easy. The movie's strengths far outweigh its weaknesses, however, and what is likely to remain with you is a cautionary tale par excellence.

In the leading role is that fine Belgian actress Émilie Dequenne (above and on poster, top), who began her career in the Dardennes' Rosetta and has been giving crackerjack performances during the near 20 years since. This is another of her best, and it is hard to think of an actress (maybe Adèle Haenel in a few years) who could be any better in this role.

What the movie is particularly good at is showing us the route, led by a very successful right-wing doctor, played with his usual savoir faire by André Dussollier (above), via which the national front party seduces our heroine, along with so much of the populace, many of which are interested in populist ideals but unable (maybe unwilling) to differentiate between those and the racist, xenophobic underlay that accompanies them.

Catherine Jacob's performance -- the actress is shown above and below, center -- as the Le Pen stand-in is impressive in both its subtle conniving and its power to rouse the masses. This Is Our Land is also quite adept at demonstrating how a smart and caring woman could be seduced by this combination of praise, attention, and the support of friends already in the hands of the far right. In fact, what makes the film so particularly disquieting is how heavily we identify with our nurse/heroine and then must watch as she (and, yes, maybe we would, too) begins compromising the very bedrock principles upon which she has lived so far.

Now, all political parties do this same thing (god knows, America's Democratic Party compromised what few principles it had left by forcing Hillary Clinton upon us rather than going with the more progressive candidate whose appeal, according to all the early polls, trumped even that of Trump. But there are bad political parties and worse ones. And the French right-wing, along with America's Republicans, are clearly the worse.

The film's wild card is the character of the Dequenne character's old boyfriend (Guillaume Gouix, above and below) who suddenly appears back in her life as a possible mate.  Alternately violent and kindly, the latter especially to her children, he quickly becomes as much of a problem for the party and their candidate, as he may be for our heroine, too.

In the supporting cast, Patrick Descamps (above, left) is particularly notable as Dequenne's layabout Communist-Party father, whose reaction to her new political affiliation will not surprise you. A movie that is, as they used to say, ripped from today's headlines, This Is Our Land seems not to be asking could-it-happen-here? (it already has) than simply to be questioning how, in this "modern" age, we might hang on to whatever is left of our minuscule democracy.

From Distrib Films US, in French with English subtitles and running 117 minutes, the movies gets its U.S. theatrical premiere this Wednesday, April 18, in New York City at Film Forum. On April 27 it opens in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Monica Film Center. Click here, and then scroll down and click on Watch Now to view all upcoming playdates, cities and theaters.

Meet the cult of conservative media in Jen Senko's THE BRAINWASHING OF MY DAD

OK: The liberal media probably has its cults, as well. But in my estimation there has so far been nothing in the annals of television and radio anything as nasty, bullying and scary as Fox News and the many "talk radio" creeps who spout hate and lies like there was no tomorrow. (And thanks to whom there may not be for much longer. Yes, assholes: climate change exists.) New to TrustMovies, however, is the fact that there are actually support groups now for folk who have lost loved ones to brainwashing by right-wing media.

If the above sounds like a bit of comic faux journalism right out of The Onion, the new documentary from Jen Senko (shown at right) entitled THE BRAIN-WASHING OF MY DAD will make you sit up and take notice that this has indeed happened to a multitude of dads, moms, and other relatives and friends. How and why Fox News and its minions and acolytes have been able to achieve and continue this is explained in all its tacky, unpleasant glory in this surprising documentary that will handily verify for many of us why certain people we know appear to have gone over to the dark side, while losing far too many of their marbles in the process.

How can a man (like Ms Senko's own father, shown in his middle years, above, and as seen last year, below), formerly a liberal Democrat who loved people and animals, over a rather short time become a raving right-wing nut? This is easier than one might think, but fortunately so is the deprogramming necessary to bring him back to reality. (We get this part shown to us toward the end of the documentary.)

Meanwhile, we get a not-bad history of American life from the 1950s through current times, with a most interesting look at the career of Roger Ailes plus a number of talking-head interviews with current and/or former right-wing prevaricators (that's the famous turncoat, David Brock, below, left) and the men and women who want to stop the planned take-over of American politics and life via this brainwashing.

These would include everyone from author Claire Conner to Steve Rendall (of FAIR) whose explanations of what's happening and why prove thoughtful, direct but more understated than you might expect. How do all those right-wing "think tanks" figure into things? You'll see....

There is also quite a bit of colorful, stylish and smart animation (above), courtesy of Bill Plympton, which helps make the film's 90 minutes go by relatively quickly. Though the documentary focuses on Ms Senko's dad, we don't probe too deeply into family history. Instead we learn (once again, for some of us) about the infamous Lewis Powell memorandum and Ronald Reagan's gift to the rich of supply-side/trickle-down economics.

The few times in life that this critic has encountered rabidly angry brainwashed right-wingers, he has quickly given up trying to reason with them or change their ideas. Yet, as pictured here, this is not an impossible task. To learn how, you'll have to experience the movie -- which is, of course, preaching to the choir. But, hell, the sermon's a pretty good one.

The Brainwashing of My Dad (that's dad again, with mom, above) opens this Friday, March 18, in New York City (at the Cinema Village) and Los Angeles (at Laemmle's Music Hall 3) and simultaneously via digital release on iTunes and nationwide VOD. To see all currently scheduled theatrical screenings, with cities and theaters shown, click here.

Stephen S. Campanelli's knock-your-socks-off MOMENTUM offers exactly that -- in spades

Say hello to a nifty new action director, whose first film -- MOMENTUM -- proves an object lesson in how to make a first-class action film on maybe one-tenth of the budget of one of those Hollywould-be blockbusters that bore us to distraction with their not-so-special effects. The poster, right, may be one of the least interesting, design-wise, to be seen in many a day, but the movie it heralds is a case study is how to do things right. The filmmaker, shown below, is a fellow named Stephen S, Campanelli, whose resume boasts nearly one hundred credits in the camera and electrical department. Momentum is his first film as director, and TrustMovies would like to suggest that this upgrade in position become permanent.

With action films one tends to blame or praise the director for the visuals on view. In retrospect, after watching Momentum, I found myself also wondering how much the smart, tight screenplay by Adam Marcus and Debra Sullivan contributed to the film's success. Beginning with a voice telling us its intention to bring America back on course (uh-oh!), the movie returns to this voice and finally visage (yes, it's Morgan Freeman, playing quite against his usual type and taking us back to one of his earlier film roles). Marcus and Sullivan bring this character back briefly at various intervals and then hugely at their denouement -- which can only mean that a sequel is in store. I hope so; I'll be first in line to take a look.

The film's two stars turn out to be perfect choices for their roles. Olga Kurylenko (above) makes a swift and savvy, no-nonsense heroine, and she is matched well by James Purefoy (below) as her nemesis. Kurylenko is lithe and can handle, with some help from her body double, the action quite believably, while Purefoy -- a man whose demeanor and visage, even in repose, are enough to scare the pants off you -- makes his nasty villain a more-than-memorable one.

The movie's initial visual brilliantly combines a drum concert and a jewel heist by robbers in costumes that may make you imagine this to be some sci-fi film. You may also think the opening quite swell but wonder if the film can possibly match this segment down the road. Not to worry. It simply gets better and better.

It does this by giving us as much action -- hand-to-hand combat, foot and car chases -- as we could reasonably want while subverting many of the genre's cliches. You know the one about the auto speeding

toward the parking lot entrance in which those don't-drive-over spikes are protruding lethally? Just wait. And what about the mother and child in imminent danger from the bad guy? Again, there's something new here, too. Even the requisite "torture" scenes offer enough subtlety and difference to stand out from the pack.

Via suspense, action and surprise, Momentum keeps its momentum going full speed ahead. Only at the end does it suddenly seem a bit simple. And yet, that's the set-up for the sequel. Would we want to deny this tale that?

Don't think so. To watch Ms Kurylenko face off against Mr. Freeman and his henchmen ought to be, what? The bees' knees, the cat's pajamas, and the action lover's dream come true.

Momentum -- from Starz Digital and running 95 fast minutes -- opens tomorrow, Friday, October 16, in the dozen theaters/cities listed below, while simultaneously becoming availale for viewing via VOD.

New York, NY: Cinema Village

Los Angeles, CA: Arena Cinema

Atlanta, GA: Plaza Theater
Chicago, IL: Facets Cinematheque
Cleveland, OH: Tower City Cinema

Columbus, OH: Gateway Film Center 

Dallas, TX: Texas Theater
Detroit, MI: Cinema Detroit 

Houston, TX: AMC Gulf Point 30 

Miami, FL: AMC Aventura Mall 24 

San Francisco, CA: 4 Star Theatre
and Toronto, Canada at the
Magic Lantern Theatres' Carlton Cinema

ÉVOCATEUR: Kramer/Miller/Newberger's film offers Morton Downey Jr. in all his gory

It was supposedly 1775 when the words "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel" were first uttered (by Samuel Johnson, according to Boswell), but they came to my mind while watching the documentary horror story of Morton Downey, Jr. titled ÉVOCATEUR: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie and brought to ugly, noisy life by a trio of filmmakers who appear to work together well and fairly often. Shown below, from left to right, are Seth Kramer, Jeremy Newberger and Daniel A. Miller, and if TrustMovies is not jumping up and down in praise of their work, it is most likely because they have brought their subject to life in all his ugly, gory glory so well that, periodically, I wanted to go running from the theater as I screamed obscenities back at the screen from which Downey's own were so forcefully coming forth.

Yes, Downey Jr. was a showman first and last, but he was also mostly an asshole, if this movie is to be believed (and the film probably sugar-coats the guy to some degree). I am certain that his daughter, whom we see in the documentary, loved him dearly (as mine loves me), so I apologize to her right off the bat. And yes, Downey Jr. (below, showing us how patriotic he is) tapped into a part of America that we had not seen so much of back then (the 1980s), but that we're seeing and hearing all too often these days. So, yes, Downey Jr. was "ahead of his time." I'm sure the Egyptians of Moses' day would have said the same about Adolf Hitler.

Enough larking around: the movie takes us back a couple of generations to our hero's father, Morton Downey, Sr., and offers up a pretty good case that Junior could never get out of daddy's shadow. We see some terrific archival footage of the family, and of Junior's early career as a would-be singer (I didn't think he sounded at all bad) and then from his days as a liberal who supported (and in fact was a friend of) Teddy Kennedy -- before turning into a (maybe pseudo, maybe not) raging right-wing nut case.

The movie offers us some footage said to be new to the public, showing the sociopath behind the scenes and at his worst, along with some clever animation revealing what you might call the way Junior hoped to have been seen (especially by teen-age girls) and how he appeared to the "suits" who tried to control him. The three directors have compiled all this in a fast-moving manner (Kramer did the editing, Miller the writing and Newberger the art direction) so that you certainly will not be bored and should remain entertained through the final credits.

We hear from the usual (and a few unusual) talking heads -- everyone from Gloria Allred, Alan Dershowitz and Sally Jesse Raphael (above) to Herman (I Wan't to Be President!) Cain, below left, with Curtis (the mouth) Sliwa, and especially Steven Pagones, the white assistant district attorney accused in 1988 of raping black teenager Tawana Brawley.

The whole nasty mess of the Brawley/Al Sharpton debacle is paraded before us once again. Well, maybe this will make some of our younger set find out more about that worthless non-event and why many of us still see Mr. Sharpton, shown below with Downey in those tiresome days, as the epitome of dishonest, self-congratula-tory sleaze. (And why he and Junior make such a perfect couple.)

Junior himself tried, late in his fading career, what looked suspiciously like a Tawana "move" to little avail. His brief but noisy career paved the way for fake men like Limbaugh, Beck and their ilk -- none of whom can hold a candle to the provocations Downey delivered (or the style in which he delivered them). I'd love to be able to say that we shall not see his like again. But we won't be that lucky. It's just a matter of time before hatred, greed and performance art mingle in the right vessel -- and another champion asshole appears to lead our generally insensate populace a step closer to the abyss.

Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie -- from Magnolia Pictures and running 90 minutes --opens this Friday, June 7, in Manhattan at the Quad Cinema, in L.A at the Sundance Sunset Cinemas and elsewhere, too. To view all currently scheduled playdates and theaters, click here.