Apur Sansar

The cat vanishes is an Argentinean film that works with very few characters. I was curious as to what sort of a film this would be since I came to know about the film's title during the IFFK 2011. But I missed the screening of the film during IFFK and caught up with it just today! The cat vanishes is a well performed and brilliantly made film. My friend, Ritwik, who had seen the film told that I should check it out cause he felt this one to be something that seemed like a Hitchcockian film. I'm one huge fan of Hitchcock and Ritwik's words made even more curious about the picture. Once I saw the film, it  merely dint fall in the Hitchcockian ways of filmmaking but maybe a little of the Staney Kubrick way (of making the Shining) as well! The film falls in the mystery genre and proceeds with supreme execution. The director, Carlos Sorin, doesn't have a great writing material but manages well with his classy making. The sound design and the shot division of the film ...

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.

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!

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...

The last summer of la Boyita is a film that is from the perspective of a small child and is a coming of age film. A child so brilliantly played by Guadalupe Alonso and directed by Julia Solomonoff, the film is interestingly written as well. Though the first few minutes of the film does not point directly into the story, it does after a while. As the characters of Mario and Jorgelina meet each other and become friends, the film is just lovely. Julia has to be admired for her great directorial skill of being able to bring what could be called brilliant performances from the two lead actors, who are both children. The film was to an extent predictable but I would disagree that it was cliched. The last summer of la Boyita may not be a great film, but it was a neatly made film that is worth seeing.

A day in orange or Dia Naranja is a film that was screened in the competition section in the 15th International Film Festival of Kerala. I have no idea what the panel might have had in their minds as they selected this film to compete in the competition section. The film may look partly interesting in its synopsis. But that is just about it. Through the 90 minutes, I as a viewer seemed to have suffered more pain and suffering than the silly women or the pointless men in the film. It is not necessary that a film has to be thought provoking, but it would be better to see a film that makes any kind of sense in any minute of its entire duration. This is one outrageous film made by a woman director on the issue of unexpected pregnancy. I can't help but remember a far better film, which evoked more sense on the issue of pregnancy called Notebook, which was a Malayalam film directed by Roshan Andrews.

Maria Novaro might be the most successful woman director from Mexico. But here 1989 debut film, Lola, was not quite an interesting watch. The film has a very feminine point of view and is a tiring journey of woman. The film does feature some worthy background score, some interesting shots and fewer interesting scenes. Yet, the film or its content failed to move me. The leading lady who carries the film, Leticia Huijara, looks gorgeous. But nothing saved me from the sufferings in the dark theatre whole which was from from what the protagonists had faced.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is one of my favorite filmmakers and his amores perros is one of the films which has inspired me the most. After having differences of opinion and splitting with his writer Guillermo Arriaga, Alejandro returns with Biutiful with himself and two others at the writing table. Biutiful is a beautifully made film indeed. But the film does suffer a little in its writing department. The film has a plot that may sound too much of a cliche. A plot that may be in the similar lines of films such as Ikiru. But the writers have tried to detail and develop the storyline with elements of afterlife. The way in which it has been executed is nothing short of smartness. He does not emphasis too much on the afterlife element yet marks them with solid visuals. Javier Bardem gives a wonderful performance as Uxbel and it is he who carries the film throughout. Alejandro makes effective use of the events and has been able to generate the unpleasantness around the path of Uxbel inter...

Alejandro Amenabar is the director of the Nicole Kidman film The Others. The film is a mystery thriller that deals with the subjects of ghost. A film that relied greatly on the performance of Kidman was a film that was quite interesting especially for the writing. The filmmaker comes with a completely different film three years after The Others in 2004. And that film is the Sea Inside, a film that tells about the suffering of a man. A true story of a man named Ramon Sampedro. The film though deals with a rather dull story has to been told very interestingly by the director. What makes the film worth seeing is also the simplistic nature of the story telling. With a protagonist who hardly moves, the maker of the film has managed to narrate a very moving piece of film.  Javier Bardem plays the lead player in the film. He plays the role which seems so comfortable to him. Even the supporting cast of the film do a splendid job making the film a very interesting watch. The film beyond the...

[Rec] follows the style of Blair Witch Project. But the format, the budget and every about the film is slightly bigger and better. But what is so sick is the content the film has to deal with. The plot reminded me of Resident Evil from the word go but the video style making and the beautiful TV girl manages get the proceedings going for sometime. But after the first plot point the things begin to fall on predictable lines for the sometime which makes the film rather a bit boring! But the makers of the film makes an interesting finale to end things up. [Rec] is different from Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity in the matter of silence. Here the film has been filled with so much conversation and shouting. But what remains the same is that it still has some horror in it!

Maria Full of Grace follows an interesting tale of a girl. Catalino Sandino Moreno is the lead player of the film and plays the title character of Maria. It is she who drives the film. Even when the writing begins to slow its pace and the proceedings in the film start to look lame, she pulls off some excellent performances and saves the film. The character of Maria is powerful and it has helped her in the performance it seems. I did find an amount of strangeness in the plot but the film did work for me.

The Secret in their Eyes is an Academy Award winning Argentine film. The film impressed me right from the opening shot. The mystery aspect of the film is also thoroughly engaging though we have a writer who is unraveling the mystery than a police officer! The screenplay has been beautifully written and brilliantly filmed. The performers seemed perfect and so was their make up! Half way through the film comes one of the best cinematic shots that lasts almost 5 minutes planned and executed in terrific style. The visual effects in the shot and the cinematography is one of the most admirable works I have seen in some time!

Death of a Cyclist or Age of Infidelity, as it is given at the imdb.com was quite an interesting film. I did not personally expect much from the film but the film was brilliantly made. The film is powerful in every aspect of its making, from the plot to the screenplay to the visuals to the actors. Everything was excellent. What I loved exceptionally well was the transition from one scene to another. The film also makes brilliant use of the black and white photography. The screenplay is crisp for the 90 minutes and it is definitely worth your time.

XXY is the story of Alex, who was born as an intersex child. The movie has a fine writing to it. The writing material, by Sergio Bizzio, is quite strong in subject matter and it also works wonderfully well as a screenplay. With effective dialogues and some really emotional scenes, the writing is at the top right from the start for XXY . The film has been translated beautifully to the screen by the director and co writer of the film, Lucia Puenzo. The smooth pace and extraction of splendid performance from the lead, Ines Efron, add to the highlights of the film. Highly recommended.

Watching amores perros a second time, the feel and the intensity in the film is never lost. Watching a second time, I enjoyed some moments to an even greater depth. The screen romance of Gael Garcia and Vanessa Bauche is really nice. The hand held movement of the camera during their scenes has much impact. The lively feel in their life is excellently reflected. Alejandro's true class is evident when he shifts the atmosphere of the film to a more serious issue of love in the second story. He builds up every second of the section with such beauty. Even the tone takes varied shapes at the point. The final part belongs to Emilio Echevarria who plays El Chivo. His make up is top class. His expressions and body language is above perfect! His presence as fragments in other plots also creates much impact. Guillermo Arriaga Jordan's writing is still highly inspiring. Having known that he writes just a single draft, I'm even more impressed. (He writes from the beginning every time h...

Amores perros is the most inspiring movie to come after the Quentein Tarantino classic, Pulp Fiction . Amores perros is at one level an extension to the QT classic. But at the other level it's all fresh. Written by Guillermo Arriaga and directed by Alejandero Gonzales Inarritu, amores perros is nothing but a gutsy and solid bit of brilliant filmmaking. Amores perros tells three stories of life along the margins in Mexican City which converges into a gripping thriller with a fatal car accident. The film does have various references to the movies of the past. The non-linear narrative reminds of Pulp Fiction , while the red hoarding of the pretty model, Valeria, is much like that one seen in Krzysztof Kieslowski's classic Red . The character of El Chivo played brilliantly by Emilio Echevarria has references to Leon. The others in the cast, which includes Gael Garcia Bernal, have played their roles to perfection.Of the stories that unfold, the third story is emerges out from th...