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O Menino e o Mundo (2013)
One of My Best Discoveries of Late
The Boy and The World has been one of my best discoveries in recent times. A movie that tells its story not through words but music, colours and the eyes of a young boy with a sense of wonder and innocence. The two dimensional animation did nothing if not alleviate the visual thrill that the movie was. A boy's imaginations were carefully captured that went apace with his emotions.
The story is about our young boy who sets out to seek his father who had to leave to work in the city. But on his journey, the boy finds many more facets of life that he had never experienced. He sees life as it could never have been in his imaginations. It is his survival through all the changes, which he never welcomed or run away from, that meets him in his lifelong quest for his father. It maybe a poignant piece for many viewers, but it is the 'hope' of the better world, which is born anew every time it is vanquished, made the movie marvellous.
Ale Abreu has not only produced a masterpiece, but also, I am sure, has given us that long overdue movie which vibrates in me as a symphony of life.
Zerkalo (1975)
The Mirror is a Collection of Points of Reflections
The Mirror is a set of reflections from the past of a bedridden dying man. The collection of memories, beautifully woven together, is an intense journey through his childhood, adolescence, married life, fatherhood and in the end solitude in no particular order. Trying to find the hidden meaning of this movie would not only be meaningless but also a crime. Every scene of it is a story in itself, tells more about human nature, emotions, love, relations, gratitude, forgiveness, helplessness and the complex nature of human mind than any single movie can.
A brilliantly portrayed movie, one of its kind, that doesn't weave any stories, hide anything conspicuous or try to drop subtle hints for the audience. As Tarkovsky himself pointed out, it was indeed a movie of what was there, nothing hidden, nothing exaggerated. Filming, according to me, has been extremely creative. Each scene has been very involving and intense.
As my first Russian language/Tarkovsky movie, this masterpiece has made me watch it twice already. Terekhova's acting has been exceptional. It is not a movie for a casual watch, it demands one's complete attention, and quite certainly it holds the attention for a long time after the movie is over.
Amour (2012)
Love in the Time of Paralysis
Love, as easy it is between two young blossoming soul, is as difficult between two frail souls at the end of their life. The movie leaves the audience, often blissfully ignorant or negligent, with a poignant helplessness. The story goes beyond judgment in its slow heavy paces which can easily clutch hold of your sleeping emotions and not let go.
It is a masterpiece of direction and acting, set in modern France. The smooth, yet lonely, life of two retired old French musicians becomes lonelier when one of them succumbs to paralysis. Each day brings with it further decay and challenges until it is a war between love and loss. The movie is recommended for those of us, too blind to acknowledge life in all its forms.
It is, unlike most movies of our time, lacking in unnecessary background music. The pace of the movie is slow which only magnifies the emotions.
Ikiru (1952)
Life is Brief; Fall in Love, Maidens!
By far, Ikiru has been a favourite among Kurosawa's movies for me. While Takashi Shimura is featured in most of his movies, Ikiru witnesses one of his best performances. Unlike Kurosawa's many other movies, this one lacks of violence and battle save for the protagonist's battle against a deadly stomach cancer, threatening to perish him and his monotonous life to oblivion.
Bureaucracy, a choking network with unbiased existence in most countries in our world, can break the best of the stubborn. Wanatabe(our protagonist), a natural victim realises his folly after painfully boring 30 years of his life. This movie aimed neither for a happy ending nor for a revolution but just the daunting reality.
And undoubtedly the soundtrack 'Gondola No Uta' deserves a special mention. It is a most wonderful music, apt for this movie.
Shichinin no samurai (1954)
A Classic for an Eternity
As a critically acclaimed Kurosawa movie, this social drama circa 1587 Japan is a vivid example of why the classic are for an eternity. Starting from culture to detailed emotions, the movie captures and delivers each of its set with precision. The characters have been well chosen to manifest traits such as wisdom, panic, foolishness, desperation, humor, love, longing and rebellion during times of war. Although quite long- close to three and half hours- compared to modern movies, Seven Samurai doesn't fail to arrest my attention for the whole time.
The plot centers around a quiet village, abode to farmers vulnerable to bandit attacks. The consistent threat upon their annual harvest finally provokes them to seek external ally in form of Samurais although they had little to offer in return. It is a fresh change from movies in the western setting where the peasants' life is very much different from those in an eastern setting.