Rowan Sullivan

396

Eldorado XXI – Peru’s Modern Version of the American West

Eldorado XXI Film Difficulty Ranking: 5

The American West is still alive today in Peru. Migrants from across the country are flocking to the highest settlement in the world for their ‘American dream’ (their rags to riches story). However, the only thing most people find is an incredibly harsh landscape. Check it out below.

Why Watch Eldorado XXI?
  • You’re into ‘Slow Film‘ and want to see more!
  • To see a film from Peru – and our first feature from this diverse South American country on FilmRoot
  • Experience a little of Peruvian mountain life
  • If you’re fascinated by the American West and the Gold Rush
The Breakdown

ElDorado XXI starts with a 25 minute still shot of miners walking up and down a mountain in the darkness. All you can make out is the vague silhouette of their bodies and the mountain from their headlamps. Whilst we watch these miners ramble up and down in the dark we hear the story of one of them.

One of them arrived at Rinconada (the mine) a few months ago after they hit bankruptcy in the city. They heard the rags to riches stories of people finding gold at the Rinconada mine and followed their version of the ‘American dream.’

Unfortunately for them, finding riches was not as easy as in the stories they had heard. They were homeless for parts and had to spend months away from their children, left with relatives in the city. The only thing they could do was work for longer and pray for luck.

That’s when you hear some strange stories about superstitions and rituals that some of the miners use to help their luck. Sacrificing Alpaca fetuses apparently bring luck, but a human fetus would ‘be more effective’. Welcome to the Peruvian wild west!

Conclusion

Eldorado XXI gives you an idea of what life is like in the Peruvian mountains – the modern equivalent of the American wild-west. People flock to this beautiful landscape in search of quick riches, but most of them never strike gold. You’ll see the life and community these migrants have formed and hear of the weird rituals that they try to boost their luck. Well worth a watch.

 

397

10 European Films You Need to Watch Right Now

Here’s 10 European films you need to watch!

You’ve probably seen a load of Hollywood movies, but how many European films have you seen? Here’s a countdown of 10 of the best European films ever made.

10. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is one of Fassbinder’s greats. It examines racism and prejudice in Germany 20 years after the fall of Hitler and the Nazis. The film is currently available to watch on YouTube (click on link).

9. Volver

Pedro Almodovar is the don of modern Spanish cinema and Volver is my pick for his best film. For more Almodovar make sure you check out All About my Mother and Talk to Her as well.

8. Leviathan

Leviathan is an epic. Zvyagintsev’s portrait of contemporary Russia draws on biblical stories and a small American business owner to emphasise the state’s disregard for it’s citizens.

7. Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch has style. It’s not like any documentary you’ve seen before as scenes from Munch’s life are reenacted by a full cast.

6. The Great Beauty

The Great Beauty is Sorrentino’s tribute to Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. So much so it feels like an update of the classic – a contemporary ode to the city of Rome.

5. Ex Machina

Yes! One of the best Sci-Fi movies of this century is European. If you’ve already seen this and are after something different check out Under the Skin.

4. Persona

Ingmar Bergman is a Top 5 European director of all time. And if you want to be a film expert Persona is your holy grail. It’s the Mount Everest of the film world. For more Bergman check out Wild Strawberries.

3. Trainspotting

This is Danny Boyle at his best. Who knew a film about heroin addicts in Scotland could be so entertaining.

2. La Haine

Over 20 years after it was made, La Haine is as relevant as ever. It brings social unrest to the big screen, showing us that Paris is not the romantic and happy city portrayed by Hollywood. La Haine gives a voice to the marginalised.

1. Divorce: Italian Style

This comedy is gold. I feel like Mastroianni’s performance influenced everything from Blackadder to Nanni Moretti in this film. It’s also one of Scorsese’s favourites.

 

Honourable Mentions:

Wild Strawberries, The Exterminating Angel, Aguirre: The Wrath of God, The Marriage of Maria Braun, Dear Diary, Insomnia, Toni Erdmann, Son of Saul

398

Persona (Sweden) – The Film World’s Mount Everest

Persona Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Do you want to be a film connoisseur? Well you can’t be if you haven’t watched Persona. The film has been for film critics what climbing Everest is for mountaineers, it’s the peak of the film world.

Here’s a peek at the opening 5 minutes to weird you out before you read on.

Why Watch this Film?
  • If you want to see something mysterious. If Christopher Nolan’s Memento is level 1 mysterious film and David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive is level 2, Persona is level 3.
  • To move on from the early (and also brilliant) Bergman films such as Wild Strawberries – this time it’s less philosophy and more experimental
  • For some shocking and hilarious images – I’ll explain below!
  • To see the beautiful black and white cinematography – this film really stands the test of time (it could have been made yesterday)!
The Breakdown

Bergman disorientates us in the introduction to Persona. There’s a lot of noise as a small light slowly brightens. It’s a gas stove lighting in slow mo. As your concentrating on the slow-mo Bergman chucks in a still picture of a penis like a subliminal message – did you notice it in the clip above? From that point I knew this film would be unique.

I was not wrong. This film is an experience. The disorientating introduction continues with a bunch of shocking imagery such as a tarantula walking across the camera and a clip of someone hammering a nail into their hand.

Why does Bergman try and disorientate us? He disorientates us to disrupt our viewing pattern. He doesn’t want us to watch this relaxed, he wants us to be active viewers and to work hard trying to interpret the film. After the unsettling intro we are introduced to two women: a film star that doesn’t talk and a young nurse.

The nurse takes the film star to the country for treatment. Sounds normal, but it becomes quite the opposite. Alone in the countryside their characters start to merge. Are the two characters one? If so is the nurse fantasizing about being a nurse or is the film star examining her own psyche? Either way this film is a must watch!

Conclusion

What a film! If you love films that leave you dumbfounded or lost in thought Persona was made for you! It has been one of the most debated films in film history alongside Citizen Kane and has inspired the works of David Lynch among many others. If you want to consider yourself a film buff, you have to watch it!

 

 

399

Mustang (Turkey) – Sisterhood vs. the Turkish Patriarchy

Mustang Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

If you love coming-of-age films like I do then you will love this film. It has all the qualities of a classic family film but with a bit more grit. You’ll learn about the fierce patriarchy in Turkey and the freedom that girls lose when they become women. A nominee at Cannes and the Academy Awards go watch this – it’s on Amazon Prime.

As with most trailers, you’ll get spoilers after the first 30 secs.

Why Watch Mustang?
  • To experience what it is like growing up as a young girl in a patriarchy
  • It’s another great coming-of-age film (for more great coming of age films check out Colours of the Mountain, Kikujiro, or Girlhood)
  • If you have young kids or plan to have kids
  • Learn how important football is!
The Breakdown

“It’s like everything changed in the blink of an eye. One moment we were fine, then everything turned to shit”

In the blink of an eye, 5 sisters living in rural Turkey transformed from innocent kids into guardians of their families honour.

After school, instead of getting on the bus home, all of the sisters went to the beach with some of their fellow classmates. They all played together in the sea and had shoulder fights then stole some apples from a nearby orchard. A bunch of innocent fun. They are free.

But their freedom is curtailed by a gossiping neighbour who tells the girl’s grandma that they were rubbing their private parts on boys necks in the sea. And with that, their innocence is lost forever.

Conclusion

Mustang reminds me of the great kids films such as The Little Princess which keep you emotionally invested until the end of the film. However, this contains a bit more political weight. Director Deniz Gamze Erguven’s intention was to uncover to women issue in Turkey. A must watch!

 

 

400

Cries and Whispers (Sweden) – A Brutal Family Drama

Cries and Whispers Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

This is the ultimate malfunctioning family. One of the three sisters is dying, but the other two are preoccupied with their own lives. Watch this amazingly coloured film if you are looking for a brutal family drama. It’s not for the faint hearted!

Here’s three reasons to watch along with the film’s eerie soundtrack

Why Watch Cries and Whispers?
  • This is brutal family drama Shakespearean style
  • If you want to see a bit more from celebrated Swedish director Ingmar Bergman outside his big three (Seventh Seal, Persona, and Wild Strawberries)
  • For another exploration of life and death (this exploration is far more disturbing than Bergman’s Wild Strawberries)
  • To see some more beautiful colours (just as you just saw in Jude’s Scarred Hearts)
The Breakdown

The film starts with the colour red. The only other thing we can perceive is the chimes of a small bell. Next, we see shots of statues and trees in what looks like a misty churchyard. After a few cuts, the misty churchyard fades into redness.

The red themes continue into the films beautiful red and white pictures (see below).

Image result for ingmar bergman cries and whispers
Vivid red and white palette used in Cries and Whispers

The colour grades are beautifully vivid, but why does Bergman use red and white? Well as put by Bergman below, the red represents the soul. You will notice that the red fades as the film progresses – along with the souls of the characters.

“Cries and Whispers is an exploration of the soul, and ever since childhood, I have imagined the soul to be a damp membrane in varying shades of red”

Another thing that fades as the film progresses is time. From the start you’ll hear the chimes of bells and clocks ticking. You’ll even see shots of clock faces that break up the film narrative. However, just like the fading of the vivid reds (that represent the soul), the images and sounds of time will fade. Agnes, and the other characters, are losing their time on earth.

Conclusion

Cries and Whispers is another dark Bergman film to satisfy your inner demons. It explores life and death and finds emptiness in one of the most vividly coloured sets I’ve seen. Watch this one after you’ve seen Wild Strawberries, Seventh Seal, and Persona to expand your film knowledge of the fantastic Ingmar Bergman.