Strands Best Films- Page 2 of 41

Nobody Knows – Children Forced to Become Adults

Nobody Knows Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Nobody Knows is one of the most moving and heart breaking films I’ve seen. You’ll meet some children treated as baggage (very literally in the opening scene) by their irresponsible mother. They’re left at home alone to fend for themselves for long periods forcing them to learn and do everything themselves. In this film, the adults are childish and the kids are forced to become adults to survive.

From: Japan, Asia
Watch: Trailer, JustWatch
Next: Shoplifters, Grave of the Fireflies, The Florida Project

City of God – Get Involved in the Drug Dealing Gangs of Rio

City of God Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

“If you run, the beast catches you; if you stay, the beast eats you”

Opening the film with a chicken chase, City of God is the most gripping history of drug-wars in the Rio de Janeiro favelas that anyone could hope for.

From: Brazil, South America
Watch: Trailer, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon, Netflix
Next: Elite Squad, El Infierno, Traffic

Man With A Movie Camera – Cinematic Innovation from Soviet Russia

Man With A Movie Camera Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Man With A Movie Camera is one of the most influential films from the silent era. Made in 1929 by Dziga Vertov, it uses a range of effects that have been copied throughout the existence of cinema. It was one of the first to employ rapid cutting, split screens, slow motion, and dissolves. It also threw in a load of magic through messing with perspective, using stop motion, and literally having magicians on screen. All the effects come together to create a work imbued with excitement for the potential of modernity to change Russia and the world. This film feels like a celebration of life bottled up in a time capsule from 1920’s urban Russia.

From: Russia, Europe
Watch: Kanopy, YouTube, JustWatch
Next: Battleship Potemkin, I Am Cuba, Metropolis

Oldboy – THE Revenge Thriller to Rule them All

Oooweee you are in for a treat. Oldboy is the best revenge film you can find in the 21st century, let alone South Korea. Prepare yourself for a witches brew of 1 part The Truman Show, 1 part Memento, and 1 part “what the f**k! Park Chan-wook has made one crazy movie!

Oldboy Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

You’re in for a treat. Oldboy is the best revenge film you can find in the 21st century, let alone South Korea. Prepare yourself for a witches brew of 1 part The Truman Show, 1 part Memento, and 1 part “what the f**k! Park Chan-wook has made one crazy movie!

From: South Korea, Asia
Watch: Trailer, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: The Truman Show, Memento, Le Samourai

Europa – Darkness in Post-War Germany

Europa Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

If you want to get an idea of how life was in Germany after the Second World War, Europa is your film. It recreates the inevitably nightmarish environment in a country shrouded by the horrors it has committed. It’s inventive, creative, and amazingly dark.

From: Germany, Europe
Watch: Trailer, Buy on Amazon
Next: Wings of Desire, Children of Men, Persona