Apur Sansar

It is sad to know that The Orphanage is not categorized in the genre of horror film by imdb.com The Orphanage is a brilliantly made horror film. Juan Antonio Bayona, the first time director, has made a very interesting film here. There is a very good vision from the makers side and that is evident throughout the film. The silence and the brilliant movement of the camera makes the viewing a very scary one. The film has very limited characters and they are good in their parts.  Though the writing has a lot of points that aren't refreshingly different from many of the other horror films, the making of the film does make the experience more worthwhile. The writing makes use of two of the most common elements-Ghost and Haunted House- that suit a horror film more than any other. Even then, the film's writing is constructed with some brilliance that the end of the film has a rather interesting conclusion. The film could be similar to Pan's Labyrinth in two ways. One wo...

Portraits in a sea of lies or Retratos en un mar de mentiras has fantastic visuals. The opening sequence of the film and the credits are simple beautiful. The story progresses at a rather interesting manner with splendid visuals explored by the makers of the film. The film takes a serious turn step by step with the strange things that are seen by the protagonist. There are some exceptionally wonderful scenes in the film. This includes the quick shootout scene in the middle of the journey of the characters. The film through the eyes of a girl jumps between the realms of real and fantasy. It has been quite well portrayed as well by the director Carlos Gaviria. Even when the film has lots of interesting moments and scenes, nothing really lifts the film from being an exceptional one. The climax of the film was also not as impressive as the way the the writer and director managed to make his first hour. However, Paola Baldion plays her character with all the strangeness and makes t...

The Silent House or La Casa Muda is not a must watch film. But the way the film has been made is worth mentioning. The whole film or atleast a large part of the film is made to feel as though it has been shot in a single lengthy take and the story of the film happens to unfold in real time! The movie, which very well falls in the genre of a horror film, with its darkness does have some space for the filmmaker to cheat his visuals. Yet, there has been a lot of effort put forward in making the film and that deserves to get a mention. The writing of the film is more or less silly as in the case of most of the horror films. The climax has an interesting twist as well. But what I'm able to remember quite well is a portion somewhat halfway through the film which had been executed brilliantly by the maker. The film which I guess has been shot digitally has a very keen eye on catching visuals at low light. The darkness adds a lot of mood, alongside the silence, to the film.

Five Hours from Paris is a neatly made film. There is a interesting plot and a narrative that has been divided into three. The smooth screenplay, and the apt visuals with the good performances makes the film a very good watch. The film moves in predictable lines and also features some excellent background score. Of the three divisions, the last one has a lasting impression and carries more power than the first two. The first two sections act as a strong foundation for the third segment. The major highlight of the film is that it centers around two characters and it stays with the two characters without going much into the depth of the people and culture around the two. But the director and writer has managed to clearly show how the life is different for both the leads. On the performance, Dror Keren as Yigel is splendid while Elena Yaralova is a treat to watch!

I don't know if Alamar or To the sea is a scripted film. Written and directed by Pedro Gonzalez Rubio this is a film that talks and shows nothing but life. He is a documentary filmmaker and that might be the reason for the sharp and raw life that is seen in the film. There isn't much to talk as a plot for to the sea. But it is nature, humans and life. The photography is just beautiful. I'm not sure if the live or real sea is as beautiful and rich as the way it has been shown here. The visuals are just awesome.  As of the film, it did strike boredom to me at couple of instances or even more. Besides the visuals there are some tiny acts of the little boy once in a while. However what is quite noteworthy is the fact that the film is a very pleasant throughout its duration and manages to pass a powerful note in the end. For everyone who wants realism, I don't think there can be realism more than this in cinema!

I am Kalam is a film that I really loved. It is one of those film that affected me very well in the emotional level. The film is about a young boy, Chottu, who happens to get inspired by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. The film does have cliched portions such as the spooky story Chottu has to tell to sleep inside a roof! But the story follows the character to new worlds and the plot developments though predictable are just engaging. The visuals and the light humour in the tea shop provide enough entertainment as well. The film did remind me of a few films which where also films that I loved. The boy in striped pyjamas being the one which I was reminded when the two boys interacted and had fun. Bashu, the Iranian film or Kazcha, its Malayalam take, was also a film that I remembered. These memories may have been due to way the story of I am Kalam was narrated by its maker. Through the eye of a child, how different can the world be after all. I am Kalam is a film that children shouldn't miss. I...

Vino or Wine is a film that is set inside a single house with just two characters. The film begins with the arrival of Jimena to Gonzalo's house. For the first few minutes, the film is more or less a cookery show that is set inside the kitchen of the house of the protagonist. After which the real plot of the film develops where the characters begin to talk and they talk real wild! Funny as well as lame sex jokes are cracked before the film moves into its super hot climax! I don't think the extra zoomed close ups or the burned colour tone of the film helped me much. But yes, it is the liberty of a filmmaker to mess his film. But this was not quite an innovative film. I was reminded of a far better film, titled Tape directed by Richard Linklater, which had just three characters and also set in a space similar to the one in this film. Tape was also shot digitally in 2001 and it had a more candid and impressive feel. The plot of tape was structured like a one act play an...