Strands Best Films- Page 28 of 41

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After the Rehearsal (Sweden) – Bergman vs. Your Mind

After the Rehearsal Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Bergman is back on FilmRoot to play with your mind. What initially seems like an ordinary conversation between two characters becomes something that you start doubting. See if you can gauge whether the characters are acting or just having a regular conversation. Top marks to anyone that can decipher it!

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Why Watch After the Rehearsal?

For more Ingmar Bergman! We’ve already looked at Persona and Cries and Whispers so here’s more from the Swedish maestro!
If you love the theatre – this one has plenty of Strindberg references and even looks like a play
You love character focused dramas
It’s another film that messes with you (like in Persona and Mulholland Drive)

The Breakdown

After the Rehearsal starts with a shot of the floor which works its way across a carpet, up to a desk to show a man’s head lying on the desk. He is lingering on the stage set after the rehearsal to reflect. His narrative voice kicks in with an inner monologue reminiscent of Bergman’s opening to Wild Strawberries.

The man’s inner monologue is interrupted by an actress returning to the set to collect something she left behind. The man wants to carry on thinking, and whilst he politely greets the actress with his voice, his inner voice shouts at her to go away.

Unfortunately for him (and for the sake of entertainment) the young actress does not go away and they start talking. They talk about life and the future and other things. However, the manner they both show emotions and talk to each other becomes more and more unclear to us. Are the acting? Is the actress a figment of the man’s imagination? Or are they just chatting?

Conclusion

Bergman always likes to play with his audience (most notably in Persona) and he does it again here. In this film, he blurs the lines between life and acting. He even hints that the actress could just be a figment of the man’s imagination. What a trickster! This one is another classic Bergman to play with your head!

I recommend checking out the ‘Breaking Down Bergman’ YouTube channel after you’ve seen this film to find out more. Link here.

137

Manila – Welcome to the Dark Side of the City

Manila Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

If you’re looking for a dark portrayal of life in Manila, you’ve come to the right place. In Manila there’s social problems, political corruption, and injustice hidden behind the tropes of the Hollywood noir genre. You’ll meet a few characters of the city, but the focus is always on the city of Manila and its sounds, sights, and life.

From: Philippines, Asia
Watch: Trailer, Amazon Prime, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: From What is Before, Miles Ahead, Manila by Night

138

Dog Lady (Argentina) – Life on the Fringe of Society

Dog Lady Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Firstly, let me clarify that I had no expectations of Dog Lady before I started watching it. But luckily the message it carries is a great one. The present only gives clues of the past. Just because we can see people in the present doesn’t mean we know their past.

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Why Watch Dog Lady?

If you can watch dogs all day and never get bored
You’re interested to see how someone can make a film about a dog lady
You’re not sure what a dog lady is
To explore the meaning of life

The Breakdown

A middle aged woman is walking through a forest at dawn. It’s still pretty dark, but through the trees you can see a woman followed by a pack of 5 or 6 dogs. You only see her and the dogs through the branches as if we are spying on her. She takes out a slingshot and tries to hunt some food. This is our Dog Lady!

So what is a middle aged woman doing hunting for food in a forest in the early hours of the morning? Judging by her dirty clothes, encampment near the forest, and dog friends she must be homeless. But luckily the film doesn’t let us hold that prejudice.

We never learn about the past life of our nameless dog lady. Even though there are clues where she has come from (which you’ll see from her visit to the city) the director never gives us a past to give us a definite answer. Because of this, she remains anonymous and foreign to us, and someone who can be easily categorised. But as with all homeless people, there is always something you cannot see from simply looking at them.

Conclusion

Dog Lady never gives away enough about it’s protagonist for us to really understand who they are. Instead, the anonymity of our protagonist makes her a symbol of the homeless in Argentina and the world. We only see clues as to why she is living this way but never the full truth. Just because we see the present doesn’t mean we know the past.

139

Atlantiques (Senegal) – Get to Grips with the Perils of Illegal Immigration

Atlantiques Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Have you ever met someone who has crossed an Ocean/Sea in a canoe to find work? Here’s your chance to find out more about why some choose to migrate illegally, and about the perilous journey’s they take to find work. Watch Atlantiques for free here (Amazon – link may expire by 22.04.18).

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Why Watch Atlantiques?

Learn why some people choose to illegally migrate to Europe
Hear about the perilous journeys some immigrants take
To put yourself in the shoes of an immigrant and question what you might do if you had nothing to eat
It’s a short film directed by a female director!

The Breakdown

One day, Serigne chose to board a pirogue (a big canoe, often with sails) to travel from Senegal to Europe. The journey almost killed him. Waves as high as multi-story buildings whipped the pirogue that he was on making him feel like he was in a building that was tumbling to the ground. Simply put, the journey illegal immigrants undertake is often not pleasant.

Plus, the journey isn’t always the worst part…

You could reach your destination after a perilous and often expensive journey and immediately getting deported.
You have to say goodbye to your family, not knowing if you’ll ever come back home and see them again.

So why do so many people try and migrate every year? Serigne migrated because he had nothing but dust in his pockets and his family didn’t have anything to eat. Migrating was his attempt to put himself in a position to be able to feed his starving family.

How Mati Diop uses setting to bring the character’s and audience closer together

Most of the film is shot around a camp fire where Serigne and his friends debate migration and tell each other their experiences. It’s an intimate setting which draws us closer into their conversation and closer to their thoughts and experiences. Mati Diop deliberately chooses this setting because it brings the audience closer to the characters and to illegal immigration. By introducing us to Serigne (an illegal immigrant) in an intimate setting, we are more likely to sympathise with him and his experience, rather than judge him and illegal immigration without trying to understand it.

Conclusion and What to Watch Next

For more Senegalese film, check out the brilliant Black Girl , the story of one Senegalese girl brought to France to work for a French family. It’s full of injustice and currently available to watch here on YouTube.

If you’re interested in seeing more films about illegal immigration, check out the Central American thriller Sin Nombre. Also check out the brilliant Ali: Fear Eats the Soul and the family friendly Paddington (Amazon) for films about the migrant experience.

140

Kings of Mulberry Street – Pan African Film Festival 2020

Kings of Mulberry Street feels like it could have been your 9 year old self’s favorite film. A film that your parents would happily let you watch when you’ve grown out of Disney animation, or that your teachers might put on at school when it’s raining at break-time. A film that the adults would end up staying to watch it with you, because it’s a fun coming-of-age story that everyone can enjoy, set in an Indian community in South Africa.

The first minute immediately sets the tone for the rest of the film. It’s where we first meet 11 year old Ticky dancing along to a classic Bollywood action film projected on the big screen in front of him. He knows all the words and all the action routines. He wants to be the next Amitabh Bachchan, and judging by his confidence, his dreams don’t look too farfetched. The opening establishes Ticky’s charisma and energy; a playful energy and humor that carries through Kings of Mulberry Street.

In the next scene we meet his future sidekick Harold, a chubby kid spoiled by his single dad. They’re posh Indians, as demonstrated by their knitted jumpers and English accents. Harold’s dad even pop quizzes his son on his spelling on their way to their new house. They arrive in Ticky’s neighborhood and immediately try to stay away from mingling with any of the neighbors. Even though they’ve just moved to the hood, and the dad is now writing obituaries for a little local paper, they still see themselves as better then everyone else. They’re the stereotypical wannabe English upper class, complete with the stiff upper lips, that want to stay away from anyone that might disrupt their peace and quiet (see Elton’s dad in Rocketman or Stevens in Remains for the Day for two examples). However, despite Harold’s dad’s efforts to keep him from mixing with the local rabble, inevitably, Harold and Ticky become best friends.

Ticky is Harold’s antidote to his reserved ‘English’ inspired father. He helps him break from his dad’s mold to become ‘more Indian’. Ticky teaches him Indian slang, feeds him Indian food, and introduces him to his big family. Bu,t most importantly, Ticky introduces him to Bollywood film, whose heroes provide the inspiration for them to take back their bike from the local crime boss. In welcoming Harold into the community, Ticky helps tug Harold away from the bland English culture that his father lives by, and into the colorful Indian culture that helps dispel his loneliness. It also helps to break their class boundaries by connecting them through their shared cultural roots. It’s a heartwarming message at the center of a fun coming of age film.

Head to our Pan African Film Festival Hub for more reviews and short films from the Pan African Film Festival 2020.