10 films, part 10
Moznosti dialogu (English title: Dimensions of Dialogue) (Jan Svankmajer, 1982). In three short animated films Svankmajer examines different forms of communication. These are wild, imaginative and playful shorts that are both fun and thought-provoking. [9/10]
The Bicycle Thief (Vittorio De Sica, 1948). An Italian man gets a job that requires a bike, and all is well until it gets stolen. Slow moving film that feels predictable, but with nice portraits of people. [7/10]
The Return (original title: Vozvrashcheniye) (Andrei Zvyagintsev, 2003). The father of two boys returns and takes them on a trip to make up for lost time, but not all goes well. A very moody film, filled with symbolism, but mostly very realistic. [8/10]
Armbryterskan från Ensamheten (Helen Ahlsson and Lisa Munthe, 2004). A documentary on the Swedish female arm wrestler Heidi Andersson and her road to the world championship. It’s always nice to see strong women instead of the all-too-common “be beautiful, it’s all you’re good for” stereotype that plagues women. Heidi’s boyfriend the Night Watch (original title: Nochnoy Dozor (Timur Bekmambetov, 2004). The forces of light and darkness fight it out in present day Russia, with the main character caught in between. Nice production values, an interesting if somewhat muddled story and a nice combination of comedy and horror. [7/10]
Bande ā part (Jean-Luc Godard, 1964). Two men and a woman decide to rob the place where the woman lives. Very fun film, with Godard using tricks like when the characters have a silent minute all sound disappear, fast-paced and cool. [9/10]
The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbach, 2005). When a man and a woman separates their two sons fall between them, gravitating to a parent each. A nice drama, very intelligent and Kafkaesque. No, not really, that’s a joke for the people who have seen the film. [8/10]
Hem ljuva hem (Dan Ying, 2001). A family abused by the father hits back, but the abuser survives and haunts them from his wheelchair. A portrait of a really bad man, but it still feels real enough. [7/10]
M (Fritz Lang, 1931). The “M” stands for murderer, a murderer of young children in a German city where the public take matters in their own hands. This is one of the first German “talkies” if I’m not mistaken, but still very good. Even if the world hadn’t seen the famous 20th century serial killers yet, this film feels like it treats the subject matter without being silly about it. [8/10]
Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974). When a private detective is hired by a wife to spy on her husband and the wife turns out to be someone else, he realizes something’s not right. A great modern noir with all the trappings of the old ones, with the same themes of jealousy, murder, and occupying the same gray moral zone. [9/10]