Rowan Sullivan

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After the Rehearsal (Sweden) – Bergman vs. Your Mind

After the Rehearsal Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Bergman is back on FilmRoot to play with your mind. What initially seems like an ordinary conversation between two characters becomes something that you start doubting. See if you can gauge whether the characters are acting or just having a regular conversation. Top marks to anyone that can decipher it!

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Why Watch After the Rehearsal?
  • For more Ingmar Bergman! We’ve already looked at Persona and Cries and Whispers so here’s more from the Swedish maestro!
  • If you love the theatre – this one has plenty of Strindberg references and even looks like a play
  • You love character focused dramas
  • It’s another film that messes with you (like in Persona and Mulholland Drive)
The Breakdown

After the Rehearsal starts with a shot of the floor which works its way across a carpet, up to a desk to show a man’s head lying on the desk. He is lingering on the stage set after the rehearsal to reflect. His narrative voice kicks in with an inner monologue reminiscent of Bergman’s opening to Wild Strawberries.

The man’s inner monologue is interrupted by an actress returning to the set to collect something she left behind. The man wants to carry on thinking, and whilst he politely greets the actress with his voice, his inner voice shouts at her to go away.

Unfortunately for him (and for the sake of entertainment) the young actress does not go away and they start talking. They talk about life and the future and other things. However, the manner they both show emotions and talk to each other becomes more and more unclear to us. Are the acting? Is the actress a figment of the man’s imagination? Or are they just chatting?

Conclusion

Bergman always likes to play with his audience (most notably in Persona) and he does it again here. In this film, he blurs the lines between life and acting. He even hints that the actress could just be a figment of the man’s imagination. What a trickster! This one is another classic Bergman to play with your head!

I recommend checking out the ‘Breaking Down Bergman’ YouTube channel after you’ve seen this film to find out more. Link here.

377

Extraordinary Stories (Argentina) – Storytelling at it’s Finest!

Extraordinary Stories Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

This is storytelling at it’s finest. If you’re a fan of Borges or Pynchon’s mysteries you’ll love this film. Save this 4 hour wonder for a long journey or break it up into three viewings (with the 2 intervals). You can even try watching it here on YouTube.

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Why Watch Extraordinary Stories?
  • To see another great Argentinian film which is up there with Wild Tales and Secret in their Eyes (not the Hollywood remake)
  • Witness storytelling at it’s finest!
  • If you want 4 hours to go quickly (perfect for a long journey), otherwise this film is broken into three parts so easy to break into multiple viewings
  • Perfect for fans of Borges or Pynchon!
The Breakdown

Extraordinary Stories starts with the story of X, a man walking down a road. He is walking to a nearby town, not really sure if he will find a job there. Whilst he is walking down the road, he witnesses a shootout in a farm field next to the road. Have the perpetrators seen him watching?

This opening episode makes up episode 1. Next up is the story of Z, a man who has just started a new job in a remote town. The third story centres a bet between two rivals.

Without giving anything more away, each of the three stories get more and more interesting and extraordinary as the film progresses. Each one progresses in 5-15 minute episodes and you are often left wanting to see more at the end, like a good TV series.

The strangest part is that you never really find out much about the three main protagonists (X, Z, and H). You never learn their name or their background; each of them remains a mystery. They reminded me of characters from a Borges short story or a Pynchon novel.

Conclusion

You won’t find storytelling better than this. I was skeptical about this 4 hour movie, but I couldn’t stop watching it after I hit play. The director gives you enough to pique your interest in each short episode, always leaving you wanting to watch more.

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The Propaganda Game (North Korea) – What do you Know about North Korea?

The Propaganda Game Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

How dangerous do you think North Korea is to the world? Secondly, do you think you are an open minded person? The Propaganda Game exposes life in Korea and the propaganda we and North Koreans see every day. Is one side right? Can we find the truth? Read on.

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Why Watch The Propaganda Game?
  • To learn about North Korea
  • See how powerful propaganda can be (in this case it shows the propaganda we see that shapes our view of North Korea, and also the propaganda the citizens of North Korea see)
  • It will open your mind as you think about Cultural Relativism: the theory that beliefs, customs, and morality exist in relation to the particular culture from which they originate and are not absolute
  • It’s on Netflix
The Breakdown

The Propaganda Game starts with shots of what appears to be life in a typical Asian city. There are people meditating in parks, kids roller skating over ramps, and everything looks like it comes from a tourist brochure.

The shots are of course of life in North Korea. For a nice juxtaposition, the director layers western news reporters reports of life in North Korea over the top. It is clear that something is wrong as the pictures of North Korea obviously do not match up to the propaganda pushed by western media.

This is what film maker Alvaro Longoria explores in this film: propaganda. He points out that there are two players in the propaganda game, the North Korean government, and western media. Both are perpetrating myths and both myths are pretty much opposite. I’ve set out both myths below:

  1. The western media perpetrate a myth that North Korea is a rogue state which poses a nuclear threat to the world and subjugates all of it’s citizens against their will.
  2. North Korea perpetrates a myth that the west (in particular the U.S.) are the fault of all the problems in the country and that the whole world idolises their leaders and look towards North Korea as a beacon of the revolution.

Though the amazing shots and interviews we get in North Korea we can make our own judgements.

Conclusion

The most important message of this film is that we should always keep an open mind. Blindly accepting a point of view we see in the news can hide the truth. This goes for both the people in North Korea and the anyone who follows western media. We are all subject to propaganda, so we must always remain vigilant in trying to find see all sides of the agenda. In this case, there is no truth. Check out the trailer below.

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All the Cities of the North (Bosnia) Life in an Abandoned Resort

All the Cities of the North Film Difficulty Ranking: 5

If you want to take a step into the world of slow film, I recommend reading our introduction here first. If you’re already a veteran of slow film, or are looking to tick off Bosnia from your film map All the Cities of the North may be for you. Let me know what you find!

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Why Watch All the Cities of the North?
  • To see a film from Bosnia (a first for FilmRoot)
  • If you’ve seen a few of the Slow Films on FilmRoot and want to see more!
  • You’re not after a fast-paced thriller, but a reflective film where the most exciting moment is when a guy blows into a bottle
  • For something to meditate to
The Breakdown

This film opens with a still shot of a man sleeping in a tent. Slowly he starts to move and you see a compilation of shots showing him: sharpening a stick, eating berries off of a tree, and washing the tent. It’s not thrilling stuff, this is the world of slow film.

As per a typical slow film, there’s little dialogue and a lot of long shots in which nothing much happens. In this case, there is no dialogue, the talking you hear is a couple of contemplative narratives.

The film takes place at an abandoned holiday resort in the former Yugoslavia. Two men camp and live together on the resort and what we see is the mundane things they do there, from berry picking to washing.

The only break from the script comes in a few shots of one of the weird complexes that Yugoslavia built in Lagos. The complex in Lagos also now in disrepair, but like the Yugoslav complex, local people have started living here. Whether this is symbolic of the fall of communism or renewal is never clear.

Conclusion

If you’re interested in learning about slow film, I recommend starting with our introduction to slow film. If you’re already a veteran then you may find something in this film that I missed. Perhaps it was because I wasn’t able to watch this film in a whole sitting that I didn’t find as much in it as A Mysterious Object at Noon or From What is Before. If you find something interesting, please comment below!

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10 Must See World Films on Amazon Prime UK

Watch the World with Amazon Prime UK – 10 Must See World Films Available for Free!

All of the following World Films are available to watch with an Amazon Prime UK membership. If you don’t have a membership you can always make the most of the free trial and watch as many of the films below before the trial runs out 😉 Just click here to sign up for a free trial!

10. Motorcycle Diaries (South America)

If you haven’t seen Motorcycle Diaries you’re in for a treat. It’s one of the best road trip movies out there and perfect to watch if you want to go to South America. Plus, it’s got the legendary revolutionary Che Guevara. Night in sorted!

9. Train to Busan (South Korea)

Hot off of the press, Train to Busan is one of Amazon Prime UK’s most recent additions. If you like zombies you’ll love this film. If you’re not bothered about zombies but love a great action movie, you’ll also love this film. It’s a win-win.

8. The Salesman (Iran)

Also recently added, Iranian film The Salesman won the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Film at last year’s Oscars. If you missed the free viewing that the Mayor of London held in Trafalgar Square, no worries, as you can now watch it for free on Amazon Prime (with the free trial).

7. Son of Saul (Hungary)

You can also watch another Oscar winner. This one follows a Jewish worker in the Auschwitz prison camps during WW2. It’s harrowing, but brilliantly well made. Read more about it here.

6. The Assassin (Taiwan)

There’s also plenty of Cannes Film Festival winners available to watch. Hou Hsiao-hsie won the best director prize for this beauty, a martial arts film set in 9th century China. Films don’t get much prettier than this.

5. Cell 211 (Spain)

For a bit more grit, check out this prison drama. A new prison officer gets trapped on the wrong side of the prison bars during a prison riot. Can he play the part of a prisoner for long enough to escape? This one is perfect for an easy night in.

4. Dheepan (France)

Here’s another Cannes winner. Dheepan took the famed Palmes D’or at the 2015 Cannes film festival and tells the story of three Tamil refugees who flee the war ravaged Sri-Lanka for a new life in Paris.

3. Mustang (Turkey)

If you love coming-of-age films as much as I do you will love this film. It has all the qualities of a classic family film but with a bit more grit. A nominee at Cannes and the Academy Awards go watch this one now. Feel free to read more about the film here.

2. Toni Erdmann (Germany)

Toni Erdmann is one of the world’s great comedies. It will teach you never to lose your sense of humour or take life too seriously. Watch it for plenty of surprises that you never saw coming! It also features the world’s most embarrassing dad.

1. Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia)

This is perhaps the best film available to watch on Amazon Prime UK full stop. It’s a beautifully shot film set deep in the Amazon jungle that delves into the biggest themes including (but not limited to) Life and Death, Civilization, and Religion. You will come out of it a wiser person 😉

Where to Watch these films?

Well this is just a taster of some of the best world films on Amazon Prime UK. There are many more world films available on the platform, so go ahead and start your free trial by clicking on the banner below. (Remember to cancel it if you don’t want to be charged after the free trial).

We will be back with the best world films on Netflix UK in the next few weeks.