Did you know I watch only two TV channels? The ABC and SBS. I only watch them on demand on my Samsung TV. It’s like watching from an app on your tablet but much, much bigger, like 51-inch Plasma big. The reason why I don’t watch the other channels is mainly because of how much their news programs suck and also their TV series are not as interesting. If, however, I see something worth watching, I watch on catch-up TV online.
So what do I watch? Movies, mostly. I’ve always had a strong interest in Art House, Independent and Foreign Cinema, since I was very young, when I was in primary school. I remember going to the cinema in the mid 1980s with my mum’s cousin to watch my very first film on the big screen. It was the French Film Festival at the Alliance Française and it was indeed a French-language film Rue Cases Nègres (aka Sugar Cane Alley).
Anyway, foreign films opened my eyes and heart to foreign independent, art house films. Ever since, I’ve been watching – in between everything else – a fair bit of those types of films.
Quick reviews
I, ANNA
This film is adapted from Elsa Lewin’s 1984 novel of the same name. Written and directed as a modern, noirish thriller, I, ANNA is the psychological story of a lonely, aging woman still coming to terms with her divorce as well as trying to get her life back. She attends a singles party, meets a man and her life is turned upside down after he is bludgeoned to death that same night. Who killed him? Is Anna involved? Why was his stepson so angry and panicky? What happens when Anna bumps into the chief detective investigating the murder? Why are they hugging in this picture? Is this a hello? A good bye?
I prefer to think of I, ANNA as a character study. I love this kind of film that explores the character instead of the issue at hand – a murder. It’s about what they do, how the take it, how they react, the things they say, and so on. I feel such relief when I watch a ‘thriller’ but don’t have to suffer through overly-done special effects, car chasing and trigger-happy characters.
I quite enjoyed watching Gabriel Byrne. He’s a favorite of mine. Whichever story (good or poor) you throw at him, he puts his best into it and does a fantastic, powerful work with his portrayal of the character. As for Charlotte Rampling, I haven’t seen her in many films but she was very good in I, ANNA. She’s elegant and a pleasure to watch.
You will love it if you’re into: Stories where the role is reversed: it’s the man’s turn, for once, to chase the woman and it’s the woman who struggles with a divorce. In that mix, throw in a Law and Order or The Bill kind of investigation.
Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Gabriel Byrne, Hayley Atwell, Eddie Marsan, and Jodhi May
Director: Barnaby Southcombe (Rampling’s son)
Official Selection: Berlin International Film Festival 2012
Official Selection: Shanghai International Film Festival 2012
Official Selection: Moscow International Film Festival 2012
Language: English
Watch the trailer here
AUGUSTINE
Based on a true story from the nineteenth century, this film explores the bond between one of France’s most renowned scientists, Professor Jean-Martin Charcot and his patient, 19-year-old kitchen maid Augustine. After experiencing a seizure while working, Augustine is sent to a psychiatric hospital in Paris and is diagnosed by the famous academic as suffering from hysteria (where women, mostly young ones, would collapse into an epileptic-like fit). In her case, following her fit Augustine was left partially paralysed. Charcot feels he has hit jackpot and that her spectacular condition can help him get funding for further research in neurology, especially Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. As the relationship develops, Charcot’s wife starts to voice her opinion and displays her discomfort.
What happens next between wife and husband and between doctor and patient is for you to find out! I won’t give it all away. AUGUSTINE made me realize not only the unfair conditions back in the day (women issues) but also how far medical research has reached today. I would have hated to live in such times. But then again, they didn’t know what the future held.
You will love it if you’re into: Stories from the nineteenth century, looking at forbidden romance between two people with big difference in age, maturity and social status.
Cast: Vincent Lindon, Soko, Chiara Mastroianni and Olivier Rabourdin
Director: Alice Winocour
Best First Feature: 2013 César Nominee
Official Selection: 2012 Cannes Film Festival – Critics Week – Special Screenings
Official Selection: 2012 Toronto International Film Festival – Discovery Section
Official Selection: 2013 Rendez-Vous With French Cinema
Official Selection: COLCOA Film Festival 2013
Language: French with English subtitles.
Watch the trailer here
AMOUR
Georges and Anne are a devoted, married couple in their eighties who used to be music teachers. Their bond of love is severely tested when one of them has an attack. As AMOUR unfolds, it presents a very emotional story with a new and challenging perception of love and the tale of how such a loving couple faces the rest of their life together.
We learn a few things about loving a person so strongly and till death. In the end, you will get a few surprises as AMOUR turns into something so different you’d be quite shocked! AMOUR is an unforgettable film, a beautifully-crafted masterpiece and I just loved it. I held my breath from opening credits till the end!
You will love it if you’re into: The Notebook and Away from Her.
Cast: Two extraordinary actors, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva
Director: Michael Haneke
Winner – Best Foreign Film: 2013 Academy Awards
Winner – Best Foreign Film: 2013 Golden Globes
Winner – Film Not in the English Language: 2013 BAFTA Awards
Winner – Palme D’or: 2012 Cannes Film Festival
Language: French with English subtitles.
Watch the trailer here
Images Courtesy of Transmission