Best Films of 2023

As 2024 draws to a close and Best of 2024 Film Lists are published, I am finally ready to publish an updated Best of 2023 list. It has taken me almost two years to catch up with many of the worthy 2023 films. This list updates the previous 2023 list.

Best Films of 2023

1. Past Lives (USA/South Korea, Celine Song)

A tender emotionally beautiful film. Like a soothing piece of music.

2. La Chimera (Italy/France/Switzerland/Turkey, Alice Rohrwacher)

A warm shape shifting film that tugs at both the mind and heart.

3. Close Your Eyes (Spain/Argentina, Victor Erice)

Erice returns after a long spell to deliver pure cinema! A film that reminds of cinema’s power to evoke memories. The kind of cinema that feels rare nowadays.

4. Eureka (Argentina co-production, Lisandro Alonso)

Another exciting cinematic work from a master filmmaker. Alonso expands his lens in a manner that recalls the hyperconnected world of Eduardo Williams' The Human Surge.

5. The Taste of Things (France/Belgium, Trần Anh Hùng)

A lovely film that takes us on a food journey from growing ingredients to careful food preparation ending with pleasures of food consumption. The film is also a tender love story forged over food and extends the statement “that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Because in this film, a man also cooks for a woman, thereby making the kitchen an equal space for men-women to neatly perform their food dance.

6. Godzilla Minus One (Japan, Takashi Yamazaki)

Shin Godzilla was about logistics and problem solving while Godzilla Minus One smartly builds on that and depicts how to use engineering to solve a very large Godzilla problem.

7. Laapataa Ladies (India, Kiran Rao)

Kiran Rao and writers Biplab Goswami, Divyanidhi Sharma, Sneha Desai have done an outstanding job by seamlessly stitching socially relevant topics within the fabric of a humorous comedic film.

8. The Delinquents (Argentina/Luxembourg/Brazil/Chile, Rodrigo Moreno)

Takes the bank fraud at core of the 1949 Argentine film Apenas un delincuente and transforms it into a languid stroll through the countryside.

9. How to have Sex (UK/Greece/France/Belgium, Molly Manning Walker)

At first, this appears to be cut from the same cloth as Spring Breakers but the film digs deeper into how men can still circumvent consent in a post #MeToo world.

10. 12th Fail (India, Vidhu Vinod Chopra)

It is hard to believe that Vidhu Vinod Chopra, a major name in Indian Cinema, has made one of the best films of his career at the age of 70 (he is 71 now). 12th Fail is a film stripped of any fat and with a singular focus. The struggles of exams and getting a job in India have been documented in cinema before but Chopra has infused the film with plenty of hope.  Part of the reason for that could be that the film is based on the real life story of Manoj Kumar Sharma and Shraddha Joshi and highlights how that there was always a ray of hope around the corner for the main character despite many pitfalls.

Honourable Mentions (in order of preference):

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (India, Arjun Varain Singh)

A highly relevant contemporary film that depicts impact of social media on current generation. The film is set in Mumbai but the scenarios and characters can be found in most internet-connected nations around the world.

Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Vietnam co-production, Thien An Pham)

An earthy interpretation of Apichatpong’s spiritual cinema.

La Cancha (Canada, Mustafa Uzuner)

Mustafa Uzuner lovingly depicts how a community basketball court in Montreal can be a meditation on life and social connections. Pure cinema.

Io Capitano (Italy/Belgium/France, Matteo Garrone)

A film that goes beyond the headlines and depicts the perilous journey of its two characters from Senegal to Italy. Garrone also shows how communities spring up and sustain characters in cities/nations that find themselves at centre of migration.

Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World (Romania co-production, Radu Jude)

One of the funniest films of the year that manages to take a dig at lengths corporations go to manufacture/sustain their social image. The constant social media attention of main character means she wouldn’t be out of place with the characters in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan.

Mast Mein Rehne Ka (India, Vijay Maurya)

Samsara (Spain,  Lois Patiño) 

Blackberry (Canada, Matt Johnson)

The Settlers (Chile co-production, Felipe Gálvez Haberle)

About Dry Grasses (Turkey/France/Germany/Sweden, Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

Worthy 2022 films seen in 2024: 

Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (India, Lijo Jose Pellissery)

Trenque Lauquen (Argentina/Germany, Laura Citarella)

The Beasts (Spain/France, Rodrigo Sorogoyen)

Showing Up (USA, Kelly Reichardt)

Zwigato (India, Nandita Das)

Uses an example of a food delivery worker to provide a smart commentary on plight of workers in our current tech savvy app driven world.

Top Argentine Films of All Time

As Argentina and Messi prepare to defend their Copa America, I wanted to do a Top Argentine film list. This isn’t a comprehensive list by any means since majority of the Argentine films I have seen start from the late 1990s with the onset of New Argentine Cinema. Three decades (1990-2023) isn’t enough to cover proper ground but over the last year, I have started to fill in the gaps by trying to watch Argentine films from the 1940s-60s. Therefore, this list will change over the next year.

For now, going into Copa America 2024, here are my starting 11 films with 5 honourable mentions looking to sub in if needed.

Top 11 Argentine Films of all time:

1. Zama (2017, Lucrecia Martel)
2. The Official Story (1985, Luis Puenzo)
3. Extraordinary Stories (2008, Mariano Llinás)
4. Invasion (1969, Hugo Santiago)
5. Liverpool (2008, Lisandro Alonso)
6. Bolivia (1999, Israel Adrián Caetano)
7. Mundo grúa / Crane World (1999, Pablo Trapero)
8. Apenas un delincuente / Hardly a Criminal (1949, Hugo Fregonese)
9. The Hour of the Furnaces (1968, Octavio Getino, Fernando E. Solanas)
10. Nueve reinas / Nine Queens (2000, Fabián Bielinsky)
11. Prisioneros de la tierra / Prisoners of the Earth (1939, Mario Soffici)

5 Honourable Mentions (in no order):
Bombón: El Perro (2004, Carlos Sorín)
Son of the Bride (2001, Juan José Campanella)
Pizza, birra, faso / Pizza, Beer and Cigarettes (1998, Israel Adrián Caetano/Bruno Stagnaro)
Silvia Prieto (1999, Martín Rejtman)
Trenque Lauquen (2022, Laura Citarella)

New Argentine Cinema

New Argentine Cinema: Rebirth of a Nation’s Film Industry

The Calgary Cinematheque’s focus on 21st Century Argentine Cinema highlights a diverse collection of contemporary directors associated with the New Argentine Cinema. While films of the New Argentine Cinema were not part of a unified movement like the French New Wave or Brazilian Cinema Novo, they were united by a desire to depict original creative stories that broke away from the past yet still maintained a foothold in Argentine society. Famous Argentine directors such as Adrián Caetano, Bruno Stagnaro, Pablo Trapero, Martín Rejtman, Daniel Burman, Lisandro Alonso, Lucrecia Martel, the late Fabián Bielinsky, Carlos Sorin and Matías Piñeiro all started making their movies when Argentina was either in the midst of an economic crisis or just coming out of one. Powered by fresh new ideas, their diverse films helped restore Argentina’s cinematic identity both nationally and on the global stage.

The collective process of filmmaking in New Argentine Cinema did not happen overnight but took almost two decades as Argentine cinema had to rebuild itself after local cinema had lost its voice and the film industry almost ground to a complete halt in the late 1980’s-early 1990’s. Between 1976-83, Argentine cinema was restricted to a limited number of film productions per year under the rule of the military dictatorship. Once the dictatorship ended in 1983, the Argentine film industry was finally able to make works that examined the impacts of the dictatorship or the ‘Dirty War’, a term which described the subversive tactics used by the military to torture, assassinate or kidnap opposing political voices. The most famous of these films about the dictatorship, Luis Puenzo’s The Official Story (1985), won an Academy Award in 1986. Film production showed signs of recovery in the mid 1980’s but production hit a snag after the Argentine Currency crisis of 1989, an event that resulted in film production falling to numbers lower than even under the dictatorship years. However, a series of events in the early 1990’s ensured the seeds for a future awakening of cinema had been planted. Demetrios Matheou outlines three of these key events in The Faber Book of New South American Cinema. First, the establishment of the Universidad del Cine paved the way for future generations of film directors and many of the nation’s current top directors, such as Lisandro Alonso, Bruno Stagnaro, Pablo Trapero, Matías Piñeiro, graduated from there. Second, the creation of the 1994 New Cinema Law helped open up a new source of revenue for the newly created Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (INCAA) ensuring independent films could be made. Third, the sponsorship in 1995 of a short-film competition, Historias Breves, resulted in many young directors getting a chance to make their short films and also establish connections with other like-minded filmmakers. It was at this short film competition that Daniel Burman, Lucrecia Martel, Adrián Caetano and Bruno Stagnaro met each other and started sharing ideas. Film production started to increase in the late 1990‘s although most of the films were Hollywood-inspired productions. However, just as the 1990‘s were about to end, a New Argentine cinema started to take flight, starting with Adrián Caetano and Bruno Stagnaro’s Pizza, birra, faso (Pizza, Beer and Cigarettes,1998) and Pablo Trapero’s Mundo Grúa (Crane World) in 1999. These young directors came with a unique perspective and their cinema broke away from the conventional mould that existed previously. Pizza, Beer and Cigarettes and Crane World were shot in extended takes and depicted characters and events in a vérité manner that bordered on documentary. These two films had roots in Italian neo-realist cinema and incorporated Argentina’s social and economic realities. The economic crisis of 1998-02 impacted Argentine society drastically and these films embraced the harsh reality and stitched it within their framework to depict youth and workers struggling to make ends meet. Adrián Caetano continued this examination with his 2001 film Bolivia which examined the simmering anger regarding unemployment and the distrust towards foreigners coming into the country. Caetano, Stagnaro and Trapero showed that their films didn’t exist in a bubble but were fully immersed in contemporary society. Once these directors took an alternate path, others followed and examined Argentine society with their own unique visions.

It has been just over two decades since the establishment of the New Cinema Law and INCAA. The impact of these efforts have helped ensure that Argentine Cinema is no longer isolated from the world. In addition, the film themes have also evolved from purely Argentine stories to works that contain universal themes. For the last 15 years, many of the New Argentine Cinema works have screened at numerous international film festivals around the globe. Calgary has shown works of Daniel Burman and Carlos Sorin as part of either the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) or Calgary Latin Wave. However, their films were screened in isolation with no unifying thread to link the works with each other. There existed a need to finally shine the spotlight on New Argentine Cinema and present a collection of works from some of the more established names who are inspiring a new generation of directors around the world. In this regard, the Calgary Cinematheque’s four-film series offers a chance to closely look at some of these established directors. All the films selected were made in the 21st Century as Argentina was emerging from their economic crisis. The four films, Jauja (Lisandro Alonso), The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel), Bombón: El Perro (Carlos Sorin) and Viola (Matías Piñeiro), are by directors associated with different regions of Argentina. These directors themes and styles range from a vérité style to a cinema inspired by theatre and literature. Lisandro Alonso’s stunning visual style arises from his decision to set almost all films outside cities, away from the everyday noise and traffic of city life. Alonso’s films take place in nature, such as a farm (La Libertad), a forest/river (Los Muertos), snowy mountains/sea (Liverpool) and a desert (Jauja), allowing his camera the freedom to explore the natural surroundings thereby creating a beautiful visual language. The only feature film he depicted in a city, Fantasma, takes place entirely inside the Teatro San Martin, a Buenos Aires theatre, where the city is only visible via the giant glass windows in the lobby. Prior to Jauja, his films contained lonely male characters who made their way through nature, either going about their daily lives or trying to repair their past. However, Jauja is an exciting departure for Alonso as it highlights what a talented auteur can accomplish with a larger cast and a major star (Viggo Mortensen). On the other hand, Lucrecia Martel’s films are packed with multiple characters and are entirely city-based. In her case, the films take place in Salta, a city located in the North West region of Argentina where she was born. In her films, the settings are large houses and the stories depict class divisions in society with a witty combination of satire and drama. No one is spared in Martel’s films as she ensures the attentive camera captures all relevant details. Carlos Sorin is identified with Patagonia, located in the southern part of Argentina, a region where he has filmed four of his features, starting with Intimate Stories, Bombón: El Perro, The Window and his last feature Gone Fishing. Each film contains a beautiful layer of emotions while following fully developed characters on journeys across the picturesque Patagonian landscapes. Buenos Aires forms the backdrop for Matías Piñeiro’s films but one doesn’t really notice the presence of the city in his work. The characters may live in a city but the city does not impose on their lives. Instead, their lives revolve around art and theatre. In this regard, Piñeiro has skillfully created a world within a world in his films which are richly influenced by theatre and literature, something which sets him apart from the other contemporary Argentine directors. In his recent films, the influence of Shakespeare can be felt such as in Rosalind (Shakespeare’s As You Like It), Viola (The Twelfth Night) and his recent The Princess of France (Love Labour’s Lost). Yet, his films are not direct adaptations but show how text from Shakespeare’s plays can serve as creative inspirations.

The earlier works of New Argentine Cinema started off by holding up a mirror towards Argentine society and giving voices to people and stories that were previously suppressed. Newer works still have roots in Argentine society but are looking outwards toward the world and presenting stories that are universal. As a result, people from different parts of the world can relate to these Argentine films. For example, Lisandro Alonso’s films are undeniably associated with Argentine landscapes but the depiction of closure and redemption sought by his characters are universal traits. Similarly, Martel’s films examine class divisions in society but the behaviour and actions of her characters can take place in any country where there is a significant financial divide between people. Emotions play a big part in Carlos Sorin’s films which is why his films can evoke powerful reactions around the world. In Bombón: El Perro, Sorin depicts a tender relationship between a man and his dog and as a result, the film perfectly illustrates why a dog is such a worthy companion to humans. On the other hand, Piñeiro’s films captures the world of art and theatre. As a result, Piñeiro’s films could easily be set in any city where art and theatre flourish. The four films selected by the Cinematheque give a glimpse into Argentine society as well as highlight the unique filmmaking style of New Argentine Cinema. The initial films of New Argentine Cinema started with inspiration from neo-realist Italian cinema with stories born out of Argentina’s economy crisis. Now, newer Argentine films have developed their own film language and are in turn referenced in global film festivals. Any film set in Patagonia will be forever linked to Carlos Sorin while any film which features contemplative shots of lonely men walking in nature will be compared to the cinema of Lisandro Alonso. The Argentine works selected by the Calgary Cinematheque offers a unique chance to understand some of Argentina’s past while offering a glimpse into both contemporary and future cinematic trends.

Cross-published on the Calgary Cinematheque's website.

Best Films of 2014

10 months into 2015, I finally have a better handle on the films of 2014. Therefore, a correction is due for the previously published ‘Best films of 2014’ list which featured a good number of 2013 films. The following list is exclusively 2014 films and is a reworking of the previous ‘Best of 2014’ list.

1. Timbuktu (Mauritania/France, Abderrahmane Sissako)

At its core, TIMBUKTU is about how people from a different nation or culture try to impose their ways onto another culture. At first, this description illustrates problems currently plaguing parts of Asia and Africa. However, this problem is not new and has existed for centuries when ancient cultures clashed and one culture tried to impose their way onto others. Sissako has infused his film with plenty of dark satire which results in a few comical scenarios, yet the implications are nothing to laugh at. For example, in one scene, the militants want the local women to cover every part of their body, including wearing gloves on their hands. Yet, as one fish seller points out, she cannot handle the fish if she is wearing gloves. Her protests draw attention to the absurdity of the situation yet similar situations happen everyday where people are killed for not listening to the absurd demands of their invaders. Another such absurd moment happens when the militants forbid the local boys from playing soccer. This results in one of the most beautiful scenes in the film where the kids play soccer without a ball. The kids move around pretending they are passing an invisible ball or taking a shot at goal. This scene is one of the most powerful political protests ever filmed in cinema.

TIMBUKTU shows that victims of violence don’t get any justice. Therefore, this causes individuals to take the law into their hands, an aspect which ensures a perpetual circle of violence as each violent act is countered with an equal forceful response. In order to emphasize this point, Sissako purposefully has an an air of inevitability around the film. If there was a film where one wished for a happen ending, this was it. Yet, Sissako purposely rejects us that happiness because in real life there are no happy endings.

2. The Tribe (Ukraine/Netherlands, Miroslav Slaboshpitsky)

TIMBUKTU has one powerful silent scene featuring a non-existent soccer ball but THE TRIBE is a silent film that is powerful from start to finish. It takes a few moments for the viewer to get adjusted to the world of characters who communicate with sign language. There are no subtitles or musical cues to aid the viewer, an aspect that adds to the film’s strength. However, once the viewer is drawn into the silent world, the film doesn’t let go. Shocking scenes happen without notice resulting in a work of pure cinema that is intense, relentless and gut-wrenching.

3. Jauja (Argentina co-production, Lisandro Alonso)

In his previous films, Lisandro Alonso has shown characters in a farm, forest, snowy mountain regions and a river. Therefore, it is appropriate he sets JAUJA in a hot desert thereby covering all aspects of nature in his films. The lonely man aspect from his previous films is present but Alonso also adds a lovely element of family relationships that gives the film a strong emotional backbone. This family element also allows Alonso to play with the aspect of time. In films such as LOS MUERTOS, LIVERPOOL, Alonso’s male characters go on a journey in order to make amends for their past. However, in JAUJA, Alonso skillfully blends past, present and future in a beautiful unexpected manner.

4. The Fool (Russia, Yuriy Bykov)

Yuriy Bykov cleverly uses a building’s collapse to explore larger moral and ethical issues around society. The closed door meetings between city officials show how corruption can take root in a society and impact citizens in their day to day existence. Even though the film is set in Russia, its topic is applicable to any city and shows how easy it is for those in power to cross the morality line.

5. She Comes Back on Thursday (Brazil, André Novais Oliveira)

André Novais Oliveira makes his feature film debut in a remarkable manner by blending documentary with fiction. He acts in the film along with his parents and brother and all four use their real names in the film. However, the four of them are not playing themselves but instead are acting within the framework of fiction. Still, SHE COMES BACK ON THURSDAY is constructed like a documentary, giving attention to tiny details about life and relationships. The close bond between the family members results in scenes which flow effortlessly allowing audience an intimate look at the characters. The everyday sounds that are allowed to flow in the frames recalls Kleber Mendonça Filho’s NEIGHBORING SOUNDS but André Novais Oliveira has crafted his own unique path by opting to show a different side of Brazil from other Brazilian films. The setting of the film in the suburbs of Belo Horizonte showcases a Brazil that is not seen in cinema along with characters that don’t make an appearance in Brazilian films. Finally, the selection of the lovely music makes SHE COMES BACK ON THURSDAY a beautiful poetic film about life, love, death and everything in between.

6. August Winds (Brazil, Gabriel Mascaro)

Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro known for some groundbreaking documentaries (HIGH-RISE, DEFIANT BRASILIA) is able to transfer his attentive eye for detail into AUGUST WINDS, his feature film debut. The film blurs the line between documentary and fiction by using non-actors and being set in the North Eastern part of Brazil during the month of August when the trade winds are at their peak. Mascaro is also the film’s cinematographer and his eye-popping visuals along with distinct sounds helps create a strong atmosphere for the film which is a meditative look at life and death.

7. Fig Fruit and the Wasps (India, M.S Prakash Babu)

Gowri (Bhavani Prakash), a documentary filmmaker, travels with her cameraman Vittal (Ranjit Bhaskaran) to a remote village in search of a musical teacher for her project which requires her to study how music is shaped by different locations. She believes that there is a reason why musical instruments are shaped differently in each region and that difference in turn influences the evolution of music and rhythm. However, as they reach the village, the musician is nowhere to be found. The two are forced to wait for his return. As the two continue waiting, things don’t go as per their plan as the village offers an unusual challenge for the duo, even though they have traveled to many similar villages in the past. FIG FRUIT AND THE WASPS marks the stunning debut of MS Prakash Babu who draws on his painting background to create a vibrant picture of events, while carefully letting the sounds and rhythms of Chitradurga (South India) filter into the screen. The end result is an impressive debut that recalls the filmmaking sensibilities of Satyajit Ray, Ozu and Robert Bresson.

8. The Second Game (Romania, Corneliu Porumboiu)

THE SECOND GAME uses a simple premise of a dialogue between father-son watching a soccer game to highlight how politics can shape local soccer derbies. Of course, the dialogue is not between two ordinary people. Corneliu Porumboiu is discussing the 1988 fixture of the Romanian derby between Dinamo and Steaua Bucharest with his father Adrian, who was the referee for that game. Therefore, Adrian has plenty of insight regarding how the political aspect of Romanian society played a part in the derby. This film is also a rare historical account of a time when Romanian soccer players such Hagi, Dumitrescu, Petrescu and Lăcătuș played behind the Iron Curtain. The world only found out the full strength and technical ability of these players during the 1990 and 1994 Soccer World Cups. This film shows us a bit of their past. 

On a lighter note, in the film, Corneliu Porumboiu asks his father "Don't you think it [derby] looks like one of my films? It's long, and nothing happens”. The words are a direct poke towards critics of many foreign films and soccer games who don’t understand why every minute is not jam packed with action. Many Soccer games and works of Contemporary Contemplative Cinema gain their power by letting events unfold slowly and as a result, the patient viewer will be rewarded with a moment of blistering beauty.

9. From What is Before (Philippines, Lav Diaz)

After the short film NORTE, THE END OF HISTORY (only 4 hour running time), it is a pleasure to see Lav Diaz return to this long form cinema with the 5.5 hour FROM WHAT IS BEFORE. Diaz mixes politics and history with elements of murder and fear in a seamless manner. As a result, the film illustrates how fear is one of the most powerful currencies of a dictatorship, regardless of the nation which the dictatorship rules.

10. Two Days, One Night (Belgium/France/Italy, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)

Even by the high standard of the Dardenne brothers, TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT is a staggering achievement. The film depicts moral and ethical questions that are always present when money is involved. And in Marion Cotillard, the brothers have found a perfect face to convey the range of emotions from desperation to despair and even a touch of hope.

Honorable mentions:

Top Five (USA, Chris Rock)

This is Chris Rock’s BIRDMAN mixed with a bit of Richard Linklater. The end result is one of the most pleasurable films of 2014!

Court (India, Chaitanya Tamhane)

This is fiction yet it could easily be a documentary as everything shown about the Kafkaesque court system in India is true. One of the most creative Indian films made in the last few years!

Maidan (Ukraine/Netherlands, Sergei Loznitsa)

In the past, Loznitsa made some remarkable documentaries which used old footage to depict life in the Soviet Union. Therefore, it is exciting to see him bring that patient documentary eye to contemporary events. This results in a film that highlights the power of a crowd in creating change.

Clouds of Sils Maria (France/Germany/Switzerland, Olivier Assayas)

Oliver Assayas depicts the cut-throat film world where people will go to any lengths in order to get ahead. The film is a different beast from David Cronenberg’s MAP OF THE STARS which takes dark satire to melodramatic heights. On the other hand, Assayas firmly keeps one foot in reality in depicting his characters.

Eat Your Bones (2014, France, Jean-Charles Hue)

A work of astounding beauty and violence that is a brilliant cross between the cinema of Bruno Dumont, Harmony Korine and Claire Denis, enhanced with a layer of noir.

Plus the remaining 2014 films from the previous ‘Best of 2014’ list, which includes THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, WELCOME TO NEW YORK, LI’L QUINQUIN, GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM, JOY OF MAN’S DESIRING.

Lisandro Alonso

Some quick notes on all four of Lisandro Alonso’s features.

La Libertad (2001)
Los Muertos (2004)
Fantasma (2006)
Liverpool (2008)

All four films focus on a lonely male as he navigates his way through an environment. With the exception of Fantasma, the environment in the three other films is nature, free from the reach of any city, ranging from farmland, forests and mountains.

For a brief moment at the start of Liverpool, the camera is in a confined space but once Farrel leaves the ship, the camera soaks in the open spaced surroundings like it does in La Liberdad and Los Muertos.

Fantasma is the only film where a character, Argentino Vargas, the actor from Los Muertos, wanders within a confined space.

Argentino walks in a cinema hall before settling to watch a special screening of Los Muertos. The cinema hall setting is also the only city location depicted in any of Alonso’s films. However, the city is only viewed in tiny glances through the glass panels in the cinema’s lobby. Even this tiny glimpse of city life is a shocking aspect to find in an Alonso film. Lisandro’s other three features are devoid of people rushing from one place to another so it feels unnatural to see people walking at a brisk pace through the glass panels in Fantasma.

Fantasma

Even though Fantasma stands apart from the other three journey features, it forms a closed loop with Alonso’s first 2 features. Both the actors of La Libertad (Misael Saavedra) and Los Muertos (Argentino Vargas) are present in Fantasma while the cinema hall is playing Los Muertos. If Liverpool had not taken place in an open space, then Fantasma would have formed a natural trilogy with La Libertad and Los Muertos. However, in terms of location and style, La Libertad, Los Muertos and Liverpool form a natural trilogy. La Liberdad, Los Muertos and Liverpool evoke Bresson by depicting emotionless characters and stripping out any irrelevant details from the frame. The following quote from Robert Bresson applies to these three features:

One does not create by adding but by taking away.

Alonso’s films have removed any distractions from the frame thereby allowing an intense focus on a singular character.

Fantasma also deviates from the style of the other three features. The cinema hall in Fantasma evokes Tsai Ming-liang’s Goodbye, Dragon Inn and the large glass panels in the lobby and stairs remind of Tati.

Fantasma

Tati in Playtime

James Quandt’s excellent essay outlines this Tati connection in splendid detail:

But, oddly, it is Tati who most comes to mind in surveying the San Martín’s modernist horror of malfunctioning elevators, confounding staircases, and harshly lit hallways, rooms too ample or cramped, humanity subjugated to decor, architecture, mazes, and machinery. Like Tati, Alonso sees in this surrounding a kind of elegant inutility, a vast contraption in which people stumble, turn back, retrace their steps, push buttons that don’t work, tentatively position themselves in spaces not designed for their being, much less comfort. And, again like Tati, he embeds this vision of errant modernity in a musique concrète of mechanical sound: outside traffic; the whoosh, buzz, and hum of elevators; a computer whirring to life; an incessant, unanswered telephone; the squeal of an unoiled door; the roar of the projector showing Vargas the rural world of Los Muertos, with its contrasting quiet and cacophony of birds.

Alonso's new film (2014)

At first, the casting of Viggo Mortensen in Alonso's new film seemed to indicate a continuation of the lonely men journey structure but the following synopsis on imdb indicates otherwise:

A father and daughter journey from Denmark to an unknown desert that exists in a realm beyond the confines of civilization.

Related Reading

James Quandt’s article.

Michael Guillen’s interview.

Srikanth (JAFB) on the films of Alonso.

Cinema Scope’s interview.

Gabe Klinger’s 2005 article anticipated the rise of Alonso.

2010 Movie World Cup, Group B

Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece

Films: Liverpool, Without Shame, Like you Know it All, The Lost Monument



Argentina: Liverpool (2008, Lisandro Alonso)

Simple. Poetic. Liberating. Lisandro Alonso’s film is as beautiful and fluid as watching a perfect Messi goal.

Liverpool starts with a lonely man, Farrel, leaving a ship’s confined space and heading off into a vast open land. The purpose of Farrel’s journey is to seek closure by seeking out his past. The audience also makes this journey along with Farrel because Alonso’s flexible camera film allows one to breathe in the environment and take in all the sights and sounds.

This breath-taking film is easily a front runner for winning the movie world cup!

Nigeria: Without Shame (2005, Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen)

It was only appropriate to dig up a Nollywood title to represent Nigeria. In order to narrow down the search, I started off with the insightful Canadian documentary Nollywood Babylon. The documentary focuses on the films and methods of Lancelot, a film-maker with over 150 films to his name. I decided to pick a film at random from his collection and ended up with Without Shame.

Steve rebels against his father's (Ben) second wife Jenny and refuses to accept her as a mother. Steve's flirting activities bring him in conflict with Jenny leading her to leave the house. After Jenny’s departure, her sister, Nina, comes for a visit but wants to leave when she finds out that Jenny is no longer at the house. However, Ben calmly and causally asks Nina to stay because he does not have anyone to cook and clean the house. And to make things worse for Nina, both father and son rape her every night. When Jenny returns, Nina is too ashamed to admit anything and continues living in the household. The film ends with both father and son escaping from getting caught with their pants down. However, Ben and Steve learn about each other's sexual relationship with Nina. Without Shame 2 offers another complicated twist in the form of a second affair for Ben leading to three pregnancies before everything is resolved albeit in deadly fashion.

Without Shame is a soap opera packaged in two parts and serves as an example of the appeal that some Nollywood films have in their portrayal of familial issues and relationships.

South Korea: Like you Know it All (2009, Hong sang-soo)

Film Festival, movie directors, programmers, festival jury, alcohol, artists, food, love, lust, jealousy and rape. Sounds like an average film festival? or Hong sang-soo’s version of a film festival?

A film director's trip to a festival to be part of the jury leads into an unexpected diversion towards a long lost love surrounded by pit falls of affairs and alcohol fueled talk of art, inspiration and fame. Similar to Hong sang-soo’s Woman is the Future of Man, the conversations in Like you know it all are fluid and the words flow almost effortlessly. Ofcourse, it is alcohol and food that serves as a lubricant for ensuring that the characters loosen up and speak their mind and express their feelings, thereby moving the film through a series of sexual conquests obtained either by mutual consent or force.

A true delight of a film.

Greece: The Lost Monument (2009, Stefanos Tsivopoulos)

The only short film in the movie world cup but the film's beauty and simplicity makes every second count of the 27 minute running time.

A discovered statue of Harry Truman makes an extraordinary journey across Greece and Turkey, via land and water. Each person who discovers the statue has their own take on the identity of statue and its meaning. And through each leg of its journey, the lifeless construction presents a political angle no matter where it goes.

The most beautiful sequence takes place after the statue is pulled out from the ocean and the tired men gaze at it.

Additional Info: Film description and director’s notes.

Group Standings with a maximum of 9 points at stake

Liverpool (Argentina): 9
The Lost Monument (Greece): 8
Like you Know it All (Korea): 8
Without Shame (Nigeria): 4

Liverpool is a clear winner with the Greek short film edging out the Korean film by a narrow head-to-head count.

Note: Point Rules and criteria.

Soccer Group predictions

It will be interesting to see how Group B in the World Cup will compare with the movie world cup standings. Argentina should be a clear group winner despite any mistaken decisions that Maradona will make. After Argentina, it is a toss up to see which one of the other three will advance to the second round. The Greek team will be organized defensively but they may find goals hard to come by while Korea and Nigeria are not as strong as past tournaments. If I have to go for a 2nd place team, I will go with Greece.

Alonso vs Martel, 2nd Leg

The 1st leg between these two film-makers was summarized back in summer 2009 where Alonso's Los Muertos was the clear winner over Martel's La ciénaga.

The second leg was to feature Alonso's Liverpool vs Martel's The Headless Woman. The Martel feature was first out of the gate and found it much better than La ciénaga. Still, I felt that if Alonso's Liverpool was as good as Los Muertos, then he would easily be the winner.

It turns out that Alonso's Liverpool is much better than Los Muertos and as a result, his film easily wins the second leg over the Martel feature.

Space, Environment and Freedom

While both Martel and Alonso are very good directors, liking one over the other depends on personal choice. The reason I prefer Alonso is because his films allow one to breathe in the environment because his camera is very flexible in capturing space around his characters whereas Martel restricts space because she wants to get in close with not so nice rich characters, people who are not meant to be liked in the first place. Alonso’s characters are probably not nice either. The character, Vargas, in Los Muertos is released from Jail for murder while Farrel in Liverpool ran away from home committing a possible rape but since Alonso places a distance between audience and his characters, we can observe freely and objectively. Plus Alonso takes the audience on a ride through an Argentine country side we hardly see on screen whereas Martel's features are rooted in cities -- all three of Martel's features are filmed in Salta.

Parallels -- Land & Water

Both Los Muertos and Liverpool start with two lonely men leaving a confined space and heading off into a vast open land. Their modes of transportation vary a little as Los Muertos starts on land and then moves onto water (via a boat) while Liverpool starts on a ship and then moves onto land. Both films contain men trying to search for their past in order to find a closure. The ending of Liverpool signifies liberation as one can see all the weight from Farrel's shoulders drop off and he walks away lighter into the snowy landscape.

The lonely nature of Farrel's journey in Liverpool also reminds of the main character in Carlos Reygadas’ Japon. The two characters are almost mirrors of each other but with a different past and journey purpose. In Japon, the character wants to end his life whereas in Liverpool Farrel seeks closure so as to live the rest of his life in peace.

Essential Alonso Reading

Michael Guillen's excellent interview with Alonso at the Evening Class.

James Quandt's brilliant essay in Art Forum which overlooks all of Alonso’s works.

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The 2010 Movie World Cup

Argentina, in the form of Lisandro Alonso's Liverpool, is so far a leading contender for winning my movie world cup. Although there should be strong competition from Portugal (via Pedro Costa), Brazil, Germany, Spain and France. Interestingly, all these teams will be among the favourites in the summer soccer tournament as well.

Martel vs Alonso

The first leg: Los Muertos vs La ciénaga

I first read about a comparison between the two Argentine film-makers Lisandro Alonso and Lucrecia Martel in 2008 when their new works were doing the rounds in the film festival circuit. It seemed that some people preferred the style of one over the other. My only familiarity with either director was restricted to just one film, Alonso’s Los Muertos and Martel’s La ciénaga (The Swamp). One film is not enough to draw a conclusion. But if I had to give a view based on a solitary work, I would easily give the nod to Alonso. Los Muertos was poetry in motion. A beautiful film where the camera had full freedom to roam about and as a result, the audience could breathe and soak in the environment. Whereas, Martel’s The Swamp was cramped up in familial settings and only started to come to life near the end.

Second Leg: The Headless Woman vs Liverpool

So how would the second round fare? The first 10 minutes of Martel’s The Headless Woman are beautiful but that changes shortly because the main character Veronica is not meant to be adored. This is emphasized by Martel's decision to only focus the camera on Veronica’s face most of the time, even when other people are talking. At other times, the camera is focusing on her side profile or is just behind her shoulder giving us her line of sight. This is done on purpose to show that from Veronica's perspective the people around her not worthy of attention

This is a brilliant stroke from Martel as she wants the audience to experience the sense of dizziness and detachment that Veronica undergoes as a result of an accident early on the film. In addition, her film highlights the class difference in Argentine society as Veronica is well off and treats the constant supply of servants and caregivers around her without much thought. On occasions, the camera blurs out the view of these other characters trying to emphasize that these people are invisible to Veronica.

Overall, The Headless Woman is a much more dynamic and large scale work than The Swamp.

Unfortunately, I can't reach a final decision in the Martel vs Alonso match-up because I am still waiting to see Alonso’s Liverpool. Although if his film is as good as Los Muertos, then for me, Alonso would easily be the winner.