filmroot

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Extraordinary Stories (Argentina) – Storytelling at it’s Finest!

Extraordinary Stories Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

This is storytelling at it’s finest. If you’re a fan of Borges or Pynchon’s mysteries you’ll love this film. Save this 4 hour wonder for a long journey or break it up into three viewings (with the 2 intervals). You can even try watching it here on YouTube.

Image result for extraordinary stories film

Why Watch Extraordinary Stories?
  • To see another great Argentinian film which is up there with Wild Tales and Secret in their Eyes (not the Hollywood remake)
  • Witness storytelling at it’s finest!
  • If you want 4 hours to go quickly (perfect for a long journey), otherwise this film is broken into three parts so easy to break into multiple viewings
  • Perfect for fans of Borges or Pynchon!
The Breakdown

Extraordinary Stories starts with the story of X, a man walking down a road. He is walking to a nearby town, not really sure if he will find a job there. Whilst he is walking down the road, he witnesses a shootout in a farm field next to the road. Have the perpetrators seen him watching?

This opening episode makes up episode 1. Next up is the story of Z, a man who has just started a new job in a remote town. The third story centres a bet between two rivals.

Without giving anything more away, each of the three stories get more and more interesting and extraordinary as the film progresses. Each one progresses in 5-15 minute episodes and you are often left wanting to see more at the end, like a good TV series.

The strangest part is that you never really find out much about the three main protagonists (X, Z, and H). You never learn their name or their background; each of them remains a mystery. They reminded me of characters from a Borges short story or a Pynchon novel.

Conclusion

You won’t find storytelling better than this. I was skeptical about this 4 hour movie, but I couldn’t stop watching it after I hit play. The director gives you enough to pique your interest in each short episode, always leaving you wanting to watch more.

2

Ahlaam (Iraq) – Experience the Horror of the Iraq War

Ahlaam Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Amazingly, this film was the first film shot in Iraq following the end of the Iraq War. Even more amazingly, it does not hold back at all from showing the devastating effects of the war on Baghdad and it’s citizens. If you haven’t seen an Iraqi film before, go watch this one! But beware, it’s not something you can sit back and relax to with a big bag of popcorn.

Why Watch Ahlaam?
  • To watch a film from Iraq! How many Iraqi films have you seen?
  • For a chance to learn a bit about the effects of the war in Iraq
  • Experience an Iraqi wedding complete with music and lots of ululations
  • Witness the fall of Iraq from the eyes of regular Iraqi citizens
The Breakdown

Ahlaam starts with bombs falling on Baghdad 3 days before the fall of the city. Inside an asylum, the patients are startled and scared by the exploding bombs. It is obviously not a pleasant situation to be in.

The film follows the true story of three Iraqi people as the Iraq war starts. One is a soldier for the Iraqi army. Another is the happy fiancee of a local man. The last is a man training to be a doctor. They are all based in Baghdad and all lead happy lives in what they describe as a ‘beautiful city.’

Of course, from what we unfortunately now associate with Iraq (war), we assume their happiness is not going to last. The director, Mohamed Al-Dara, does his best to foreshadow the bleak future. Firstly, there’s the snippet of the patients in the mental asylum at the start before the film jumps back to before the start of the war. Secondly, there are just too many nice statements. When you hear someone say ‘Baghdad is beautiful,’ and another say that ‘one day military service will be but a memory’ it’s obvious that Baghdad will not be beautiful by the end of the film and the army will be ever present. It’s like Chekhov’s gun, when you introduce a gun, it will be fired.

Conclusion

By the end of the film you will see the effects of war on the regular citizen of the world. It’s well worth a watch, but probably not the best option for your first date!