"Humanity and Paper Balloons" (1937), Sadao Yamanaka.

Master filmmaker Sadao Yamanaka died at 28 years of age during the early 20th Century Imperial Japanese wars, but he left us with this beautiful ode to the common folk, living in a poor street in Edo (today's Tokyo). 

Before watching an old film, I always worry that it will be antiquated and boring, but it feels modern instead.  Why? Because people were not very different back then, and good naturalist acting shows them as our neighbours. Portentous or stilted acting is not exclusive of black and white movies, but technology and rapid editing techniques masks the inadequacies of contemporary directors. The characters in "Humanity..." are not actually modern, they're real.  

Much is implied instead of shown, but what appears on screen is entertaining and depressing at the same time. This slice of life tells a simple story of low class people confronting their social superiors and trying to get ahead in life, while maintaining their honor and their sense of agency.

Recommended. 

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0029314/

"Un long dimanche de fiançailles", (Eng:"A very long engagement", 2004), Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Typical Jeunet whimsy contrasted with graphic war horror.  The absurdity of the Great War trenches is framed as a mystery about the whereabouts of a young French soldier condemned of desertion by self-harm.  Her fiancee (a beautiful Audrey Tautou) does everything to find him. However it is impossible to solve the case with the clues given in the script, which jumps between plot points. We join her ride while recognizing this or that actor on the way. It is visually gorgeous but flimsy, illuminated in crepuscular yellow tones and continuos camera movements. Worth watching once. 

"First Cow" (2019), Kelly Reichardt. Capsule Review

Exemplification of (an attempt) at capitalist originary accumulation. As in "Lone Star" (John Sayles), old remains are discovered in the field and the following is the reason why bones ended in such a place.  The setting is somewhat similar to Lucrecia Marte's "Zama" and its slow and methodical historic reconstruction. This time is post-colonial and filmed in Academy ratio (1.33:1), emphasizing the non-epic nature of the story.  Two migrants in the American Northwest of the early 19th century are trying to make their own fortune.  One has the smarts, the other the qualities of the value-producing artisan. But they lack capital, so they must steal.  Is this their only choice? The tale itself is simple, and after a long and tedious beginning it becomes somewhat engrossing, but the wait makes it inaccessible to the same public that would benefit the most from the understanding of the basic mechanics of capitalism and capital ownership.  It is a shame because there are many beautiful elements in this film, from the authenticity to the great acting. Recommended with reservation.

IMDb link