Comments

The majority of the films I have picked come from the middle of the last century, which witnessed a major change in cinematic storytelling, film form and style, especially in Europe. The films by Tarkovsky, Antonioni, Resnais and Kurosawa are all landmarks in the reinvention of cinematic language, and continue to inspire filmmakers to date. Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander may be the most appreciated of his films, but the lavish setting, the rich colours and textures paired with suffocating atmosphere and the rigour of Chekhov’s plays make Cries and Whispers the most outstanding of his works. Kubrick’s, Tarr’s and Lynch’s metaphysical ventures through time and space into the human psyche haven’t failed to mesmerise moviegoers and academics alike throughout the years. With Hidden Haneke took both the thriller genre and the role of a filmmaker in the narrative to a whole new level and made this racially engaged chiller as unsettling as it could get. When it comes to secret desires, quiet longings, little obsessions and unrequited love, no one does them better than Wong Kar-Wai, the Hong Kong master of genre-bending melodramas.