BEST WORLD CINEMA OF 2019 SO FAR (10+1LIST)

Best World Cinema of 2019 so far

written by Souranath Banerjee

2019 – half gone. But be optimistic. The glass is also half full. And on top of that we have a flashback List to consider!

Best World Cinema of 2019 so far – amazing films from across the globe you shouldn’t have missed. But if you have, no worries. There is always enough time for good Cinema. Cheers!

10. The Souvenir

Country: UK

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Al2nC0vzY

Set in the early ’80s, it is about a unique connection between a young female film-student and an older man – a relationship which is complicated, twisted but addictively engaging.

Directed by Joanna Hogg, this one is the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

A slow burner, but surely worth your time.

9. An Elephant Sitting Still

Da xiang xi di er zuo (original title), Country: China

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om6xGJ4S3LY

Four troubled characters, one city, and finally their lives intersect with each other – you think you have seen similar plots but this one will still surprise you.

Directed by debutant Bo Hu who tragically committed suicide in October 2017 at the age of 29. But the one movie he made is pure art and will stay with us forever!

8. Transit

Country: Germany

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R15ekRCq-eY

Nazi-occupied France, a man desperate to escape under a false identity but then his plans get messed up as he falls in Love with a woman who is the wife of the dead author whose identity he has assumed!

Directed by Christian Petzold, this is the director’s last chapter of the trilogy which also includes Barbara (2012) and Phoenix (2014).

7. Parasite

Gisaengchung (original title), Country: South Korea

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEUXfv87Wpk

Very rarely does a movie from Thriller-genre wins the Palme d’Or in the Cannes Film Festival. This one did!

Directed by Joon-ho Bong, this is a unique story of how an unemployed family sinks its hooks into a rich household and the incidents that follows are both comic and tragic at the same time. A brilliant work of art!

6. Beanpole

Dylda (original title), Country: Russia

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfWhQXg4GrA

Set in the backdrop of post World War II, 1945 – the city Leningrad demolished, citizens devastated yet desperate to survive in the aftermath of the war.

Directed by Kantemir Balagov, this is the story of Iya and Masha, two female soldiers who struggle to revive their lives. A beautiful, powerful and emotionally painful movie!

5. The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Country: USA

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0FnJDhY9-0

A perfect indie film focused on two major subjects – San Francisco – the city itself and the Friendship. It is also about coping up with changes around, and sometimes just letting it go and be simply nostalgic instead.

Directed by Joe Talbot, visually beautiful, awesome performances, superb music and effortless story telling – a very entertaining watch!

4. Hotel Mumbai

Country: India/Australia/USA

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVQpbp54ljA

The 2008 Taj Hotel terrorist attack that shook Mumbai to its core! The focus is mostly on the horrific proceedings that went on inside the hotel, the many lives lost and so many lives saved by the dedicated hotel staff.

Directed by Anthony Maras, terrific performances, an intense thriller based on true events – a bit underrated but definitely one of the best movie of this year.

3. Ruben Brandt, Collector

Country: Hungary

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dOZpivfNxw

A psychotherapist is haunted by images of famous paintings but thankfully four of his patients know exactly how to help – by stealing the real artworks! But then a detective is desperate to catch them in the act.

Directed by Milorad Krstic, this one is an animated masterpiece, very artistic, a visual treat packed with insane action sequences.

2. Midsommar

Country: USA

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vnghdsjmd0

A couple travels to Sweden to attend a rural mid-summer festival and it all sounds so fun. But then when a pagan cult is involved things are bound to turn bizarre and weird.

After the success of Hereditary this is director Ari Aster‘s second film – same ‘horror’ genre and equally entertaining. A chilling experience – totally worth it.

1. Queen of Hearts

Dronningen (original title), Country: Denmark

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36D00AXXF_M

Directed by May el-Toukhy, this is an emotional drama where a woman makes some irrational choices in her life and has to live with the consequences.

Intense and passionate, a controversial plot, very well written, superb detailing of the characters, and an Oscar-worthy performance by Trine Dyrholm.

The film is a must watch!

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

+1. The Farewell

Country: USA/China

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RofpAjqwMa8

The story of a Chinese-American woman travelling back to China to see her grandmother who has cancer. She struggles with her family’s decision to hide the illness and to plan an impromptu wedding!

Written and directed by Lulu Wang, a perfect family drama that is making waves in the festival circuit as well as entertaining the audiences in the theatres!

Similar Interest: Best Hollywood Movies of 2017 so far

Similar Interest: Best of World Cinema 2017 so far

Similar Interest: Best Hollywood Films of 2018 so far

Similar Interest: Best World Cinema of 2018 so far

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

Capernaum (2018)

Capernaum Review

written by Souranath Banerjee

Rarely does a film have the potential to empower you, aspire you and at the same time make you feel ashamed of the world you are living in!

My Ratings: 4.4/5

A young boy, only 12 year-old sues his parents! The child wants his voice to be heard. He wants the judge to listen to him. He wants all the adults in the world to listen to him. But what is it so important that a dirt poor Beirut street kid has to offer? May be something we all know but choose not to care about.

“I want to make a complaint against my parents. I’d want adults to listen to me. I want adults who can’t raise kids not to have any. What will I remember? Violence, insults or beatings, hit with chains, pipes, or a belt?”

Capernaum is a film that portrays the adventures (hardships to be more appropriate) of Zain, a kid from Lebanon who runs away from his abusive parents and tries to figure out the pitiless world on his own. He meets interesting people on his journey, the old forgetful Cockroach man, and then an Ethiopian woman named Rahil. She is an immigrant without legal papers who lets Zain stay at her place. And in return Zain takes care of Rahil’s toddler while she is out at work. But soon Zain is again on the street, cold hungry and shelterless, with nothing but the toddler and a stolen skateboard – standing all alone against the world outside!

No wonder the film’s title Capharnaüm means ‘chaos’ in Arabic, and is also a reference for the Biblical town cursed by Christ.

Capernaum
Capernaum Official Poster

Directed by Nadine Labaki, Capernaum was the official Lebanese entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTA and almost every other prestigious film festivals across the world. Competing for the Palme d’Or, it won the Jury Prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and received a 15-minute standing ovation following its premiere!

A work of fiction but based on reality! Each character in the film has been influenced by some real person whom Nadine Labaki met and interacted while researching on the plot. Surprisingly all non actors were casted in the film. The shoot went on for six months which gave her 12 hours of footage to edit from. And then the editing process lasted for over two years!

Capernaum
Capernaum movie still

The brilliant cinematography by Christopher Aoun of the Beirut alleys gives the film the much needed documentary like reality and the performances of the actors are unbelievably genuine! Specially the young lead actor is simply terrific, he is an actual Syrian refugee named Zain Al Rafeea. 

For me Capernaum brought back fond memories of Danny Boyle‘s Slumdog Millionaire and Mira Nair‘s Salaam Bombay! But then again it will be an injustice to compare such movies because these are not mere cinema but a shout out to the society we live in. They show us the real world. They show us the mirror. They show us that we have lost the battle. They show us that may be we still have a chance!

If you still haven’t please watch Capernaum. You may be in tears but you won’t regret it. Trust me.

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

Article 15 (2019)

Article 15 Review

written by Souranath Banerjee

The most significant Indian Cinema of the last few decades!

My Ratings: 4.3/5

1949. Let us begin from the very beginning. A quick recap.

‘… shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of race, religion, caste, sex and place of birth.’ – Indian Constitution. Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar. Fundamental Rights. Right to Equality. Article 15.

Fast-forward to 2014. Badaun gang rape allegations –  a true incident that happened at Budaun district, Uttar Pradesh; two teenage girls went missing and the following morning they were found hanging from a tree. It was a case of gang rape and murder, which both the local police and the CBI tried their best to cover up. Why? Because the murdered girls were poor and belonged to the Dalit community (the untouchables). And the murderers were from the Upper-Class, the rich and the influential.

The film Article 15 directed by Anubhav Sinha (of Mulk fame) is based on the above mentioned tragedy. The movie also takes inspiration from a number of other incidents from across India where people are being humiliated on a daily basis, condemned and tortured, and denied justice just because they belong to a particular caste.

Agar sab barabar ho jaayenge toh raja kaun banega?” (If we all become equal, then who will be the king?)

Farq bahut kar liya, ab farq laayenge.

Ayushmann Khurrana (who has mastered the art of choosing great scripts) does a fabulous job portraying the man who is desperate to change the system by being a part of the system. Thankfully not portrayed as an outsider, otherwise the script shouldn’t have worked so well. Kumud Mishra, Ashish Verma – both play pivotal roles and plays them to perfection. Sayani Gupta and Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, though having limited screen time still manages to make an impact on the audience.

But Manoj Pahwa is the man who grabs the spotlight; his performance as the corrupt cop eager to derail the case is an absolute delight to watch!

Let’s be Indians firstly and lastly.

Special mention to Ewan Mulligan’s cinematography which brilliantly escalates the suspense and also gives the film the much needed feel of reality. Music by Mangesh Dhakde is so well balanced, just enough to maintain the intensity of the film.

Since Satyajit Ray‘s exquisite drama Sadgati (1981) starring Om Puri, Smita Patil and Mohan Agashe, hardly any other filmmaker have attempted to touch the sensitive subject of Caste-discrimination. And thus Article 15, a superbly directed social-thriller by Anubhav Sinha is surely the most significant Indian Cinema of the last few decades!

A film that dares to shed light over the sinister shadows of our civilisation, on the darkness that a nation unanimously prefers to ignore, on a curse that have been burning human lives for generations. Someone needs to put out the fire that torches the innocents, someone must heal the wounds, and put an end to this vintage shame. Someone must help us regain our faith in humanity!

But as Article 15 effectively points out – the real problem is that we are still waiting for that ‘someone’.

That someone needs to be Us.

Article 15 Trailer. YouTube.

P.S. According to the study of NCRB data on Caste Discrimination in India, the atrocities committed against SC and ST women are disturbingly high; statistics of the year 2016 alone shows 2541 rapes and 786 murders. That too, only half of these crimes are said to be officially reported.

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com