Movies that can be seen on August 14

On August 14, 2026, proposals as diverse as Palestine 36the historical and political memoir of Annemarie Jacir; live the landHuo Meng's delicate rural chronicle; The love that remainsan Icelandic story of family and nature; and The last round in Veniceirregular journey through Veneto. The billboard is completed with thrillers The open window y Countdownin addition to the musical fantasy of Mother Mary.

Palestine 36 (Annemarie Jacir, 2025)

This historical film is, of course, here and now, a work of political cinema: inevitably, recalling the turbulent years of the British protectorate of Palestine and the arrival of the Jews fleeing Nazism means claiming a time when the coexistence of two peoples in one territory was still possible, which with the destruction of Gaza and the de facto occupation of the West Bank by dominant Zionism is completely ruled out. I believe that the recreation of those 1930s is honest, as it shows the different responses of the Palestinians to the “betrayals” of the British and the manipulation of the Jews, from collaborationism to armed struggle. The cast includes Hiam Abbass, my most admired Nazarene actress. The film is complementary to all that we were (Cherien Dabis, 2025), already discussed here a few months ago.

live the land (Huo Meng, 2025)

Award-winning work intended to chronicle an entire era that gives an account of rural China in the 90s, in a process of radical transformation. A delicate look articulates different moments of a town throughout the seasons of the year, of the growth of children, of the hope of pregnancies and of grandparents who die: a portrait of life and its surroundings of enviable simplicity and lyricism for serene contemplation. There is a very wise camera, enhanced by splendid photography, which shows with conviction, without emphasis.

The love that remains (Hlynur Pálmason, 2025)

From Iceland, the most delicate and strange stories of love and survival can reach us from an ominous volcanic cloud. Here we are told various moments, throughout the seasons of the year (evolution of the scarecrow), of a family in the process of separation, with the artist mother living in the middle of the countryside with her three children, and the sailor husband who tries to mend the relationship and takes the loneliness and distance from his family badly. But there is no usual melodrama, instead emphasis is placed on the relationship between humans and nature (dog, fishing, chickens, rain, mountains, rivers… even the artist's paintings are “painted” by the weather that oxidizes the sheet metal attached to the canvases), so that everything is very physical, placing the family conflict in a very realistic context. In the end, the need for tenderness that humans have in any circumstance is clear. Different and stimulating cinema: to see with enthusiasm.

The last round in Venice (Francesco Sossai, 2025)

The “cities of the plain” of the original title are located in Veneto and are the rather hostile territory through which two hustlers wander, closely united by friendship and alcohol, who sponsor a young architect, also somewhat disoriented. Adventure, road movie, exploratory trip… there are many notes in a story that is too vague, with types so poorly defined that the viewer cannot identify with them. In the background, perhaps, dissatisfaction, loneliness and lack of horizon in the maturity of our lives. Of little attractiveness.

The open window (Ana Graciani, 2026)

The second feature written and directed alone by this filmmaker follows the previous one, The wedding (2019) which went unnoticed (I'm not even sure it was released). The story of intrigue that we want to tell is articulated in successive “flashbacks” starting with Rubén's arrival to an Andalusian coastal town where a woman lives that he is attracted to and who, it seems, contains many secrets in her life. It was difficult for me to watch a film with such a scattered narrative and lacking characters: everything seems like it will be resolved later. Expendable.

Countdown (David Mackenzie, 2025)

If you have your mind in vacation mode and your body wanting to secrete adrenaline, this is your movie. A bomb that appears at a construction site in central London and a robbery of the private coffers of a bank where diamonds are hidden. It's not a big deal nor should you ask for finesse in the script: pure entertainment to oxygenate retinas and neurons.

Mother Mary (David Lowery, 2025)

Although I like Anne Hathaway, I barely lasted half an hour—starting a story with a very long conversation is not the most attractive thing—of this film with a strong fantastic bias that, from the outset, we must admit, is not for one. It will have its audience.