Strands Best Films- Page 19 of 41

Illumination (Poland) – Search for Life’s Meaning in this Experimental Film

Illumination Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

If you love film and philosophy, Illumination might be the film for you. It’s like watching an existential essay: you’ll follow the main character as he stumbles through life trying to find meaning. It’s experimental and brilliant. Watch the film here (Buy on Amazon).

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Why Watch Illumination?

You love philosophy (bonus points if you love existential philosophy)
Or if you love science (some parts are not for the squeamish)
Or if you don’t know what to do with your life and want to watch someone else who struggles to find meaning in theirs
It’s experimental – the editing will remind you of Bergman’s Persona (if you haven’t seen Persona watch it now)

The Breakdown

“What is illumination? Illumination is a term and concept of Augustine. We obtain knowledge by an enlightenment of the mind.”

The film starts by musing what the meaning of illumination is. Then it cuts to a half naked man taking a medical check. The camera cuts from a close up of his hand to a close up of his foot. Then someone asks the male subject for his name, his surname, his place of birth, height, and weight. In this opening, Zanussi (the director) reduces Franciszek to his physical being before we’ve had a chance to get to know him. This raw physical being is the starting point of this philosophical film essay.

After we meet Franciszek the film flashes to ‘reality’. You’ll see footage of the moon landing, and troops marching ready for war. These images quickly provide us with context. From them we can assume that the film is set in the late 1960s/early 1970s during the Cold War between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. These cuts of footage are also included to disrupt the rhythm of the film. Zanussi includes a lot of interjections like this in his film to intentionally jumble up the story. His intention is to show us the mess of images we see during our lifetimes and to make it difficult to follow the film, to reflect the struggle to find meaning in life.

Conclusion and What to Watch Next

There is a story-line in Illumination (the story of Franciszek) but it is hard to follow. Zanussi only uses Franciszek’s life as a framework for the film’s progression. Franciszek’s struggle to find enlightenment is the framework for the film’s commentary on the world’s struggle to find meaning in life. (Warning: you may be filled with existential angst/dread when watching this film).

First up, you need to watch Ingmar Bergman’s Persona if you haven’t already. It’s one of the best explorations of the human psyche (and at a level above David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive).

For more from Zanussi, I strongly recommend watching The Structure of Crystal before this one. It’s easier to watch and is one of those films that makes you feel at peace with life and death (a bit like Wild Strawberries).

Or for more straight up philosophy check out the stream of conscious genius of My Dinner With Andre.

This is Not a Film – Film-Making Under House Arrest

This is Not a Film Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Panahi is an inspiration for the film industry. He made This is Not a Film whilst under government orders not to make a film (after being charged with making propaganda against the Iranian government). Luckily, Panahi cannot simply stop making films, it’s part of his nature. Also, luckily, someone smuggled this gem out of Iran on a flash drive hidden inside a cake. So consider yourself lucky that you can watch this film!

From: Iran, Asia
Watch: Trailer, Buy on Amazon, Kanopy
Next: Taxi Tehran, Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania, Lost in La Mancha

The Dead and the Others – Running From Your Destiny

The Dead and the Others Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

The Dead and the Others follows Ihjãc, a 15 year old indigenous Krahô father. After his own father dies, he starts to hear voices and receives a visit from the legendary macaw, a signal of the start of his transformation into a shaman. However, instead of accepting his duty, he runs away to a white Brazilian cowboy town a day’s drive away from his community. It’s here, isolated from his people that he faces the reality of being an indigenous person in contemporary Brazil.

In a way, The Dead and the Others feels like a prequel to Maya Da-Rin’s The Fever. Both films are directed by outsiders filming indigenous people in Brazil, but whereas The Dead and the Others centers on a young person leaving his community, The Fever centers on a middle aged man that has already left his community that starts being drawn back to it through visions and the prejudices he faces in ‘white’ Brazil. Both I believe are two great films to watch to get a glimpse into the indigenous experience in Brazil. However, take this opinion with a pinch of salt as I haven’t had the opportunity yet to watch any indigenous films from Brazil actually told by indigenous people. Please let me know if you have any recommendations!

From: Brazil, South America
Watch: Short Clip, JustWatch, Mubi
Next: Land of Ashes, Zama, A Fever

The Towrope (Colombia) – Can You Hide from the Colombian Civil War?

The Towrope Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Could you escape from the Colombian Civil War? Even in the remote parts of Colombia where The Towrope is set, the effects of the Civil War are unavoidable. It seems like everyone knows someone who has been affected by the conflict. However, the part of Colombia in The Towrope is like another world. Welcome to the grey skies and cold rain you don’t see on the Colombian guide books.

Why Watch The Towrope?

To see more evidence of the beautiful, diverse landscape of Colombia (for more evidence see Colours of the Mountain and Embrace of the Serpent)
See how the landscape becomes an extra character (like the sparse desert landscape of New Mexico in Breaking Bad)
Learn how the Civil War has permeated all parts of Colombia
See what it’s like to live in the remote countryside without electricity

The Breakdown

The Towrope starts with the silhouette of a limp figure hanging from a stake. It’s dawn, and the sky is so grey that it’s impossible to see if it’s a dead person or a scarecrow; either a sign of the civil war or a sign of fertility.

It’s not people, but the landscape that sets the tone of this film. The grey sky and persistent rain is not the sunny, hot Colombia that foreigners probably think of. The lake they live by is empty and quiet and not full of tourists or visitors. The landscape and weather defines the life of the locals. They have to continually fix their houses to withstand the weather and their movement and freedom is limited by the lake.

The gloomy weather compliments the dark backdrop of the Civil War. 19 year old Alicia arrives at her Uncle’s house on the lake after her hometown was destroyed by the Civil War. It’s not clear if her family have been killed or abandoned. Her Uncle reluctantly lets her stay with him but does not offer her much hospitality.

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Conclusion

This slow paced film masterfully builds tension. The sound of creaking floorboards and rain and wind battering the sides of the house ominously hint that trouble is nearby. All the signs of Civil War are around, but nothing is explained in any detail. It’s not clear how they have been affected by the Civil War and if danger is nearby. All we can do is keep guessing.

Akira – Visit a Dystopian Animated Tokyo

Watch this if:

You like Sci-fi and/or anime films
You want to visualise a Tokyo in a dystopian future
You love Motor Bikes!
The Matrix, Bladerunner, or Tron really got you going
You want to learn more about Japanese anime!

Akira Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Set in a dystopian future where society is crumbling, Akira is the anime equivalent of The Matrix. Pay attention to the superbly animated setting of ‘Neo-Tokyo,’ a city which resembles a mix of Bladerunner’s Los Angeles and the Hunger Games’ Panem. See the original before a Hollywood studio remakes their live-action version (which has been in the works for years at various Hollywood studios).

From: Japan, Asia
Watch: Trailer, Buy on Amazon
Next: The Matrix, Bladerunner, Tron