MUBI

Another important (but not great) post-68 French film that will never get a release in America because its politics and style are too radical to sell to a mass audience, Wind from the East functions best as a historical document, second best as a deconstruction of cultural representation, and worst as a legitimate political tract. The first two thirds are an intelligent, slightly flawed in hindsight discussion of “what it means to be a militant moviemaker”, the highlight of which is a blistering attack on the sort of cultural imperialism Criterion and other West-centric bastions of artistic taste practice. The final third, however, devolves into cultish propaganda reminiscent of Orwell’s Two Minutes Hate, which is not helped by the monotonous voice of the woman who does 95% of the film’s overdubbing. It’s still more culturally and historically important than a Whit Stillman film, though. :>

Grade: C+

Yours truly,
Joseph Garza Medina