Mike Hertenstein

A Separation (Farhadi, 2011)

By the third time out or so, you realize that a filmmaker you’ve only been vaguely or even just accidentally keeping up with clearly deserves more particular notice –  and so you sit up and pay attention, remember the name, start looking for it on festival schedules, indeed, choose that name over others, becoming attuned […]

Mike Hertenstein

About Elly (Farhadi, 2009) CIFF – 2009

How to discuss a film about which the less you know going in the better…  which may or may not get enough U.S. distribution to matter…  though if it does, you really should try to see… and getting you to do so may depend on someone like me convincing you to… without telling you too […]

Mike Hertenstein

Memories, Dreams & Revolutions

Further reflections on events in Iran and revolutions in general, with reference to Eastern Europe in 1989, Romanian films, and my pal Marek, who grew up on the other side of a once supposedly impregnable Iron Curtain.