Let’s talk about Vikas Bahl’s Queen (2014). Fashion may be the film that was made for Kangana Ranaut, but it is the character of Rani in Queen that she was born to play. In Queen, Kangana reigns supreme. It is her definitive mark in a definitive film. Bollywood’s Amelie moment. The movie is rare, well-crafted and internationally appealing from beginning to end without plateauing or failing to hold the audience’s attention. Expertly utilizing a multi-ethnic cast in an international setting without the usual Bollywood cliché of recreating an Indian Town in the middle of Europe where everyone miraculously speak Hindi. Queen isn’t just a film; it is a transformative and shared experience between viewer and screen, driven by a female lead.

Kangana’s performance carries the film beautifully. Her portrayal of Rani frames our attention as we first see her at a fork in the road of broken dreams catalyzed by Vijay, played by Rajkumar Rao. Her ability to convey feeling in order to emotionally connect with the audience by using facial expression and body language to depict abandonment, loneliness, incognizance, fear, intoxication and euphoria throughout the film is uncanny. Her comedic timing is good. Changing the tone of her voice to reflect Rani’s state of being helpless, almost voiceless, at the beginning of the film to being outspoken and opinionated as the film progresses is an effective use of her tools of craft. Her acting flows flawlessly, uncontrived, unbridled, and not for one moment losing sight of who and where Rani was and is throughout her metamorphosis.  Kangana is completely in the skin of the character.

Vikas’s Queen and Kangana’s Rani invites us on a journey we are willing to take with them from the very beginning because we can all identify with the universally relatable story scripted by Anvita Dutt Guptan and Vikas himself. “Rani” is in all of us. You’ll root for “Rani”. You’ll want to see “Rani” win. The writing, directing and acting convince us to like both her and the film.  The multi-national supporting casts will make you love the film even more. -pep boy

Never since Trainspotting has there been a more intrusive and meticulous depiction of Britain's marginalized urban youth culture as there is in Director Sally El Hosaini's film, My Brother the Devil (2012). A tale of two brothers from an immigrant family, Rashid and his younger brother Mo, sway on the pendulum of the cause-and-effect realities of London city's council estates (low income housing). Through tragedy, Rashid, portrayed by newcomer James Floyd, grants the viewer the use of his characterized nuances to unfold the redemptive qualities needed to balance a film which is quite gritty in its honest and spontaneous plot. It's a much needed and well-timed story that encompasses the interactions between family, friends, love, drugs, sexuality and crime, brilliantly scripted by El Hosaini. Younger brother Mo, played by Fady Elsayed, delivers the talent of a true bravado as he maneuvers the negative trappings of inner city life with a well blended, forthcoming and racially mixed group of actors.

A unique angle to the film is that it delves into the experience of an Arab family of Egyptian heritage, which is more reminiscent of French cinema as opposed to British films which usually follow immigrant characters of South Asian or Afro-Caribbean descent. My Brother the Devil takes a segment of London and puts it to film in a way that is pure truth, suspense and stand and deliver cinema -pep boy

Director Andrew Dosunmu transfers Nigerian ideology to the heart of Brooklyn where the boundaries of kinship are put to the test in this grand achievement in cinematography, Mother of George (2013).  Within the Yoruba ethnic group of Nigeria, when a wife marries her husband, she becomes the wife of the entire family. This is the story of Adenike, portrayed by Danai Gurira, whose marital bliss is infringed upon by the mother of her husband, George, as they try to conceive a child. The construct of the film reflects the cultural meaning and expectations  of manhood set against the dictates of what is expected of a woman and wife of the family. In respect to the love she has for her husband and an impeding mother-in-law , Adenike is coerced into making an unthinkable decision with the hope of keeping all intact,  which in turn poses a moral dilemma for all involved.
Mother of George is a great film for avid film buffs wishing to escape the confines of Hollywood for ventures that are more independent, foreign, unique and unseen. Great cinematography, an identifiable human story and perfect acting drives the pace of this film and churn it into a work of beauty and art. -pep boy

Film makers Till Schauder and Sara Nodjoumi rivets the audience by combining
America's most loved and familiar, basketball, with its most unfamiliar and unloved, Iran. 
The Iran Job (2012) grants its viewers a voyeuristic insight into the lives of Iranians beyond
the news headlines through Kevin Sheppard, a notable American basketball player
signed to a basketball team in Iran as player and motivator. -pep boy