Rowan Sullivan

466

Desierto

Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Did you enjoy Gravity or The Revenant? Then maybe this film is for you. This all action, no dialogue thriller draws a lot from the horror genre to bring you a film heightened by recent events (think Trump). It will keep you on the edge of your seat from the beginning to the end and will scare you from attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border from outside of your air-conditioned car for life!

Why Watch Desierto?
  • It is Mexico’s foreign language entry for the 89th Academy Awards
  • Are you scared of Trump’s America!
  • To see how barren the U.S.-Mexico borderlands are
  • Pure action thriller and no dialogue (think of Gravity)
The Breakdown

Desirto opens with an expansive shot of the dimly lit desert. The sun slowly rises from behind some mountains in the distance revealing the scorched landscape in front of us. A small truck drives through this beautiful, barren wasteland. In the back of the truck is a handful of hopeful migrants looking for better lives in the U.S. We are not told anything about them and we can only judge them based on their appearance. For them, this horror movie is about to start as the truck grinds to a halt… their only means of getting through the desert has broken down!

There is probably only 20 lines of dialogue in this film, less if you remove character’s talking to themselves. Just like Gravity, another film scripted by Cuaron, Desierto is pure action from the start. However, luckily for Cuaron, no dialogue is needed to explain the characters because Trump’s America gives them authenticity, making them even more scary. The whisky drinking white man with the confederate flag is now a much more real and much more scary prospect.  Combine that with the racist rhetoric used by Trump and you think, maybe this film could happen in real life!

In Desierto the yellows of the barren deserts and rocky outcrops dominate from the opening scene. The director excludes most signs of life from the film to emphasise the emptiness of the desert. The only animals that are living in this environment are rattlesnakes, a symbol of living death. The hostility of the environment makes us feel that we are not welcome there, that we are intruding on someone else’s land. And this feeling of intrusion is an important first stage of the horror genre. (e.g. Texas Chainsaw Massacre where hitch-hikers ‘intrude’ on Leatherface’s land).

Conclusion

Desierto is an interesting addition to the horror genre because it creates a horror out of an often debated political issue: illegal immigrants. This association, and the current zeitgeist in America, gives this film an extra layer which is lacking in the dialogue.

 

 

467

Girlhood – A New-Wave of French Film?

Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

More in line with the likes of Adulthood than Boyhood, Girlhood is an artistic dive into the black working class blocks of Paris. Marieme is our heroine/anti-heroine, a black female who is forced to make a life for herself after she is denied high-school education. Can she weave her way through all the obstacles thrown her way? Or is she confined by her identity and social standing?

Why Watch Girlhood?
  • To see Paris as you probably haven’t seen it before – where concrete towers replace the Eiffel tower.
  • You’re a fan of coming-of-age films
  • Witness the potential of GIRL POWER
  • Check out some beautifully coloured cinematography
The Breakdown

An heavy techno beat breathes life into the darkness of the opening credits. Floodlights break up the darkness as a group of American football players run out of a dimly lit tunnel onto the pitch. One of the girls scores a touchdown and everyone starts celebrating and singing, before the lights shut off and darkness is back. The opening briefly shows us the power of girl groups and also marks the first screen-wipe of darkness.

Pay attention when the director black-washes the screen as each time marks a key point in Marieme’s adolescence. Each time is like the ending and beginning of a new chapter. Each time also follows either a happy or sad moment that defines Marieme. I’d also recommend paying attention to the soundtrack, as the director chooses particular moments for when the songs are played. For example, Marieme and her friends sing along to Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds’ at a time when their happiness and freedom is high. At this moment, the song emphasises their happiness and camaraderie.

Whilst the screen-wipes and songs signify key moments of the film, I am not sure what the role of the colours are. Nevertheless, the colours are beautiful. From the pale blue and pink hues of Marieme’s bedroom walls, lit up by a dim lamp to the slightly washed out colours of daylight in the concrete jungle. The vivid dark blue and black hues of the hotel-room party strongly reminded me of the beautiful cinematography of Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight. See the beautiful colours for yourself and leave a comment if you think you know what they signify.

Conclusion

Girlhood is an important film. The director’s goal was to capture the stories of black teenagers, characters that are mostly underdeveloped in French films. In addition to race, this film is important because it also challenges conceptions of gender and class. All three; gender, class, and race (in that order?) come together to put obstacles in Marieme’s way. Can she escape?

 

 

 

 

468

Snowden

Watch Snowden after watching The Lives of Others

 

Film Difficulty Ranking: 1

This film is a perfect companion to The Lives of Others (from Germany). It reveals that invasive state security is not an outdated institution confined to the old Soviet-bloc, but something that still happens today. Will whistle-blower Edward Snowden be celebrated in decades to come for his bravery or will he continue to be victimised?

Why Watch Snowden?
  • You’re a fan of 1984
  • You have heard of Edward Snowden but don’t know enough about him to keep a debate going
  • Do you want freedom or security? Watch this film to find out.
  • For a dramatized and Hollywood-friendly version of Citizenfour

Anyway, as this is not a foreign or indie film, I’m not going to write another small essay. But, as it’s relevant to one of the other films I have recommended on this site, I’ve included it here in case you want to follow up your interest! Plus it is a good film with a good insight into one of the most controversial figures in politics.

469

The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)

Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Imagine a world where everything you say or do is watched by the government. Sound like an episode of Black Mirror?

This was often a part of a public figure’s life in Eastern Germany. There could be microphones hidden behind your light switch, cameras in discrete places above your door, and wire taps on your phone. Get an insight into state spying in this film, and their role in shaping the countries artists. The Lives of Others reminded me of a Speilberg great because of it’s great characters. But for all you who don’t trust me, trust Rotten Tomatoes, there’s a 93% chance you’ll like it.

Why Watch the Lives of Others?
  • Are you interested in what went on behind the ‘Iron Curtain’? The accuracy of the film’s set and atmosphere stunned former East Germans!
  • You’re scared by what Edward Snowden leaked a few years ago?
  • To learn some vital interrogation techniques!
  • This film won the Academy Award for the best foreign language film in 2006.
The Breakdown

The Lives of Others opens with a uniformed guard leading a man down a hallway that looks like a prison row. He is sat in one room opposite another uniformed man who starts to interrogate him. As the victim denies his involvement in smuggling a friend out of the country the director cuts to the same interrogator giving lectures to a group of university students. One student speaks out against the interrogation techniques and receives a cross against his name in the professors notebook. This guy doesn’t play around. Sure enough, he also gets an answer from the victim after keeping him awake for over 24hours and threatening to detain his family.

In the next scene, our clinical professor/interrogator is sitting at a local theatre watching a play by Dreyman. The subtle anti-state sentiment in the play sparks Wiesler’s suspicions. He can smell a rat anywhere. He gets out his binoculars to take a good look at Dreyman, who is sitting at the back of the theatre on his own. Seeing him through Wiesler’s binoculars makes him look even more alone. In Wiesler’s sight Dreyman is vulnerable and unaware of what is going to happen to him.

Also pay attention to the protagonists’ apartments which really add to the characterization of the two main characters. As state surveillance minister, Wiseler’s apartment is in an imposing concrete block of flats. His apartment is spotlessly clean, with two small uninspiring pictures on his four walls. In contrast, Dreyman’s flat is messy and cluttered, with books stacked up on his desk and against the walls. As a result, their rooms add to their characters. Wiseler’s apartment signals precision, decisiveness, and a distinct lack of emotion. In contrast, Dreyman’s messy apartment makes him seem even more creative, friendly, and relatable.

Conclusion

Out of all the films I’ve reviewed for this site so far, I think that The Lives of Others is a great place to start on your foreign film adventure. It is a great story, easy to follow, and carries a lot of tension. If you’re a seasoned film buff, it’s time to add this to your collection!

 

470

Ajami

Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

On Mubi, Ajami is compared to Brazil’s City of God for it’s use of non-actors and gritty look at life in a city. But I think it compares better with Amores Perros because of it’s narrative structure. Produced by both a Palestinian and an Israeli, this film sheds light on what seems to be an unbiased look at Israel. Building until the last puzzle piece is added, the Academy Award nominee Ajami is one to watch!

Why Watch Ajami?
  • Get a feel for race relations in Israel – the role of borders and race relations makes Ajami a lot more relevant than some might think.
  • What drives someone to do something out of character?
  • Looking for a cleverly layered multiple narrative like Amores Perros, Traffic, or Magnolia? Look no further.
  • Be amazed at the auction-style way that family disputes are solved.
Breakdown

Nasri, Omar’s younger brother, narrates the opening as he draws a comic book. He introduces us to his neighbour who is fixing Omar’s car and then to his grandpa who he takes care of and washes due to his paralysis. It all seems pretty normal, pretty pleasant. Then two men riding on a motorbike pass by and shoot Nasri’s neighbour fixing their car.

From this point the film takes on a City of God feel as Nasri takes us back in time to explain what events led his neighbour to be shot. After this introduction, the film switches stylistically to a more natural, documentary like style. The colours become washed out, the dialogue takes centre stage, and the music is noticeably absent.

In addition, things happen really quickly. The dialogue is very punchy and snappy, not because of what the characters are saying, but how quickly people respond to each other. The narrative matches the fast pace of the dialogue. A birthday surprise happens so quickly that I felt almost suspicious of it’s authenticity. This made me start to question the authenticity of every character in the film. A lot of them are forced to act outside of their normal character.

Ajami’s genius lies in it’s narratives which are linked in non-chronological order. They come together to create a fatalistic quilt made of interlinking religions, races, and emotions.

Ajami is “a sustained gaze into a widening, all-encompassing trap” – Eric Hynes at Indiewire