Coup-de-maître (Part two)

I will never forget the first time I saw Amores Perros. It was really hard hitting. Few of my friends couldn’t see this movie in one sitting. Personally, I think whenever it comes to capturing the raw human emotions – anger, lust, love, anguish and the reality of life – crowded streets, gutters, blood, fights, accidents – there is nobody as good as Alejandro González Iñárritu!! His moving camera always keeps us on the edge of the seat. Seeing his films I never felt, even for a millisecond, that I am seeing a movie. He just captures life in his camera and you feel that you are God, watching over the messed up lives of humanity!

“Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” – Genesis 11:7

Another masterpiece from Alejandro González Iñárritu. I think nobody has ever been so successful in interpreting this ancient text with such relevance to modern times. It is really interesting to watch how Alejandro combines different stories of different people belonging to different time zones! In his commentary, he says that he started out on a very pessimistic note on humanity. But when he completed the project, he felt very positive feelings about humanity. No matter which race, caste, culture or religion we belong to – at the end of the day we only have ourselves for each other!

If you want to understand the American high school shooting episodes, this is one movie that shouldn’t miss your list. Gus Van Sant captures the intensity behind such horrific tales with such simplicity and tranquillity. In his commentary, he says that though he believes in a solid script, he places huge importance on improvisation even if things go a little hay wire! Brilliant movie made by a brilliant director

After seeing ’13 Tzameti’ I had only one question in my mind – How on earth could someone come up with such a weird storyline and yet make you feel so thrilled? This is from Gela Babluani and he is one of the most promising directors in the international scene. When asked about the storyline, he says that his roots are in Georgia and he had witnessed a lot of civil disobedience movements in his teenage years – all of which helped him to make this movie of such exuberance with minimalist styling and budget. It is a must watch!!

Nobody understands women better than Pedro Almodóvar. With a deep understanding of his characters along with judicious creative control backed by a strong personal style of filming – Pedro’s films are brilliant case studies! He pays a tribute to womanhood through his movie ‘All about my mother’ and ends the film with this dedication: “To all actresses who have played actresses. To all women who act. To men who act and become women. To all the people who want to be mothers. To my mother.” His 1984 film, ‘What have I done to desreve this’, of a struggling housewife trying to keep her abnormal family together vividly captures the strength (both physical and mental) and weaknesses of a woman.  Though the abrupt ending of ‘Talk to her’ leaves us with a sense of incompleteness, it once again triumphs in the portrayal of diverse characters woven together by equally diverse circumstances.

While it is interesting to know that most of his movies are based in Spain, his characters are remain universal and can easily connect a chord with every movie buff! An applause for Pedro.

Pedro’s ‘Volver’ remains special to me as I’ve never seen the portrayal of two generations of women captured with such simplicity and passion. It shattered my perception of Penélope Cruz as I always thought that she had limited acting capabilities. This film is an ode to the spirit of resilience shown by women in their daily lives. It is also  one of the few films which doesn’t have a male lead.

Alfonso Cuarón directs with such detail and expertise that it finally grows into a film that captures greater issues other than a mere roadtrip and adolescent sexuality. It is special to me because above everything it is still a film about love and friendship. Great film with a great cast!

We all have our own views on reality, life and the various struggles that accompanies it. But never once do we think about the others’ point of view. This Arabic film directed by Hany Abu-Assad is a living example of the same. Based on the age old Palestine-Isreali conflict, this film beautifully captures the soul behind such traumatic episodes maligning human history. In its commentary Abu-Assad says that, “The film is an artistic point of view of the political issue. The politicians want to see it as black and white, good and evil, and art wants to see it as a human thing”. A must watch!

This Iranian film is one of the sweetest films I have ever seen! The acting capabilities of the two little stars are brilliant. And so is the story – simple and heart warming. Majid Majidi is a truly a visionary director!

This is a great German film for those interested in contemporary history. It beautifully captures the struggle of a family amidst highly instable political background. It educates us about the various struggles of both the younger and older generation when it comes to dealing with their own nationality – which forms the basis of one’s identity. Great film by Wolfgang Becker.

~ by rb on August 29, 2008.