Best World Cinema of 2018 so far (10+1list)

Best World Cinema of 2018 so far

written by Souranath Banerjee

Half the year is gone and you film-buffs are counting the good ones you have watched. If not – then you should be!

Best-World-Cinema-of-2018-so-farThis year World Cinema is really at its best, acclaimed directors from countries all around the world have given us some awesome films to cherish. Every genres touched, all emotions taken care of. A pretty complete experience!

Till now it has been what we film-lovers like to call it ‘a satisfying year’. Hope you agree.

And let’s also hope the rest of the year goes well. Fingers crossed.

So here we go – the Best World Cinema of 2018 so far. Relax and enjoy the flashback!

10. Lean on Pete (2017)

Country: UK

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzlazAyylw8

Best-World-Cinema-of-2018-so-farCertain films through their simple emotional storytelling and natural performances leaves a certain mark on you.

Directed by Andrew Haigh, this is one such film that narrates a story of a young boy’s love for a horse and more importantly his will to survive all the adversities of life!

Charlie Plummer is a star who has all the signs to make it real big!

9. November (2017)

Country: Estonia

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzEcTKUHxJc

Best-World-Cinema-of-2018-so-farSet in a Medieval Estonian village, where the villagers struggle to survive the winter by any means – and stealing is definitely the first option! A fantasy world where love can be manipulated by magic and folk remedies.

Directed by Rainer Sarnet, keep in mind that this one is certainly the most weird film in the list so that nothing can surprise you.

Especially beware of the ‘Kratts’.

8. Spoor (2017)

Pokot (original title). Country: Poland

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O96ZznajP5s

Best-World-Cinema-of-2018-so-farA series of murders to which only an old lone woman has the clue. But will the others listen to her? A sophisticated crime thriller that makes the necessary appeal to stop murdering the wild life.

From the acclaimed director Agnieszka Holland (of Europa Europa fame) and Kasia Adamik, this unconventional movie that will surprise you, shock you and make you think of our current social responsibilities.

7. BPM (Beats Per Minute) (2017) 

120 battements par minute (original title). Country: France

Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVAw7JfTqBU

Best-World-Cinema-of-2018-so-farIn the early 1990’s France, AIDS flooding through the country like an epidemic specially in the gay community. A group of activists in Paris demand action from the government and pharmaceutical companies in order to combat this deadly disease.

Directed by Robin Campillo, this sensational film is so full of life and  also so important in depicting that particular period of chaos and awareness.

6. Foxtrot (2017) 

Country: Israel 

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrBEDEmUceM

Best-World-Cinema-of-2018-so-farA desolate military post guarded by young soldiers, and then there is a tragedy. The movie not only focuses on the grieved family of a deceased son but also takes a critical view on the Israeli military and the country’s overall political situation.

Directed by Samuel Maoz, a superbly emotional drama, slow yet riveting with some great performances and excellent visuals.  A must watch!

5. Bad Genius (2017) 

Country: Thailand

Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLdhN4oMxCQ

Best-World-Cinema-of-2018-so-far‘If you don’t cheat, life will cheat on you.’

A story inspired by true events where a genius student who makes money by cheating is invited to play on a bigger platform. And there is no price and place for failure!

Directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya, a tight script and solid performances keep you engaged throughout the crime drama.

4. The Death of Stalin (2017)

Country: UK

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPpXFnHoC-0

Best-World-Cinema-of-2018-so-farA rare historical comedy that humorously narrates the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s last few days and the panic and paranoia that followed after his death.

Some of the most maddening historic moments told with superb style and wit.

Directed by Armando Iannucci, a film that makes you laugh even if you very well realise that the events are  not funny at all!

3. Sweet Country (2017)

Country: Australia

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaCiXd8wscI

Best-World-Cinema-of-2018-so-farIn 1920’s Australia, an old Aboriginal goes on the run after shooting a white man in self-defense.

At the time when racism was in its full bloom, people are keen to hunt the man down and bring him to justice.

Directed by Warwick Thornton, based on a real life true crime murder case, this slow yet haunting movie depicts the dark times of Australia’s past judicial system.

2. The Day After (2017)

Geu-hu (original title). Country: South Korea

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv0QPchaINk

Best-World-Cinema-of-2018-so-farThere are only a few films that can create such tragic situations which almost makes you laugh. This movie narrates one such story of love, compassion, deceit and pure emotional helplessness.

This is one underrated film from the acclaimed directed Sang-soo Hong that deserves a lot more attention.

The beautiful South Korean actress Min-hee Kim is such a performer! 

1. In the Fade (2017)

Aus dem Nichts (original title). Country: Germany

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyjnzhXJlHU

Best-World-Cinema-of-2018-so-farA tragic bomb attack claims the life of her husband and her little kid and when the attackers are identified she demands justice. But then there is a thin line between seeking justice and taking revenge!

From acclaimed director Fatih Akin comes this unique story of retribution and vengeance.

Diane Kruger gives one of her best performances till date.

and (The ‘+1′ film is not necessarily the best but certainly the most innovative one. A must watch)

+1. 24 Frames (2017)

Country: Iran

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNSlQ9mmJ4M

Best-World-Cinema-of-2018-so-farAcclaimed director Abbas Kiarostami‘s final feature film before his death.

An experimental project that consists of a collection of 24 short four-and-a-half minute films inspired by still images, including paintings and photographs.

Shot over a period of three years, slow paced and yet beautiful to the eyes, a surreal experience definitely not for everyone’s taste.

Similar Interest: Best of World Cinema 2017 so far

Similar Interest: Best of World Cinema 2017

Similar Interest: Best Hollywood Films of 2018 so far

Similar Interest: Best Hollywood Movies of 2017 so far

Similar Interest: Best of 2017 you may have missed!

Poster courtesy: www.impawards.comwww.imdb.com.

Sacred Games ( TV Series)

Sacred Games Review

written by Anu Gopinath

The series takes a dark undertone from the word go and it’s highly appreciative of the directive duo for discussing the subjects of sex and violence with such level of authority!

My Ratings: 4/5

Long has been the content driven cinema taken a backseat and was pulled into the eroding deluge of memories of a lost generation who
revelled in their Bajaj and bell bottoms! Long has been the pride of Sacred-GamesIndian cinema taken a beating when the world was presented with the narcissistic, megalomaniacal and voyeuristic version of our life and cinema. The same pride that we earned and the respect that we commanded from the world cinema, which took eons of pain and hard work to achieve but still demanded the sacrifices of the lifetime of works of some of the greatest auteurs of Indian cinema like Satyajit RayGuru Dutt, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and company!

And when I completed watching the new web series Scared Games starring “the content “ in the lead, it is with absolute relief and pride that I can say, that all hopes are not lost for Indian Cinema!

Directed by two of the brilliant visionaries of contemporary cinema, Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap, the first Indian Netflix Original TV Series – Sacred Games tells us the story of the intertwined lives of a mafia don nearing the twilight of his life and the struggles of an honest cop trying to do right amidst a corrupt system. The series bears the rare stamp of authenticity and manages Sacred-Gamesto hit all the right tones in its adaptation of the Novel of the same name written by Vikram Chandra.

The series hinges on the story of the rise and fall of gangster Gaitonde, played brilliantly by Nawazuddin Siddiqui and how his life is intertwined with life of the honest cop, Sartaj Singh performed by Saif Ali Khan.

The TV series takes a dark undertone from the word go and it’s highly appreciative of the directive duo for discussing the subjects of sex and violence with such authority that was seldom seen in Indian cinema and has to be considered as one of their masterstrokes. The story deals with religious terrorism with a brilliant screenplay which has a heavy dose of bloodshed, sex, gore and violence and the end product which is devoid of any unwanted transgressions by the censor board, makes it a compelling watch.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays the gangster with such elan and composure of an artist who is in control of his creation, taking his Sacred-Gamesown time to paint the shades of white when in love, dark when he’s avenging his enemies and grey, when keeping his comrades in line.

Saif Ali Khan has finally found his calling and he’s absolutely brilliant as the inspector Sartaj Singh and to his credit, underplays his role of a cop who is constantly being harassed, degraded and kicked around by his corrupt seniors. He in no way comes across as a conventional hero who fights the villains single handedly and saves the day. But he is our below average common man who is scared and thinks a hundred times before taking a step, an under performing overweight policeman who has a conscience, a simpleton who runs towards the warm embraces of his mother when things get too tough for him. And he absolutely delivers the goods with an astounding performance and
Sacred-Gamesfinally is given the platform to display his talents – the same talent which we had a few of the fleeting glimpses in the brilliant Omkara and Ek Hasina Thi. The Nawab is back and how!

But, when brilliance of Nawazuddin Siddiqui is always expected and Saif’s performance is worthy of appreciation, it’s the work of the supporting cast that completely steals the show and is what makes this series apart! Such is the depth and brilliance of their acting that one has the feeling of sitting in an Opera House and has been accorded the rare honour of seeing the brilliant performances of one sopran after the other, with each trying to outplay the other with the performances of their lifetime.

Sacred-GamesSpecial mention should go to Jitendra Joshi who was an absolute hoot as the constable Katekar, Rajshri Deshpande as Subhadra, Kubra Sait as Kukko, and then Neeraj Kabi and Geetanjali Thapa. Each and every single one of them gave a performance worthy of an ovation and carries the story on their shoulders and keeps the story moving.

Radhika Apte, the crown jewel of parallel cinema is surprisingly left with a role that is not as meaty compared to her colleagues but the woman holds her fort whenever pitted against the brilliance of Saif and the cast.

Superbly written by Varun GroverVasant Nath and Smita Singh, cool camera work and brilliant editing compounded with unique storytelling and absolutely mind blowing background score by Rachita Arora and Alokananda Dasgupta makes this thriller an Sacred-Gamesedge of the seat affair. Not to forget the perfect casting by Mukesh Chhabra Sacred Games is probably the best thing to have come out of Bollywood since Gangs of Wesseypur!

Sacred Games is, by no means over and with the serious talents of the likes of Pankaj Tripathi waiting in the wings and with a plot line left at an interesting juncture, one can expect a cracker of a second season in the cards!

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com, Sacred Games Facebook page