Film Difficulty 4

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. You’re almost there, welcome to Film Difficulty 4.

Film Difficulty Ranking 4: These films demand full attention for long stretches of time, slowly draining your film stamina. However, these films can be incredibly rewarding, much like the feeling of finishing your last school exam after weeks/months of studying.

If you think you’re ready to take on some of the most challenging films from around the world, you’re almost there. Prepare yourself for films that are 7 hours long and others that demand every millisecond of your interpretative mind and a lot of post-film analysis. Then you’re ready to sit down and enjoy the heights of Film Difficulty Ranking 5.

Damiana Kryygi – History Cannot Be Changed But It Can Be Rectified

Damiana Kryygi Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

“We have to know our past to build a better future”

These are the wise words of one of the Ache people from Southern Paraguay when reflecting on the tumultuous past his people have faced. Damiana, a young girl kidnapped by settlers just over one hundred years ago is a symbol for the decline of the Ache people. Her return will fill a missing piece in Ache history – a piece that allows the Ache to build a better future.

Why Watch Damiana Kryygi?

Learn about the Ache tribe of Southern Paraguay
See that History can be made right!
If you want to see a documentary about the fall of indigenous tribes of South America under imperial rule (a good pairing for the fantastic Embrace of the Serpent)
See some of the extent of deforestation in South America

The Breakdown

Damiana Kryygi starts with two men on the outskirts of a jungle digging a hole in the earth. They take turns to jump into the hole over 2m deep and wide enough for them to fit in. They burrow deeper with a long stick and chuck out the red/brown dirt over their heads. These are two Ache people from Southern Paraguay. Their reasons for digging will become clear.

Damiana was a young Ache girl who was kidnapped during a settler raid on the Ache people at the turn of the 20th century. She was kidnapped and became a subject of study for the settlers. Her once human life was turned into the life of a captive animal. She died of Tuberculosis as a teenager and her ruins were never returned.

Over a century separates the death of Damiana and the present day Ache people. The period has seen huge changes to the landscape and Ache people. Now the landscape is barren, a desert of green grass has taken over from a wild forest. The Ache people have lost a huge part of their memory with the destruction of the forest. They have been forced from their lives as hunter gatherers. It all started with the dictatorship at the turn of the 20th century which abused and massacred the Ache population.

Conclusion

The horrific trials that young Damiana went through as a child won’t be things you’ll enjoy reliving. But the resilience of the Ache people is enough to fill anyone with respect. Watch to witness how one indigenous tribe in South America is piecing together it’s painful recent history.

Cocote – Religion and Ritual in the Dominican Republic

Cocote Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Are blood ties stronger than spirituality? Find out in Cocote as one man returns home to bury his father. Is it worth sacrificing a stable Christian life in the city for a family life he has tried to leave behind.

From: Dominican Republic, North America
Watch: Trailer, Buy Direct, Kanopy, Hoopla
Next: Batuque, White Sun, Blue Ruin

Uski Roti – Waiting for Change in the Country

Uski Roti Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Uski Roti is the antithesis of your typical Bollywood film. Instead of bombastic musical numbers and extravagant costumes and decor, Uski Roti‘s rural setting is banal and empty. There’s minimal action as the characters are plagued by having too much time; the wife occupies herself with domestic work and waiting, whilst the husband kills time busing around the country spending time with different lovers to keep from boredom. Both characters seem compelled to live out of a duty rather than because of their own happiness which is reflected in the slow pace of the film. For those with patience, Uski Roti is a portrait of the downtrodden of the world – those condemned by poverty and the patriarchy to a life of nothingness.

From: India, Asia
Watch: Trailer, JustWatch, IMDb
Next: When the Tenth Month Comes, Daughter in Law, The Cow

The Project of the Century – The Death of Cuba’s Bright Future

The Project of the Century Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Why Watch The Project of the Century?

For an inter-generational family rivalry
Witness the effects of a country falling from the world’s attention
To visit a living failed nuclear project

From: Cuba, North America
Watch: Trailer, Vimeo, Tubi
Next: The Clash, Kings of Nowhere, I Am Cuba

The Breakdown

The Project of the Century opens like an old science fiction movie with green font on a black screen. Obviously this looks dated to modern eyes, and that is exactly the directors intention. For in this film, Carlos Machado Quintela conveys the failed hope of a nation. A Cuba that had so much hope for a prosperous future but was doomed to failure. It’s presented in the incomplete Cuban Nuclear plant where a father and son have come together with their macho grandfather for a strange time of bonding and reminiscing.

After a few stock images of nuclear power plants and white women on beaches signifying the promise of the science Cuban was invested in, the colors switch to a black and white present day (2012) to signify the dead hope. Instead of the vivid colors and vibrant life portrayed in the old tourist agency style videos, the actual location now looks more like a dystopia you might recognize from High Rise or Ion de Sosa’s off-season Benindorm based sci-fi Androids Dream. There’s just a cluster of high rise flats without any signs of life besides the three men, surrounded by abandoned construction sites. It’s meant to be a place meant to be brimming with people, but instead of rockets being launched, there’s just the smoke of fumigators patrolling the block.

The three generations of the film (grandfather, father, son) represent the dying hope across the three generations of Cuba. The grandfather, having grown up during the revolution, still dreams of the brilliant promise of Cuba’s early days under Castro. He’s boisterous and stubborn, and refuses to listen to the despair of the younger generations. His son, now in his middle age, studied abroad in the USSR and Germany with some of the world’s top scientists. He was assigned with working on the ‘Project of the Century’ – the building of Cuba’s nuclear power plants, supposed to provide power to the country. However, after investing years of his life in the country and project, the USSR collapsed, leaving Cuba without allies and the resources needed to finish the great project. As a result, his life’s work was for nothing, and the excitement for a prosperous Cuban future was vanquished. His son, a man in his mid-20s is a symbol of the lack of hope and pride in present day Cuba. He’s jobless, has no direction, and disappoints his older relatives.

Having grown up in different eras, having been apart for some time, and being men, they argue and fight. Without jobs, hope for the future, and direction, fighting is just something to pass the time until the eldest dies and they can finally move on from Cuba’s brilliant history and pride.

What to Watch Next

Firstly, it’s worth watching I Am Cuba to feel the optimism that filled Cuba following the revolution that has died in The Project of the Century. It’s vibrant and full of energy to contrast with the darkness of this film.

You could also watch Kings of Nowhere or Once Upon a Time in Venezuela – two documentaries featuring towns that have seen better days. The former features a town consumed by a dammed lake, whilst the latter features a town being polluted by sediment.

Or if you’re looking for more macho family antics, check out The Clash. It features a Peruvian teenager going to live with his macho Peruvian dad in Canada.

The Challenge – Gain Exclusive Access to the Richest Sheiks in Qatar

The Challenge Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

What would you do if you do if you had all the money in the world? Well, this film might give you a few ideas. These Qatari Sheiks have all the money in the world and are not afraid to spend it. Plus, more amazingly, director Yuri Ancarani has somehow got complete access to their lives. So this is your chance to see what some of the richest people do in their free time. You can watch it now with a free trial on Mubi (via Amazon).

Image result for the challenge ancarani

Why Watch the Challenge?

To gain exclusive access to the lives of Qatari Sheiks
If you like slow artistic films – this one has a lot of arty long shots and beautifully rich (pun intended) cinematography
To see if you can spot the 2001: A Space Odyssey reference. Hint: there’s a big black block in the middle of the desert signalling the evolution/height of mankind
Or simply to see what weird things you can buy with big money

The Breakdown

The Challenge starts intimately with a montage of close up shots of a few Sheiks. Each one of them is looking upwards with excitement in their eyes, not dissimilar to the eyes of an inquisitive child. Ancarani then cuts to what they’re looking at; a big warehouse full of birds of prey flying around. Then it’s your turn to feel surprised as you’re treated to a full 5 minute shot of this peculiar warehouse. Welcome to the life of the richest Sheiks of Qatar.

First you’ll be amazed by the weird things these rich Sheiks own. One Sheikh hops into a Lamborghini with his pet Cheetah sitting in the front seat on a leash. Then you’ll meet a group of Sheiks motorbiking through the desert on golden Harley Davidsons. Or maybe you’ll be surprised by a mass of 4 wheel drives speeding across sand dunes like surf boarders. It’s not a world that you’ll be used to (unless you’re a rich Qatari yourself) and the vibrant cinematography enhances the opulence.

However, as the film progresses, there’s one emotion that seems consistent with all the wealthy sheiks on screen. They all seem to be fighting boredom. This is even more noticeable with the complete absence of dialogue. As even though they take part in all these different activities, it still appears that it’s not interesting enough to talk about. There’s one particular scene where this is particularly obvious. There’s one Sheikh who’s on his knees in the middle of a room tending to a bird of prey and surrounding him are a load of Sheiks sitting slumped on cushions around the edge of the room. None of them look interested in the guy in the middle of the room. But none of them also look like they can be bothered to move to try and find something else to do. Does too much money equal boredom?

Conclusion and What to Watch Next

Whilst you may be put off by some of the long shots and sudden movements of the ‘bird cams’ you should be able to appreciate the cinematography of the film. The vibrant colours and sunsets caught on film only add to the opulent lifestyle that will be so foreign to many of us.

If you’re looking for a more political Middle Eastern film, I recommend checking out Ajami or Sandstorm from Palestine and Israel.

However, if you’re looking for more opulence, you should check out the Academy Award winner, The Great Beauty (Amazon rental) from Italy.