Rowan Sullivan, Author at FilmRoot

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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?

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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.

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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.

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Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Can anyone ever be above the law? Well this film argues that there are already people who are above the law. It points the finger squarely at the police department of Italy in the 1960s/70s. However, before you get the idea that this film is just a political slow-boiler, read on. This film is a crime thriller like no other. You will be on the edge of your seat repeatedly asking yourself why. Why is no one condemning him? Answer: he’s too damn powerful.

Why Watch Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion?

To find out if there can ever be anyone above the law
It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1970
For a glimpse of Italian society in the late 1960s/early 1970s; a period of violent student/worker uprisings amidst social and political conflict that came to be known as the “years of lead.”
If you like a great satire – one of the best ways to critique

The Breakdown

Quick cutting and camera movement introduce us to a police inspector walking along a black fence. The camera follows his movement and his eyes as he looks up to a lady in an apartment window. They obviously know each other, as their faces are match cut looking at each other. He opens the gate, walks up the stairs, and enters her apartment. “How are you going to kill me this time?” she asks him playfully. “I’m going to slit your throat” he replies sincerely. And sure enough, after brief foreplay and sex, he slits her throat.

The murderer methodically arranges his own crime scene, takes two bottles of champagne, and drives off. He calmly drives to the police station, jumps out of the car and starts to celebrate his promotion. He walks into the office, orders someone to get glasses and sits down at his new desk with a big map of the city behind him. It is obvious that he is in a position of huge power. That he is in a position that is above suspicion.

The director, Elio Petri, shows us how power is divided in Italy. The powerful hold control of the media, the public, and the police. The police inspector holds power over all three of these. Each one refuses to follow the clues he gives them. Instead they all follow him blindly, or, in the case of the public, represented by the tin-smith, they renounce their testimony out of fear, as if the inspector is a king, and they are worried of being accused of treason by incriminating him. The film is a parable of the corrupt police force that victimised students and labourers, and put themselves above the law.

Conclusion

In his portrayal of the police inspector, Petri exposes the corruption in the Italian police force. He shows the authoritarian position that the police inspector has and shows that they control everything. The media publish what the police give them, the public are too scared to stand up to the police, and his colleagues are too ‘stupid’ to follow the clues he leaves.

The tension in the film doesn’t come from us asking when he is going to get caught, but how far other people go to vindicate him.

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The Lunchbox (India)

The Lunchbox Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

“Sometimes the wrong train gets you to the right station”

Are you looking for a great Indian film that isn’t a musical? Well here’s a good place to start. Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox is a beautiful celebration of Indian culture alongside a warning of the effects of rapid economic development. At the heart of the film is food; what it symbolises and how it can bring people together. For a trip to Mumbai, go watch The Lunchbox available on YouTube and (I think) Netflix – it’s also worth your money – click on the picture for a link to buy.

Why Watch The Lunchbox?

You don’t like musicals, but you want to see a great Indian film.
To see the amazing lunch-box service system in action
Meet ‘Auntie’ the go-to lady for all your questions – also a character that we don’t even see
For Irrfan Khan on top form (you may recognise him from Jurassic World, Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire, or Talvar which was reviewed here earlier).

The Breakdown

The Lunchbox starts with a montage of Mumbai. Director, Ritesh Batra, shows us the trains, shoes cleaners, and cars before stopping at the house of Ila. Ila is fussing over her young daughter before she goes to school, telling her be careful. Her daughter disappears and she goes straight to her cooking. She tastes the contents of one of the pots and figures it is missing something. A basket appears at the window with a pot of spices, lowered down by ‘Auntie’. Ila adds the spices and readies the food for collection.

The lunch box prepared by Ila travels through the incredible lunch box system and ends on the desk of Saajan (played by Irrfan Khan) who is seduced by the amazing smells of this unexpected lunchbox.

Food is central to the narrative of this film and also shows us a lot about each of the characters. At home, Saajan eats heated up food from a plastic bag. In comparison with the fresh cooked meals that a family next door eats, his plastic meals are a symbol of his loneliness.

Food also symbolises class. Shaikh, an orphan who becomes Saajan’s apprentice, always brings in two pieces of fruit for lunch, usually two bananas. In comparison with the lunch box that Saajan can afford, a banana is a lunch for the lower class.

In addition, The Lunchbox does not hide the stress of life in Mumbai. Each of the main characters has experienced the death or absence of family. On the news, we hear of a mother jumping off the top of a tall building with her daughter to escape life. Ila blames it on the government that prioritises the GDP over happiness. The country has got caught up striving for a greater economy and forgotten about the importance of happiness.

Conclusion

The Lunchbox cleverly shows the current state of life in Mumbai through a romantic tribute to the lunchbox system. In doing so, it shows us a lot of Indian life: the food, the people, the transport, and relationships. It also subtly depicts the burdens that the Indian people are carrying as the country develops rapidly. This reminded me a lot of the Chinese film A Touch of Sin, which shows the strain of economic growth on people in China. However, in contrast to A Touch of Sin, The Lunchbox is much more upbeat and has plenty to celebrate.