Rowan Sullivan, Author at FilmRoot

426

The Merchant of Four Seasons (Germany)

The Merchant of Four Seasons Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

For ‘real’ German cinema, look no further than here. For this is the New German Cinema of the 1960s-1980s, a cinema where commercial interests were kicked out of the window. In The Merchant of Four Seasons, you will see the real Germany of the 1950s in it’s grim glory. You’ll see everything commercial films won’t show you: class prejudices, domestic violence, and depression. Watch this film if you’re intrigued!

Why Watch The Merchant of Four Seasons?

You want to see the bleakness of humanity
To see something from the New Wave of German cinema (1970s) by one of it’s leaders: Fassbinder
Was life good in Germany in the 1950s?
For some 70s film cinematography: quick zooms and close ups

The Breakdown

The film starts with Hans (our protagonist) arriving home in the middle of the night. He has just come back from Africa where he spent 7 years with the French Foreign Legion. Instead of being pleased to see him, his mother tells him off for turning up in the middle of the night. She tells him “the good die young, and the bad always come back.” What a lovely mother! What has he done to deserve this?

We learn that Hans is a fruit salesman and doesn’t earn much money. However, before you start feeling sorry for him, he is an alcoholic and a wife beater as well. So much so, that his wife nearly leaves him after he comes back from the pub drunk and beats her. Is Hans a really bad guy or someone who has been forced down a bad path? The film argues both. West Germany in the 1950s looks bleak and without much opportunity, but Hans’ alcoholism and violent nature does not help him.

More important than Hans is the story of Irmgard, Hans’ wife. She is threatened and beaten by her husband, looks after the kid by herself, and is asked how much she costs when walking along the street. She is treated as a maid and a sexual object. Irmgard’s position as the ‘German woman’ of the 1950s shows the absence of equality and respect for women at the time.

Conclusion

Fassbinder’s portrait of post-war Germany is very negative. He doesn’t seem to think much of human nature and portrays life in West Germany as pretty grim. Both the protagonists are in positions they didn’t want to be in. For a gritty look at life in post-war Germany watch this. However, if you do not want to see class prejudices, domestic violence, infidelity, family discord, depression and self-destructive behaviour, watch something else.

427

Silvered Water, Syria Self Portrait (Syria)

Silvered Water Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

How much do you know about the Syrian Civil War? Here’s an opportunity to learn how the crisis started and to see footage made by different sides of the crisis. Silvered Water is made from 1001 images shot by the Syrian people across the opening years of the Civil War. You will be presented with an array of evidence so you can debate the Syrian crisis with your friends and family.

Why Watch Silvered Water?

You want to know a bit more about why the Syrian refugee crisis started
Witness revolution and war from first hand mobile footage
Unlike some films, nothing is hidden from Silvered Water – the violence, the torture, the dead bodies are all real
To see how important film is in documenting history

The Breakdown

This film is a compilation of 1001 images shot by Syrian men and women. It starts with footage of a dripping water tap surrounded by rubble. Next we are shown a newborn baby being washed and a man in underwear crouched in a corner. The half-naked man is beaten and tortured. He is the one that wrote “Topple the Regime” in graffiti. The authorities tell his parents to “forget about him,” to “go make another one,” and if they can’t to “send their women to him”. This is the start of the Syrian crisis.

Silvered Water is a documentary of the Syrian crisis as recorded on the mobile phones of the population. Nothing is spared from the camera as phone cameras explore dead bodies lying in the street. The close-ups of the wounded and the deceased may seem a bit over-the-top just like a gory Tarantino film. However, this is real life, the camera focuses on the violence as if in disbelief of what is happening in Syria. The gore is shown as it is part of life in Syria, and it must be shown to shock people around the world into awareness.

The amazing part of Silvered Water is that it is constituted from footage of both sides of the crisis. Everyone is making their ‘movie’ of the events. As a result, Silvered Water, is a combination of the cinema of the murderer, the victim, the poetic, the realist, and more. It documents the perspectives of the nation.

Conclusion

The makers of Silvered Water want people to watch this film to then talk and debate about it. The narrator describes an acquaintance who asked for his help in setting up a film club. To start a film club, all you need is to watch a film and then talk and debate. Silvered Water is not meant to be watched alone. The makers want as many people watching it to then talk about the issues together.

The directors also imply that everyone should add their story or opinion to the film’s thread of images. They have documented the cinema of the murderer, the victim, the poetic, and the realist, but we must add the final piece.

428

Which Country Has the Best Films?

Finding The World’s Best Films

I have given every film I have watched since 2013 a ranking out of 100. Each ranking is takes into account the story, the cinematography, the editing, the acting, and more. So to find out which country makes the world’s best films, I have singled out the top three rated films from each country, and taken their average score. Of course, the rankings will change as you recommend me more films to watch. Unfortunately, a lot of countries are currently missing, so please help me out.

If you think a country is too low, recommend me their best films to help them move up the rankings. Also if you can’t see a particular country, let me know which films I have missed! I know every country has good films, the difficulty is finding them – so thanks for the help!

Find the List Here – Who is in the Top 5?

429

Closely Watched Trains (Czechoslovakia)

Closely Watched Trains Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Ever seen Fawlty Towers or Arrested Development? This Czechoslovakian comedy set in the Nazi occupation has a similar tone to these two classic comedies. Instead of a Hotel or a Banana Stand (see above) this film has a rural train station. It’s run by a chubby conductor who keeps a pigeon coop, an very old man, a horny guy who has sex on shift, and our man Milos. This oddball combination make this film one to watch!

Why Watch Closely Watched Trains?

This is a great place to start if you haven’t seen a Czech film before
You like the style of Wes Anderson or the humour of Arrested Development
If you are a history fan – this film is set during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in WW2
It won the best Foreign Film Academy Award back in 1968

The Breakdown

This film starts with a shot of adolescent Milos standing in a shirt and boxer shorts in a plain bedroom. A narrator starts telling us about Milos’ family. The camera cuts to a picture of Milos’ uncle, a hypnotist whom the whole village was a con artist. He became famous for trying to hypnotise the Nazis into turning their tanks around. He obviously failed.

After we hear about Milos’ uncle, the camera turns to another family picture hanging on the wall to tell us another family story. We hear the stories of three of Milos’ family members through a montage of old photos. The camera ends on Milos’ shoes and tracks up his body as his mum says “what a looker”. A hat floats onto Milos’ head as magical music plays.

The style of the opening reminded me of the slow pans and fixed image montages used by Wes Anderson. Even the voice over narrations, quirky comedic tone, and close ups of props must have influenced Wes Anderson.

The story follows young Milos as he starts work at a quiet railway station in rural Czechoslovakia. At first the signs of the Nazi occupation are limited to the speeches of the regional councillor who stops by the station every other day. Otherwise life at the station is pretty normal. Milos spends a lot of time fawning over a local girl while his colleague womanises whilst on duty.

However, as the narrative progresses, the signs of the Nazi occupation gradually become more prominent. Milos’ political awareness grows alongside his sexual progression, both symbols of becoming a man.

Conclusion

As you will see, Closely Watched Trains, has a lot more substance than the comedic combination that carries the opening 30 minutes. It portrays the life of thousands of young kids that grew up during the war time period across Europe. This film is entertaining, stylish, and deep, which make it a must see film from the Czech New Wave.

430

Violence (Colombia)

Violence Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Image result for violencia forero You may have seen the great Netflix show Narcos and believe that you know everything about violence in Colombia. However, to truly experience violence in Colombia, you should watch the aptly named Violence. The film will take you to three parts of Colombia where violence exists. It will introduce you to it’s perpetrators and victims without revealing who they are or to which armed group they belong. Ultimately everyone is part of the violence in Colombia.

Why Watch Violence?

Experience some of the violent conflicts carried out in Colombia.
See the diversity of the Colombian landscape: the jungle, the city, and a small town in the country.
Recognise that all the characters are other beings of flesh and blood – perhaps the key to stop violence.
Learn how to make a violent movie without showing any violence!

The Breakdown

Violence starts in darkness. The only thing you can perceive is the sound of the jungle: the insects, birds, and cracking twigs. Slowly the outlines of plants and trees emerge from the darkness before the camera moves along the ground. The camera moves to the left and reveals a chain tied to a tree. The other end is tied around the neck of a man asleep on the jungle floor. He has blemishes and bug bite marks all over his body.

As daylight emerges, the camera stays in a close-up of the prisoner. All we can see is the prisoner, and some figures dressed in camo walking behind him, out of focus. The camera is restricted to where the prisoner can go, and it never ventures further than the limits of the prisoner’s chain. This shows us the lack of freedom that the prisoner has. We do not venture outside of where he is allowed to go, and everything outside that range is out-of-focus. We experience his captivity.

Whilst part one happens in the jungle, part two occurs in a Colombian city, and part three in the country. Firstly, the three locations showcase the diversity of the Colombian landscape. Secondly, the diversity of the locations show that violence is present everywhere (and not just Colombia). Even though we don’t directly see violence, we can tell it has occurred or will occur. Violence is evident in the character’s uniforms, the character’s actions, the words spoken, and the character’s faces.

Conclusion

Jorge Forero’s film shows the existence of violence of Colombia without showing the causes of it or offering a solution. Instead Ferero’s goal, as explained here (where you can also watch the film for a fee) is to make us recognise every character as human beings of flesh and blood. In doing this, we might just make it harder for another to commit violence against us.