Rowan Sullivan

461

Closed Curtain

Closed Curtain Film Difficulty Ranking: 5

“You think you can capture reality in here?”

Closed Curtain stands up for Iranian activists. To understand this film, you have to know a little a bit about the director, Jafar Panahi. After making a number of critically acclaimed films, Panahi was placed under house arrest after being charged with producing propaganda against the Iranian government. What was his reaction? To keep making films under house arrest and having them smuggled out of the country. So here’s Closed Curtain, the second film released under house arrest.

Why Watch Closed Curtain?
  • To experience house arrest (this was the second film Panahi directed under house arrest)
  • See a double decker tea-pot
  • For a great film from one of Iran’s top directors (check out The Circle or Taxi Tehran for another great film from Panahi)
  • Learn about some more of the different laws in Iran (See Divorce: Iranian Style)
The Breakdown

Through a closed gate we can see a barren beach outside of a house. A car stops on the road by the beach and a man gets out, collects a few bags, and walks slowly to the house. The man enters the house and the camera cuts to show him. Inside the house, the camera is free. The man opens his bag to reveal his pet dog. He quickly attaches dark curtains to all of the windows in the house to block out the light.

It isn’t clear from the start what is going on. The man who releases his dog into the house seems a bit crazy as he frantically covers every opening to the world outside. However, just like the woman who runs into the house 20 minutes into the movie, he is victimised by some strange laws. The TV shows us that the man is hiding his dog from death after the state has declared all dogs as unclean animals. The woman appears in the house after she is persecuted for partying on the beach. Just like the director, they have all ended up under house arrest for unjust reasons.

To make us feel under house arrest, Panahi carefully confines the camera  within the house.  From the start, when we see the man with the dog arrive outside the house, the camera is fixed behind the house borders. People enter and leave the house, but we only see them from the behind the house window. Through this, Panahi captures the isolation felt under house arrest as well as the limits of his artistic creativity.

Conclusion

Closed Curtain is a clever and unique way of portraying Iran. Panahi depicts Iran’s limitations through the limitations of house arrest. However, whilst the film is clever and unique, it is not Panahi’s, or Iran’s most accessible film. This is for the more experienced art-house film viewer. Therefore save this one until you’ve watched a few films with lower Film Difficulty Ranking’s before attempting this one! For another Iranian film, try Under The Shadow!

462

Your Name

Image result for your name filmYour Name Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Do you want to travel to Tokyo? Well here’s your ticket to Japan’s highest grossing anime since Spirited Away. You’ll see the tradition and ritual of life in the country as well as the fast paced life in Japan’s capital city. All this packaged in a romantic body-swapping high school flick. But don’t let the genre put you off, allow yourself to be awed by the magical skies, fascinated by the culture, and intrigued by the plot.

Why Watch Your Name?
  • You’ve watched all the Studio Ghibli films and don’t know where to find more anime
  • If you can’t afford a trip to Japan and want to experience Japanese culture
  • To see some beautifully animated skies!
  • It’s the 4th highest grossing film in Japan of all time! Only Spirited Away, Titanic, and Frozen have generated more money!
The Breakdown

Your Name starts with a meteor blazing through a twilight sky. The camera rotates as our protagonists say:

“The day the star fell. It was almost like seeing something out of a dream, nothing more, nothing less.

And then some Japanese pop-rock starts, reminiscent of the introductions of the anime TV shows.

Right from the start you can see the beautiful skies, particularly the beautiful twilight and magic-hour lighting that Shinkai is known for. The comet is always shown during the twilight hours to conjure a magical set of colours much like the Disney Intro. This aids the body-swapping fantasy of Mitsuha to Taki, our two protagonists, as it sets up the film as something magical (much like the Disney intro does for Disney films).

Shinkai also contrasts Tokyo city life with life in rural Japan. Whilst Mitsuha lives in a town on the bay of a lake high in the Japanese Alps, Taki lives in Tokyo. In the country, Mitsuha’s life is dominated by tradition and ritual (learn how to make spit-fermented sake). Also, the only cafe in the country is a vending machine that sells canned coffee! As said by the director;

“Mitsuha is pretty much me. Her character is based on my own upbringing. I loved Nagano but I was dying to go to Tokyo. However, the Tokyo you see in this movie is a stereotype, the image that Mitsuha dreams of and that I dreamt of when I was younger. [they both fell in love with the dream]

Conclusion

Your Name is a beautiful looking animated high-school movie that is perfect for fans of anime and John Hughes. Whilst is doesn’t have the fantastical creations of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli it does have entertainment and fun. For a dive into authentic Japanese life, I highly recommend watching this.

 

463

La Haine (Hate)

La Haine Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

This film was so provocative and great that the French Prime Minister at the time commissioned a mandatory screening for all entire French cabinet. The film brings social unrest to the big screen, showing us that Paris is not the romantic and happy city that Hollywood and beyond have portrayed it as. Here are the people we have forgotten. Like Taxi Driver and Do the Right Thing, La Haine gives a voice to the marginalised.

Why Watch La Haine?
  • You have been to Paris and seen the Eiffel Tower
  • If you love a good cinema verite film (other cinema verite favourites include Che, and Battle of Algiers)
  • For a male equivalent to Girlhood
  • Because just like Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, this film is a timeless representation of social unrest
The Breakdown

I’m not even going to narrate the opening scene. Instead here’s the opening quote, read over the top of ‘documentary’ film of rioting in Paris.

Heard about the guy that fell off the skyscraper? As he falls, he tries to reassures himself by repeating:

“So far, so good. So far, so good.

It’s not the fall that matters. It’s the landing.

But it’s not just the powerful narrative that makes La Haine a great movie, the film is also full of incredible camera work. Pay attention to the introduction of Said. He is introduced, facing forward, in the middle of the frame with the housing projects behind him. His eyes are shut, but as the camera zooms into his face, they open. The director cuts to a POV shot with only the back of Said’s head in focus. As the camera moves towards Said, it focuses on what he is looking at, a bunch of policeman who are as static as the birds in Hitchcock’s Birds. They are not here to serve and protect. This sets up the rising tensions between Said and his crew and the police.

For all of you who are familiar with New York City hip-hop, this paragraph is for you. For all of those who aren’t familiar with New York City hip-hop, go listen to Nas’ Illmatic and tell me if it could be a soundtrack to La Haine. Here’s my reasoning:

  • Hip-hop culture is prominent throughout the film, from breakdancing to DJing, it’s all covered.
  • The words “The World is Yours” (the main track on Illmatic) feature on a billboard which Said changes to “The World is Ours” to claim the streets and city which he lives in despite their disenfranchisement.
  • Both portray teenagers trapped within urban poverty and categorised because of it – there is no way out.
Conclusion

This film garnered so much critical buzz at Cannes and beyond. It is a timeless portrayal of disenfranchised teenagers growing up in the forgotten realms of cities. In addition, the camera work is extremely innovative. This might be the earliest film you’ve seen which uses drone cameras. In fact, apart from the appearance of Francs in the film (France’s old currency), I would have believed someone if they said that this film was made in the last few years.

(For an excellent piece on this film I’d recommend reading Indiewire’s review of the film 20 years on right here, although beware of Spoilers!)

464

Song of the Sea

Song of the Sea Film Difficulty Ranking: 1

Are you looking for a beautiful animation that carries an important, digestible message? Well you’ve come to the right place. Song of the Sea is Europe’s answer to Studio Ghibli and Pixar. It is a beautiful kids movie that adults will enjoy more because of it’s great storytelling. It is an ode to a disappearing culture, that only we can preserve.

Why Watch Song of the Sea?
  • If you like Miyazaki’s fantastic animated films
  • For an introduction to Irish Mythology
  • You like seals
  • So you can listen to some Irish!
  • For a commentary on Religion, Culture, and language – you didn’t think this was just a pretty little animation did you?
The Breakdown

Come away our human child, to the waters and the wild.

The opening lines of Song of the Sea set the scene for a mythology covered film. Up in a lighthouse on a craggy island rock a mum and her son paint the walls of a room. They are painting it for the new baby, and they paint the walls with scenes from Irish myths. As a present for his efforts, the mum gives her son a musical shell which carries the song of the sea…

There is so much to see and interpret from Song of the Sea that you could write a few essays on what how you make sense of it. One thing I noticed was the subtle contrasting portrayals of Christianity and Irish Culture. The contrast is shown through the lighthouse on a remote island by the coast, and in the grandma’s house in the city. Whilst the walls of the Lighthouse are painted with scenes from Irish mythology, the walls of grandma’s house are covered with pictures of family and images of Jesus and the Cross. In the lighthouse, the mother and son sing in Irish, whilst in the city, the grandmother listens to dull ballads.

Likewise the city is shown as oppressive and dirty compared to the freedom of the country. Whilst the cars of the city spew black smoke and almost run over the kids, there are no cars to ruin the picturesque island in the sea. In addition, all the rocks, trees, and fields in the country are beautifully patterned with spirals and circles (Irish patterns which appear a lot in the film), to contrast with the rigid straight lines of the city. The city’s inhabitants have forgotten about Ireland, and only the kids from the country can revitalise Irish culture by singing in Irish and embracing Irish culture.

Conclusion

In the same way as a Miyazaki film, Tomm Moore’s Song of the Sea stretches the creative boundaries of animation. However, Song of the Sea is not just a beautiful kids movie, it is an ode to Irish Culture. It holds the Irish language, song, and mythology. It shows us the importance of culture and our role in preserving it (see Embrace of the Serpent). So help out Irish culture and watch this film.

 

465

Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes)

Wild Tales Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

I was sitting near an Argentinian when I first saw this film in the cinema. He was completely wrapped up in this brilliant set of sketches from Damian Szifron. He was laughing throughout, as well as cursing and cheering on the characters on screen. However, he wasn’t alone. I was also laughing, cursing, and cheering with the rest of the audience. You don’t have to be Argentinian to enjoy this one, you just have to have a little bit of a sense of humour (the darker your humour the better).

Why Watch Wild Tales?
  • To see Argentina through a series of short stories
  • You will be laughing, surprised, shocked, feeling guilty, and more.
  • To see some great camera angles (think of the car trunk shot in Pulp Fiction)
  • Produced by the Almodovar, highly rated on iMDB, and nominated for an Oscar, this film has some cred (if you don’t trust me).
The Breakdown

The first short film starts with a waist-down shot of a woman rolling a wheeled suitcase to an airport desk. To her surprise, the airline staff offer her a free flight for no extra miles. She boards the plane and starts chatting to a music critic next to her. After a while they realise that they have a mutual connection, Pasternak, the woman’s ex-boyfriend who was heavily critiqued for his music by the music critic. To which more and more people chime in saying they know him. Why are they all on the same flight? Coincidence?

One thing you can’t miss in this film is the camera framing. The film is shot from a bunch of different angles and positions that are both cool and a good fit. For example, the story set in the restaurant when the chef and waitress are arguing about the customer in the kitchen. The lighting is low and moody, the colours are strong but not warm, and there are two heavily lit pass through windows to the kitchen. As the waitress runs back to the kitchen to argue with the chef, we see a shot of them from the restaurant, one framed within each of the two pass through windows as if they are portraits. It sort of shows that they are both individuals and not in agreement, and that the chef is going to do what she wants regardless of what the waitress says.

Also, look out for other cool camera positions. One of my favourites was in the last sketch ‘Until Death Do Us Part.’ The director attaches a camera to the outside of kitchen door with the camera pointing back into the kitchen through a glass window. As a result, we can see the characters running to the door, pushing it open, and then see which direction they choose to go in the hall. The camera position allows us to see all the above without a single cut, making the shot feel more natural.

Conclusion

The sketches in Wild Tales look great, are acted well, are gripping, and are hilarious. What more could you want from a movie? Well, actually, in addition to the above, the film is a surprisingly good portrait of Argentine society. It depicts corruption, classism, and injustice in addition to all the vengeance and violence. This film is a winner!