Film Difficulty 2

To help you ease your way into our world, we have devised a the film difficulty ranking system to rate the difficulty of each film reviewed on our site. The easiest to watch films (the Rom-Coms and Superhero flicks that you watch anyway) will have a rating of 1. Foreign language films automatically add one point, as do black and white films, and films with strange and hard to follow plots. Welcome to Film Difficulty 2.

Film Difficulty Ranking 2: These films are perfect introductions to those new to foreign films. These one’s may have subtitles, or be in black and white, but these films are all easy to follow and enjoy.

For the next step, check out Film Difficulty Ranking 3.

Icarus (U.S.) – Are All Sports Stars on Drugs?

Icarus Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

As the World Cup continues in Russia, the Tennis stars of the world play at Wimbledon, and the world’s premiere cycling tour kicks off in France, there’s no better time to watch Icarus. You’ll learn about the effects of doping, start doubting the even playing ground of all sports, before asking yourself: “what if they’re all doping?” To find out more about doping in sport and the political stakes of doping, watch Icarus on Netflix.

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Why Watch Icarus?

If you’re a sports fan
If you like conspiracies
Meet a friendly Russian doping expert
Because it won the Best Documentary at the 2018 Academy Awards

The Breakdown

Meet Bryan Fogel. He’s an amateur cyclist who was on the brink of turning professional when he was hit with an injury. Whilst he didn’t get to cycle alongside Lance Armstrong like some of his friends, he still idolized the best cyclist from his country and generation for his 7 Tour de France wins. But, his view of professional cycling and Lance Armstrong came crashing down when Armstrong finally admitted to doping in 2013.

How did Fogel react? By choosing the toughest 7-day amateur cycling race available and riding it twice. Firstly, he rode it clean, and secondly on performance enhancing drugs to analyse their effect.

Long story short, he finished in the top 20 clean, but couldn’t improve his positioning whilst doping. But, what might have been a movie about how doping won’t immediately make you the best in any sport luckily doesn’t end there.

That’s because the guy helping Fogel to dope was the director of the Russian anti-doping laboratory, Grigory Rodchenkov. They both become friends as Rodchenkov helped him through his doping process. Rodchenkov gives him plenty of advice and laughs, and even hosts him at his home in Russia.

However, Rodchenkov later drops a bombshell: he oversaw the state-sponsored doping programme for the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. This confession turns Icarus into an investigation into the worldwide doping scandal that banned all Russian athletes from competing in the 2016 Olympics and rocked the sporting world.

Conclusion and What to Watch Next

Icarus is one of the most gripping documentaries out there, especially if you’re a sports fan. It’s got an interesting premise (how much does doping help) which sets up the story, but the twist lands in Fogel’s lap because of Rodchenckov’s confession. From there it’s the two of them versus the Russian State and the U.S. court system.

If you’re looking for more great documentaries, check out the equally thrilling Citizenfour about Edward Snowden. Like Icarus it contains a whistleblower vs. the state, but instead of sport’s doping, it’s a worldwide spy network.

Or, if you’re looking for a sport documentary which focuses more on the sport, check out the brilliant basketball documentary, Hoop Dreams. It’s like Boyhood meets Basketball.

The Marriage of Maria Braun (Germany)

The Marriage of Maria Braun Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Do you want to see a great German film that resembles a Hollywood great? Here’s Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s most accessible film. It’s the story of Maria Braun, the German ‘American dream’. She lives the rags to riches story, but in typical Fassbinder fashion, she carries a lot of baggage. For a introduction to Fassbinder, this one is perfect. Then, follow it up with Ali: Fear Eats the Soul.

Why Watch The Marriage of Maria Braun?

For a German film that appeals to anyone used to watching Hollywood dramas
It’s a perfect gateway into Rainer Werner Fassbinder films (he’s one of the most renowned German directors)
To experience post-war Germany through Maria Braun (she’s an allegory for the countries ups and downs)
Or, you just want to watch a long, immersive, classic drama

The Breakdown

“Do you, Hermann Braun take this woman for this lawfully wedded wife”

As Maria and Hermann get married, a bomb drops on their ceremony, shattering the glass of all the windows and leaving a gaping hole in the ceiling. Their wedding papers fly out the window. Before the vicar can run for safety, the couple grab him and they all fall to the ground on the marriage document. As more bombs drop and the buildings around them start falling down, they sign their marriage with the scared vicar as witness.

The manic introduction continues throughout the film. It is a tremendous roller coaster ride! Maria is the crazy woman who takes centre stage for the film. At times she is the ‘American dream’ as she makes her own opportunities and success. However, she is also an allegory for the plight of post-war Germany so make sure you pay attention! For example, she is supported by America and later finds success with a united Europe whilst her husband is lost in Russia (East Germany).

In addition to the allegories, listen out for some scenes which use sound to eke out even more emotion. One example of this is obvious when Maria goes to the train station for the last time wearing her ‘Have you seen Hermann Braun’ sign. In this scene, the background noise of the crowds of people fade and the sound of the steam train gets louder. All you hear is the steady spurting of the steam: on, off, on, off. At this time, Maria looks at the fence covered in posters of missing soldiers and hopelessly at the train. The sound enhances her despair as she realises she will never see her husband again.

Conclusion

The Marriage of Maria Braun is an incredible portrait of a strong woman who makes her own success against the odds. She is Germany’s melancholic heroine, at times an epitome of the American dream. However, whilst this film is Fassbinder’s most Hollywood film, it mirrors the fate of post-war Germany. Go watch some Fassbinder!

For more Fassbinder, we highly recommend Ali: Fear Eats the Soul. For another great

The Handmaiden (South Korea)

The Handmaiden Film Difficulty Ranking: 2 Image result for the handmaiden poster

Did you think Gone Girl or Oldboy was good? Well here’s another thriller for you to figure out. The Handmaiden will keep you guessing throughout the film. What is being hidden from you? In addition you’ll witness some gorgeous set and costume design and a lot of nudity (probably not one to take your mum to see). If you have a chance to watch this in the cinema – don’t wait!

Why Watch The Handmaiden?

You want to see something thrilling and erotic
If you liked Gone Girl or any of Park-Chan wook’s earlier films (definitely check out his classic revenge thriller Oldboy)
To see colonial Korea recreated in costume and setting (the house is like the mansion in The Shining)
Do you want to find out what is in the basement?

The Breakdown

The Handmaiden starts with Sook-hee, a petty thief living with a family of con-artists in Japanese ruled Korea. Her prospects are pretty much non-existent. However, she is taken to become the maid of a wealthy Japanese lady living in a colonial palace in a remote part of the country.

We soon find out that one of her fellow con-artists, Count Fujiwara, has set her up to become Lady Hideko’s handmaiden. His goal is for her to help her seduce the rich heiress into marrying him and for them to split the profits. You should note how she acts throughout the first part of the film. Her character is at the center of a number of laughs. She is a target for the other maids, she storms through the house with shoes on, and gets scared on her first night in the mansion. The director, Park Chan-wook uses her role to play with us.

Park Chan-wook tells the story like piecing together a puzzle. Initially he gives us a decent idea of the story-line. We think we know what is going on until he places the next puzzle piece and changes what we see. He is a master of guise (just think how he tricks you in Oldboy). In addition, the characters hide a lot at the start and slowly reveal more and more as the film progresses. Park Chan-wook is a master of surprise.

Conclusion

The Handmaiden is another classic thriller from Park Chan-wook. If you like films with twists and turns (like the old M. Night Shyamalan films) you will love Park Chan-wook.

White Sun (Nepal)

White Sun Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

In White Sun, a Maoist rebel returns home to bury his Royalist father after peace has been reached in the Nepali Civil War. He comes face-to-face with a neighborhood that fought against him in the war. Will he be welcomed back or will old enemies and hatred be rekindled?

As usual only watch he first 40 secs of this trailer, unless you’re happy to venture into spoiler territory!

Why Watch White Sun?

To see a film from Nepal (a country not known for it’s films)
For an opportunity to learn about the Nepali Civil War (fought from 1996-2006) something that I didn’t know anything about!
See Nepal’s beautiful scenery and cultural diversity whilst learning a bit about Nepali customs and tradition as well!
It’s a comedy! But not just a comedy – you will learn a lot along the way

The Breakdown

The first thing you notice in White Sun is the beautiful scenery. It opens with a widescreen shot of mountainous hills with Himalayan peaks in the background. We can hear a radio playing in the background: a peace deal has been reached between the Maoists and the Royalists, putting an end to the 10 year Civil War.

In the next scene a Maoist rebel returns home from the city. He has come home after a long absence to bury his Royalist father. From the start he is neither welcomed by his family and former neighbors and does not seem too happy to be home. It is clear that the recent peace deals have not healed the wounds of the recent Civil War.

This village also hasn’t forgotten the caste system that the Maoists fought to eradicate. In this rural town, a young boy thinks he isn’t human (he thinks he’s a porter) and women pollute the dead (by simply touching them).

Conclusion

While relations between the returning Maoist and the traditional village folk festers, the children offer a vision for a peaceful future. This is a heart-warming but insightful film that explores the lasting effects of the Nepali Civil War.

Man Bites Dog (Belgium) – Help Out an ‘Affectionate and Sweet’ Murderer

Man Bites Dog Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

This may well be the darkest comedy there is. You may not agree at first, but you probably will by the end of the film. And you’ll probably feel like a murderer for watching it! This is one of the ultimate mockumentarys!

Why Watch Man Bites Dog?

If you like dark comedies – and when I say dark, I mean it!
If you like docu-fiction films (see Battle of Algiers or Che)
To learn how much ballast you need to sink a corpse
For a murderer’s ode to pigeons – actor Benoit Poelvoorde is crazy

The Breakdown

You’ll get an idea of what kind of a film this is from the opening. It starts with what looks like a normal scene. A man on a train is standing by the window as a woman walks past him along the corridor. However, as the man moves out of the way to let her pass, he rings a rope around her neck, forces her into a cabin and strangles her.

As you’ll quickly realise, this is not a serious film. However, you also won’t be surprised that it was highly controversial when it was released in 1992 (two years before Natural Born Killers).

Straight after the brutal opening scene, we meet Benoit (the murderer) again. This time, he is talking to the camera and telling us how to properly ballast a corpse so it sinks. Remember, ‘you need to ballast a dead body with 3 times it’s body-weight, and 5 times for old people as their bones are even more porous’ (Benoit’s quote, not mine).

The mockumentary style (mock documentary) makes the film even more real. Benoit looks straight at the camera a lot, and therefore straight at us. As a result, we are forced to get close to him and pushed towards identifying with him. The intimacy is stretched even further as we are introduced to his family and friends, who all say what an ‘affectionate and sweet’ person he is. But every time we start to get comfortable with him the director reminds us of his violence. For example, in one scene he starts playing with a few kids in a park making him appear normal, but the director quickly cuts to a montage of him murdering innocent people to remind us that he is a murderer.

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Conclusion

Man Bites Dog is provocative. But it’s also clever. It plays with us throughout the film, encouraging us to get close to a murderer before brutally showing us images that are undeniably wrong and shocking. There’s also a pretty meta commentary on both the moral obligation of the film-makers and the audience. Are the film-makers and us morally wrong for making/watching this film?

Either way, for more, I’d recommend checking out Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers (with a young Woody Harrelson leading). Also check out Behind the Mask for a horror movie equivalent.