New year, new resolutions: 2025 (for the last time)

This year, the traditional article about new resolutions may be less interesting than usual. In fact, I only half-finished or nearly half-finished several things I intended to do, while I forgot about others along the way. However, I am experiencing this end of the year more peacefully than the previous one. I feel generally more satisfied with what I’ve done in the last twelve months, although I’m not sure exactly why.

 


I suspect that the recent holiday in Malaga (in November), the positive results of the Italian tennis during this year (these two things are related, as you can read in one of my latest articles) and the fact that in this last month I have been doing physical activity consistently are among the main reasons of this sense of satisfaction.

In general, regardless of the results, what satisfies me the most is being able to always do what I set out to do, crossing out with a red line every day all the items on my to-do list. And for some time now I’ve been managing to do so.

But I admit that, as soon as I started rereading last year’s article, I almost felt guilty: in this 2024 I achieved much less than in 2023 (in which I published and promoted two books in English) in the publishing field and I did not complete the very few resolutions I had listed.

And yet, thinking about it, I say to myself: does it matter?


What did I end up doing in 2024?

In the publishing field, I have finally completed and put online the new version of my website (in Italian): www.anakina.net.

I’d been working on it for many months and I really like how it turned out, both because it is much more usable on all devices and because, thanks to the slightly more logical way in which I structured it, it is now easier for me to keep it updated and possibly expand it with other sections, if there was the need.

 

I also managed to create the new version of the mini-site of “Deserto rosso e il Ciclo dell’Aurora”: www.desertorosso.net.

I am particularly proud of the result, both from an aesthetic and usability point of view.

Instead, I haven’t yet started working on the English version of my site. I know it will be quite simple, since I can start from the Italian one and adapt it, without having to structure it from scratch, but so far I haven’t done it, partly because I don’t fancy to, partly because I don’t think it makes sense to dedicate time to it until I have finished the revision of all the books in English.

And here we come to another thing I did: I completed the revision of the third book of Red Desert, namely “Invisible Enemy”, which is online with a new version. So I got to work on the fourth, “Back Home”, but alas I haven’t finished it yet. I’m going very slowly, dedicating about an hour a week to it, when things go well. I’ve reached the penultimate chapter anyway. Well, I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Still on the subject of writing, you may have noticed that I have become more active here on the blog, especially in the last few months. I’ve decided to use what I write (or wrote in the past) on my Facebook page to create new articles in which I talk about the things I like, from books (although this year has perhaps registered my worst negative record in terms of books read) to TV series, from films to music, obviously passing through tennis.

From my Facebook posts, articles are created that end up on my Italian blog and that then, after having translated them, I publish them in English on Medium, then on Substack (where I manage one of my mailing lists in English, so you can get them directly in your inbox) and finally on this blog. And everything gets reshared on other social networks.

Additionally, I’ve added two more articles to the Self-publishinglab blog (in Italian). I would like to write more, but I struggle to find any interesting and original topics to explore further, that is, not something everyone is already talking about.

I have also written a short series of articles in English on a publication available on Medium, called Babel, relating to my work as a professional translator, in which I talk about how I became one (Why I Am a Translator) and how it works (What is Translation? and Use of Translation Software).
If you want to read them, you can find them here, here and here, if you are a paid Medium user, or here, here, and here, if you aren’t.

 


And, speaking of my work as a freelance translator, I have also updated the website of my sole proprietorship, Anakina Web: www.anakina.net/translations.
As you can see, it is still a subsite of my main domain.
It was something else I had to do, and I managed to get it done.

By the way, this year I had quite a bit more work than the previous one. I suspect that this is also one of the reasons for my satisfaction at the end of the year and, at the same time, why I achieved less in the publishing field.

After all, days are 24 hours long for everyone and in any case it’s not so bad when a good number of those hours correspond to a certain economic return, don’t you think? Especially when there is a close correlation between the amount of work done (specifically, the number of words I translate) and this economic return. Let’s say that we face them with a completely different attitude!

And, staying on the subject of languages, during the year I continued to constantly brush up on my German, adding to the review of an old De Agostini course and the reading of two books, also an advanced course by Assimil. I try to dedicate at least half an hour a day to it and, as time goes by, my understanding is getting better and better, as is the hope of bringing it back to the level it was at about twenty years ago.

On a personal level, there are several things I am satisfied with.

I’m doing physical activity more consistently. In this month of December, when for a few years now I find myself having more time than usual, I managed to do 20 one-hour training sessions. I already know that in January I will have to cut this number probably in half, but that’s okay.

 


This year I managed to take three short holidays. In April, my partner and I spent a few days in Naples, while in May we visited Nuremberg. Finally, in November, as already mentioned, we went to Malaga. We had already visited the city during a cruise 15 years ago, but this time we were there for something else, namely the final of the Billie Jean King Cup (I took the risk of buying tickets hoping that the girls would reach the final, and I was lucky!) and the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup, Italy-Argentina.

And, still speaking of tennis, in addition to this experience in Spain, we replicated that of the ATP Challenger 175 in Cagliari, the Sardegna Open.

Well!
Now that I have taken a look again at my few resolutions shared a year ago, I realise that I partially completed the first, that is, I updated my Italian sites. Unfortunately, I haven’t done the same for the English ones, except for the minisites dedicated to individual books or series (like www.reddesert.net, www.anakina.net/ericshaw and www.anakina.net/kindred), but all in all I can’t complain, because most of the work is done.

I am consistently pursuing my second resolution, that of doing physical activity and brushing up on my German.

As for the third, that is, finding myself in a situation where all the pending commitments were wrapped up, and I could ask myself what I would do next, well, we’re not there yet at all!

If I go back and look at my famous to-do list, which I mentioned last year, I notice that the deleted items have gone from 18 to 22. It’s not a great improvement, but it’s better than nothing.

 



Instead, what are my resolutions for 2025?

Aside from continuing to train my body and mind (with German and other foreign languages, but possibly also with other topics), here they are:
1.       Finishing the review of “Red Desert – Back Home”. I’m almost there.
2.       Updating the English version of my website with the new design.
3.       Updating “Self-publishing lab. Il mestiere dell’autoeditore” with the latest news from the self-publishing market. The previous update was in May 2023, so it’s time to revisit it. This isn’t a very demanding job, since I already have a list of changes to make. I just need to put some time into it.
4.       Moving on to another big item on that famous list. If I complete points 1 and 2, I will indeed be forced to do so. I already have a clear idea of what it will be, but I prefer not to anticipate anything.

Also, next year, I should write something new or, alternatively, translate into English some other of my books (probably “Per caso”, which will become “By Chance”).
My choice will depend on an external event totally unrelated to my publishing activity. It’s a bit of a way to avoid having to make that decision.

Writing, however, does not mean publishing. I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on myself. If I write, it will be a way to see if I still have the desire to try something longer than a series of articles, whatever comes of it. It will help me understand where to direct my future efforts and where not to.

There are also a number of other things I would like to do in 2025, even if they are not real resolutions.

As you know, I am a biologist, but I have not practised the profession for many years. My interest in biology has never disappeared and here and there it has popped up in my books, both in thrillers (forensic science) and especially in science fiction novels.

While I was writing the latter, I found myself delving into astrobiology (that is, the branch of biology that studies the emergence of life and the possibilities of life outside of Earth), also because one of the main characters in my books, Anna Persson, is in fact an astrobiologist/exobiologist (the two terms are essentially synonymous).
In 2014, I also followed a MOOC on the topic, held by prof. Charles Cockell of the UK Centre for Astrobiology (based in Edinburgh). Since I received as a gift for Christmas, among other things, two books on astrobiology, including one by Cockell based on his university course, I want to take this opportunity to delve into the subject in a more detailed way.

Another thing I would like to do is listen to more music.
I have always been passionate about music. For a period of my life, in the 2000s, I also dedicated myself to singing. For a few years now, however, I’ve limited myself to putting it in the background while I do something else. I hear it, but I don’t listen to it. I’d like to get back into the habit of occasionally taking some time to listen to an album from start to finish.

Finally, I want to take care of not only my physical health, but also my mental health. I no longer have the patience or desire to put all my energy into a single project. I need to diversify.

I made myself a new program on how to make the most of my work days without stressing myself out.
Being a self-employed person means having to find new ways to maintain some discipline, and that’s difficult to do when you feel under pressure. The fact that I have been in this situation for twenty years now, in reality, does not make it any easier, since my mind resists the infinite repeating of certain routines. It doesn’t matter if they seem to work at first: at some point something breaks, and you have to come up with new methods to trick your mind and avoid a stalemate.

My goal is to try to eliminate or at least mitigate the sense of anxiety with which I wake up every day at the thought of the to-do list (regardless of the number of items), which ultimately affects my productivity and does not allow me to live the day peacefully, even when this depends only on commitments over which I have control.

 


Maintaining this peace of mind and minimising the causes of self-inflicted anxiety is essential, so that I am ready to welcome any interesting opportunities that may present themselves to me.

I don’t know if I’ll write another one of these articles at the end of 2025, that’s why I indicated in the title that it’s the last time. It’s one of those superfluous commitments that I find myself with in the last days of the year, when I have so many other things to do. In short, it’s another one of those causes of anxiety that isn’t necessary at all. But I will certainly continue to tell you in these pages what I do throughout the year.
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I conclude by thanking you once again from the bottom of my heart for your support. I hope 2025 gives you everything you wish for.

As usual, I would be happy to read your 2024 analysis and your resolutions for this new year. If you like, leave a comment here or on my profile/page on various social networks.

Have a good end and a good beginning!


All photos are © 2024 Rita Carla Francesca: 1) me in Nuremberg; 2) me in Sardinia (my land); 3) Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner during Davis Cup in Malaga; 4) me at the same event; 5) me on Christmas day.

An unforgettable year of tennis

 It’s a great time to be a tennis fan in Italy

 

Jannik Sinner (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

This 2024 has truly been an unforgettable year for Italian tennis. As a fan, I am still in disbelief at the results achieved by our players.

 

2023 had already ended really well, with the accomplishments of Jannik Sinner in the final part of the season, culminating in the conquest of the Davis Cup for Italy, which, although it is a team competition, was achieved largely thanks to him.

I knew that for 2024 there were the makings of a great season for him. Still, I never imagined that he would become so overwhelmingly the strongest player in the world, winning two Slams, three ATP Masters 1000, two ATP 500 and the ATP Finals (to which is added the victory at the 6 Kings Slam, which despite being an exhibition saw him dominate, in sequence, Medvedev, Djokovic and Alcaraz), finishing the year in the first position in the ranking with a margin of distance from the second in the ranking that gives him the certainty of still being up there at least until February, regardless of how the beginning of 2025 goes.



Jannik Sinner (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

And then came the icing on the cake: another Davis Cup, this time won together with Matteo Berrettini, who despite the numerous injuries of the past years and also of this one that is about to end, managed to finish it as a protagonist, after having also won three titles.


Italian national team at Davis Cup (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

Well, the more I think about it, the more I have to pinch myself to realise that, yes, it’s all true.

Once again, I can only confirm what I told myself in June when Jannik reached the number 1 position in the ranking for the first time: dreams do come true.

And this sometimes happens if you work seriously to achieve them. It is not enough to wish for it, nor is it enough to believe in it. You need to commit, taking all the time necessary to improve: the results are nothing more than the consequence of this incessant work.

To us, they may seem almost unbelievable if compared to a very recent past, but those who achieve them, in this case, Jannik Sinner, know exactly what they had to do to succeed and how they did it.


Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

Recently, in an interview, he was asked to define himself in one word and, after thinking about it for a few moments, he said: determined.

I think that describes it perfectly.

He had a dream and, with determination, he searched and found the best way to pursue it until he turned it into reality. It was not magic, nor luck, but just the result of his work.


Jannik Sinner (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

I don’t know about you, but I find all of this not only a source of great inspiration, but also absolutely reassuring.

 

And what makes it even more so is the fact that Jannik Sinner’s success is by no means an isolated case.


Jasmine Paolini (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

There is that of Jasmine Paolini, who, at 28, had a season full of satisfaction. Not a sudden flash of brilliance, but a series of important results throughout the year: one WTA 1000 and two Slam finals in singles, as well as many excellent placings in most of the tournaments she participated in, two WTA 1000, one WTA 500, one Slam final and one gold medal at the Olympics in doubles together with Sara Errani, participation in the WTA Finals in both singles and doubles and, once again the icing on the cake, the victory with the national team of the Billie Jean King Cup, playing both singles and doubles (thanks also to the significant contribution of Lucia Bronzetti as the second singles player in the semi-final and final), which she had only just missed last year.

Added to all this is, the fact, that she finished the year as world no. 4, something no other Italian female tennis player has ever achieved.


Jasmine Paolini (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

I have already mentioned Jasmine’s doubles successes with Sara Errani, but in 2024, the latter won another Slam (in addition to the five she won with Roberta Vinci in the past), this time in mixed doubles with Andrea Vavassori.

 

And then Vavassori himself together with Simone Bolelli reached two Slam finals this year, won two ATP 500 and one ATP 250, participated in the ATP Finals, won the Davis Cup with the national team and is still in the top 10 of doubles.


Billie Jean King Cup winners! (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

Finally, we have the already mentioned three titles by Berrettini (who reached ten in his career), to which the first ever by Luciano Darderi and the fourth by Lorenzo Sonego (who can now boast of having won a title on all surfaces and in all conditions) have to be added.


Matteo Berrettini (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)


In practice, this year, almost every week we had one or more Italian tennis players in the final and in many cases winners of titles. Such exaggerated stuff!

 

What can I say except that it’s a great time to be a tennis fan in Italy?


Italian national team after winning the Billie Jean King Cup (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

I can only be happy about it.

And, right now that this year is about to end, I just want to stop to enjoy this moment and all the serenity it brings to my life.

I don’t know what will happen next season, but certainly nothing and no one will be able to take away the satisfaction I felt during 2024.


Lucia Bronzetti (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

I did not take the photos in this article from the internet. I took them myself.

I was lucky enough to see in person the girls triumph in Malaga, at the Billie Jean King Cup, on 20 November and the boys win the quarter-finals (on 21 November) of the Davis Cup which they would then conquer a few days later.

Over the years I have managed to see many Italian players play live (some, like Sonego, on more than one occasion), but this time I was able to add to my personal “collection” Lucia Bronzetti, Jasmine Paolini, Matteo Berrettini (who had “escaped” me in the past) and above all my favourite tennis player for some years now (well before he became the favourite of half the world!): Jannik Sinner.


Jannik Sinner (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

I saw him play and win literally a few steps away from me in both singles and doubles.

I was able to observe first-hand his great concentration, his strength, speed and precision, the way he isolates himself from the thousands of people around him and faces each point. I perceived precisely that determination that he himself later spoke about and I let myself be inspired by it, directly noting with all my senses that, in reality, there is nothing incredible, miraculous or magical.

It’s all simply true.

 

And this is another satisfaction that no one can take away from me.


Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

The Lovers

 A quick, sparkling, unpredictable romantic comedy

 

Sky Original (©)

One of the latest TV series I watched is “The Lovers”. This is a Sky Original romantic comedy consisting of six episodes of 30 minutes each, and it’s definitely sparkling!

The story is that of the self-centred Seamus, an English television presenter, but of Irish origins, who during the recording of a TV show in Belfast is targeted by a group of local youths who want to beat him up and, while fleeing, ends up in the courtyard of Janet, a depressed cashier who at that very moment is about to kill herself.
Between the two, who are the opposite of each other (he is self-centred and vain; she is depressed, cynical and has a strong black humour), something happens.
Only that he is engaged to a famous actress (played by the very talented Alice Eve) and she, well, is hiding something.

Their story unfolds in six quick, explosive episodes that, with a frenetic pace, an alternation of bizarre situations and continuous changes of direction, will amaze you, make you laugh out loud, but sometimes also make you think, and in the end will leave you with a pleasant sense of satisfaction.

The credit for all this goes to a screenplay that knows how to mix irony and romance, without exaggerating in either aspect, with brilliant dialogues in which the two protagonists, perfectly played by Johnny Flynn and Roisin Gallagher, confront each other in a frank, at times rude and above all unpredictable manner, thus revealing themselves to each other and to the audience.
It all takes place in a context where right and wrong are suspended, leaving room for the most raw and hilarious sincerity.

Absolutely worth watching!

What do you think about the new singer of Linkin Park?

 Spoiler: I love her!

Linkin Park (©)

I can’t exactly call myself a fan of the band, because I’ve never followed them with particular attention, but I’ve been listening to their music since they’ve existed and I really like it. I even have their first album on CD. And in 2017 I was very saddened to hear the news about the death of Chester Bennington.
Beyond the tragedy of the event, which had a certain effect on me (Chester was a couple of years younger than me, he was only 41 when he took his own life), among other things, I remember thinking that I would never have the opportunity to see them play live.

Now Mike Shinoda and the others (except one) have decided to carry on with the band with a new voice, Emily Armstrong, and a new album, “From Zero”, which was released on November 15.
When I heard about it, I immediately thought it was a sensible idea to go with a female voice, so as not to give the impression of wanting to supplant Chester, but I wondered how it was possible for a woman to sing those songs.

Well, a couple of weeks ago I watched a recording of the first full concert in Los Angeles on YouTube and I had to think again.
It’s possible indeed, and she is very good at it!
Her technical skills and vocal range make her, in my opinion, a good heir to Chester.

It’s clear that this is something different, but I think it’s definitely better than nothing.

I’m curious to listen to the new album and, above all, I’m starting to entertain the idea of finally seeing them live.
The mere fact that this possibility exists is a really great thing!

If you haven’t had the chance to listen to Emily Armstrong’s voice yet, and you have a couple of hours of free time, you can do so below.
This is the video of the concert I watched.


If you only have an hour, you can watch a recording of a shorter concert available on the band’s YouTube channel (the quality is definitely better as it is a professional product).


Enjoy your listening!

Challengers

 A love triangle in the world of tennis

A picture from the film

Challengers” is a film by Luca Guadagnino (April 2024).

How beautiful!

Finally, a bit of cinema with a capital C, in which the tools of the seventh art are used to their fullest to tell a story conceived and developed for the big screen.

What makes it beautiful is not only the story itself (which is well-crafted anyway), but the way it is shown to the audience one piece at a time with a series of flashbacks cleverly inserted during the course of a tennis match.
The protagonists of the love triangle reveal, scene after scene, their nature and that of the relationship binding them, through effective dialogues, small details, a soundtrack that is nothing short of perfect and a sensational editing.

And then there are some crazy gems, like towards the end, when the camera’s point of view changes to that of one of the players and then the other, ends up under the court, as if its surface were made of glass, and at a certain point switches to that of the tennis ball.

In short, whether you like tennis or not, I recommend it, but if you love and follow tennis, you can’t miss it.
Even if the film is not about tennis, which is only the context in which the love triangle is narrated, if you know a little about this sport and its protagonists of the present and the past, you won’t miss those elements of reality (facts and people) that have inspired some aspects of the story and, above all, of the characters.

Enjoy!

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

 Say it once, say it twice, say it … no!

The characters of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”

I saw “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and it’s been a long time since I had this much fun at the cinema!

I’ll start from the premise that I’m a fan of Tim Burton and I loveBeetlejuice”, which is without a doubt the film I’ve watched the most times ever. There was a period in the 90s when I knew practically all the lines of the Italian version by heart, but only when I bought the DVD in the 2000s and watched it in the original language, was I able to fully understand its brilliance.
But, precisely because I love this film, on the one hand, I was happy for the sequel and, on the other, I feared that it could disappoint me, after more than 30 years of waiting (the film is from 1988, but I watched it for the first time in the early 90s).

Fortunately, this was an unfounded fear.

To prepare myself properly, a few hours before going to the cinema I rewatchedBeetlejuice”, also because maybe 15 years had passed since the last time, and it is something I recommend to anyone who intends to see the sequel. If you have never seen the first one, you have to watch it, because there are too many connections and it’s assumed that the viewer knows them. But, even if you have seen it, it’s not a bad idea to renew that memory a little.
I have to say that as I watched it again I remembered everything, but fixing the visual aspect of the film in my memory was essential to enjoying watching the sequel.

In fact, less than an hour and a half after finishing watching, I was on my reclining seat at the cinema and the screening started. The impression I had was of total continuity between the two works, starting from the screen with the Geffen logo and the font used for the opening titles that scrolled over the landscape of Winter River, while the unmistakable soundtrack by Danny Elfman was played.
Next to greet the viewer is Winona Ryder, who 36 years later reprises the character of Lydia Deetz. And it’s her, Lydia. It’s as if it always has been. She just grew up, as I have, after all.
Another thing I feared was that I would be overwhelmed by a bittersweet sense of nostalgia for a time that belonged to a teenage me that no longer exists, but that wasn’t the case at all.
I felt at home, because that particular part of me still exists, and I was happy to know what had happened to Lydia and the other characters in all this time, as well as to follow them in this new adventure.

What about Michael Keaton?
Thanks to the heavy makeup it is almost impossible to notice the difference between how he was in the 80s and how he is now, and this adds a touch of “realism” to the whole thing (the quotation marks are a must!).

I can’t tell you anything about the story, absolutely nothing, because it’s nice to see it like this. All in all, the trailer only reveals the characters involved, but not how they move through the story.
I can only tell you that I remained glued to the screen the whole time, forgetting who I was and where I was, just like I used to do when I went to the cinema in the 90s, and that I laughed really hard for most of the 105 minutes of the film.
And even more so in the last quarter of an hour, including the sparkling epilogue (but is the story really over?).

I’m perfectly aware that in this first viewing I only grasped a minimal part of all the details that this film is full of. With “Beetlejuice” every time I rewatched it, even after the fortieth time, I always found something that I had missed. I expect the same to happen with “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and I can’t wait to get my hands on the Blu-ray.
Hopefully, it comes out soon, as do I hope they release a CD version of the soundtrack to add it to my collection.

I conclude by saying that I am really happy to notice that cinema, the real one, still exists thanks to explosive and crazy minds like Tim Burton’s.
Long live cinema, long live Tim Burton, and long live Beetlejuice!

But don’t say it three times, okay?
Or maybe yes?

Deutschland 83, Deutschland 86 and Deutschland 89

History, drama, and irony in a very entertaining German series

The main characters of “Deutschland 89” (© Sky Original 2020)

The “Deutschland” trilogy (whose three seasons are respectively titled “Deutschland 83”, “Deutschland 86” and “Deutschland 89”) is a Sky Original series that narrates the story of the final phase of the GDR, East Germany, up until the fall of the Berlin Wall.

This is a spy series in which fiction is grafted onto true history.
The protagonist is the young Martin Rauch (played by the very talented Jonas Nay), who has unwillingly become a spy for the HVA (a branch of the Stasi) and who over time will become very good at his job.
In the first season, he is forced to infiltrate the West, where he finds himself involved in a series of dramatic situations and somersaults, but somehow ends up getting out of it.

His story continues three years later in Africa, where, if possible, he manages to complicate his existence even more.
Then comes 1989, which marks the final chapter of his country and will lead to the reunification of Germany. And he is there when the Wall falls.

The historical reconstruction is very accurate in settings, costumes, and even music. The theme song for the series is “Major Tom (Coming Home)” by Peter Schilling, which, if you are old enough, you will recognize immediately.

The subject may seem serious and dramatic, and obviously it is, but the often ironic slant with which this series has been developed, starting from the characters up to the extreme situations they find themselves in, gives it an extra edge that forces you to stay glued to the screen, keeping you in suspense and releasing that tension every now and then with a good laugh.

Besides being entertaining, watching this series is also a good opportunity to brush up on or learn something about recent history, but also to reflect on the parallels with the present, since time passes and ever-different events take place, yet certain mechanisms tend to inexorably repeat themselves.

I’ve watched this series over the years and that’s inevitably meant that I’ve missed some of the details that connect the seasons, especially since it features a number of intertwined stories involving so many different characters (and a lot of names!). For this reason, I recommend you watch it all in a short time.
The trilogy of “Deutschland 83”, “Deutschland 86” and “Deutschland 89” is available on demand on Sky and Now.

Enjoy!

Trap

 In the shoes of a serial killer


In August, I saw “Trap” at the cinema, the new film by M. Night Shyamalan, with Josh Hartnett in the leading role.

Cooper takes his teenage daughter to a concert of a pop star, Lady Raven (played by Saleka, American singer and daughter of the director), like many other parents, but once there he notices that something weird. There is an excessive deployment of police forces at the concert venue.
The problem is that Cooper is not a parent like the others: he is “the butcher”, a serial killer.

The first hour of the film is truly exceptional. Even though the trailer had already spoiled the core element of the story (Cooper’s identity), the way it is shown to the viewer is masterful.
Things get a little more difficult in the second part of the film, but overall it’s a great thriller, which kept me glued to the screen for its entire duration (also thanks to the lack of a break between the first and second half).

I can’t tell you much about how the story develops since the fun is in discovering it at the moment, but I can tell you what I liked most and least.

Josh Hartnett’s performance is definitely fantastic. The way he goes from caring father to monster with one look is chilling.
The great thing is that, despite his identity as a serial killer being revealed, in the eyes of the viewer he remains the protagonist, the hero of the story (clearly an anti-hero), while the police force together with the profiler who leads them take on the role of the bad guys. We want him to escape, also because his misdeeds are barely hinted at, without showing anything that would make us truly hate him.
Overall the story is well told through the images, in the way the scenes are edited and in the framing choices, all surrounded by the music of Lady Raven/Saleka.

There are, however, some things that work less well.

For starters, the motivation that drives the police to try to locate a man whose face they don’t know at a concert where there are approximately 3000 other men is weak (a piece of a receipt). In reality, it would have taken far too long to try to verify whether each of them was the person they were looking for. Furthermore, there was the not at all unlikely risk that he was not there at all (what if it was his wife, or someone else, who accompanied his daughter to the concert?).

Moreover, during the course of the film, there are several stretches. For example, Cooper is too easily able to make friends with people who work there and who unwittingly help him. On the other hand, however, those who give him a hard time, creating a twist, could do something simpler and less risky, but which would not allow the tension of the film to be maintained as high.

Finally, I was a little disappointed by the final twist. When I go to see a film by Shyamalan I expect a super twist at the end that shatters any previous expectations. There are several interesting twists in the movie and there is one twist at the end that should be more powerful than the others, but actually it doesn’t work at all. It’s too explained by the character who caused it and, honestly, the explanation and its consequences are too far-fetched. And moreover, there is a certain déjà-vu in it.

To be honest, I had developed an even more shocking theory in my mind and I was a little disappointed to see that the director didn’t want to go that far in characterising the protagonist. Cooper is the classic serial killer with a difficult childhood about which, however, nothing really specific is said and the lack of a real character development (the protagonist!), which would have increased the dramatic aspect of the story, is especially evident right in the final stages of the film.

The only positive note is the open ending, even if only hinted at, almost as if Shyamalan did not want to take full responsibility for leaving a little door open on the fate of a serial killer.
What a pity.

Anyway, I enjoyed it and I feel like recommending you to watch or see it, possibly on a big screen, just to enjoy the maximum possible involvement.

Enjoy!

Lola

A fascinating science fiction mockumentary


The protagonists of “Lola”

The film “Lola” is a science fiction mockumentary, that is, a fake documentary, based on the discovery of a mysterious film relating to an alternative past.

The protagonists are two sisters, Tomasina and Martha, who in 1938 inherit from their father a device (called Lola, like their mother) capable of capturing radio and television broadcasts from the future. Initially, they use it for fun, but then they think it could be useful to provide information to their homeland after the outbreak of World War II. 
The problem is that by doing so, they will end up changing that future with catastrophic consequences.

I won’t tell you more. The film itself is very short, just 75 minutes, but I assure you that it is a real gem, both as an idea and as how it was structured.
At first, it can be a bit alienating to follow the story with all this black and white, partly damaged footage, but then you get used to it. And you are fascinated by the way fiction footage is mixed with real footage from the period.

It is not simply an uchronic story, since there’s also the use of temporal paradoxes, which we usually see in stories where time travel takes place. But here, it isn’t people who travel, rather radio and television broadcasts.

Enjoy!

Then You Run

A British-German series halfway between an on-the-road thriller and a black comedy



Then You Run” is a 2023 Sky Original series with a British-German production.

It seems like a miniseries since it has 8 episodes and is based on a novel (“You” by Zoran Drvenkar).

 

The protagonist, Tara, who lost her mother when she was just a kid, following the death of her grandmother, must move to Rotterdam to live with her father. Three of her friends and schoolmates (they are teenagers) leave for a short holiday in the Netherlands as guests at her home, but the situation quickly worsens. Upon their arrival, Tara does not answer her phone and, when they finally reach her villa, they make a macabre discovery.

Hunted by a gang of drug dealers, the four girls are forced to flee from Rotterdam to Germany and then to Norway.

To make matters worse, during their escape, they are involved in the death of someone very close to a serial killer.

 

This series is a cross between an on-the-road thriller and a black comedy.

The protagonists find themselves in the most absurd and, at times, truly ridiculous situations and, as the corpses pile up, they emerge increasingly embittered and anaesthetised to violence.

 

Once you approach the vision with a clear idea of what kind of story it is, you will enjoy the continuous twists that are completely unexpected.

The extreme nature of the violence, of the language and of the wickedness of the characters, such that they must be at least a little bad if they don't want to die badly and that those who kill innocents can easily get away with it, make it a decidedly European work and one that we could never have found among American TV products.

 

What can I say? I enjoyed watching it and remained glued to the screen until the last minute, as I had no idea what would happen in the next minute.

 

If you like the genre, I wish you a good watching!