Hypatia Avenue

"Now the Swedish housewife need not walk to the Congo everyday in her own kitchen! Northern Italy will do."

I highly recommend Kitchen Stories, a charming and totally bonkers Swedish film about… kitchens. And how people use them. And what happens when a neutral observer of domestic life is himself observed and where that neutrality goes once both parties’ basic humanity is acknowledged. I saw this film yesterday with Taxloss and we both thoroughly enjoyed this gentle, charming and mad film. It’s got the same look and feel of Fargo – lonely, snowy landscapes, the sense of isolation and solitariness, but with the tender, heart-warming loopiness of Amelie (if you can imagine it). A very simple, basic, satisfying film that shows how simple, basic and satisfying human interaction can be. Perfect for a quiet Sunday evening or rainy Saturday afternoon, if you’re feeling a bit lonely or have lost faith in the niceness of people.

Warning: this film will make you want black bread and tar-like coffee. And boiled eggs. And a big smelly pipe to smoke in a battered wooden chair while looking grim. And slices of mysteriously squishy pastel pink sausages. And lashings and lashings of pickled herrings. Oooh. Herrings. Yeah.

In other news, it is Chinese New Year this weekend! Kick off on Thursday and it's red envelopes, massive, noisy meals, fire crackers, burning incense and lots of new… things until the novelty wears off. Catch this if you can, tonight and every night until Thursday – certainly very interesting and I’m not saying that just because I know the two blokes, especially the taller one, you know, the one who looks like a Chinese Elvis.