April is at its height and I propose watching serious films in the gap between mood swings and leap into the jacket season! We have already selected books for this spring and I decided to recall and share the best art house cinema, I had a chance to watch. Art house is a concept, dating back as far as the 40th. It is formed in US cinemas, demonstrating prewar or foreign independent reels.
Though it is difficult by date to present exact definition –the German director Hans Richter already stated that his film "the Rhythm 21" ( shot in 1921) was the first abstract film. Even Sergey Eisenstein’s "Potemkin (1925) Battleship may be called, as a predecessor of modern art house. Anyhow, film, not oriented for a wide audience is called today, as art house (also known, as «intellectual cinema» or " self-expression film ").
AMELIE. Jean-Pierre Eugene, 2001 (France)
I am starting from the French film not only from solidarity feelings to my second favorite country, but simply, due to Amelie Poulain, her “unordinary destiny” and Yann Tiersen’s melodies will remain as “classics” in hearts of Avant-garde film fans. Initially, the film was planned to be of art house genre (as a matter of fact it is of art house), however today it is perceived, as a romantic comedy. Indeed, one can’t disregard a positive aspect of this history! The film was ranked among top 250 best films ever shot on IMDB version. If you have yet not watched this film, you need urgently correcting this misunderstanding! All people should learn Amelie’s mysterious history: this is a film, making us believe, that all events occurring in our world, even the most insignificant ones, are interconnected in the most amazing and wonderful way!
HEAD ON. Fatih Akin, 2003 (Germany, Turkey) Gegen die Wand “Commit a suicide, if you want and for this purpose is is not necessary to die”.
A widower Hakit failed to commit suicide in the very beginning of a film and gets in the rehabilitation centre. He meets his compatriot (both of them are Turkish migrants to Germany ) at that place. She proposes him to conclude a marriage of convenience. Sibel needs to marry Turkish man by all means, as that was wish of her parents. And later she plans divorcing and enjoying her own life. At the first glance the history is not set, as it seemed to be. Actually Fatih Akin plunges you into deep history of two individuals, not necessarily, Turks and Germans, but actually hybrid persons, being alien both to this and other world.
GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL. Wes Anderson, 2014 (USA, Germany)
The film was presented at the Berlin film festival in 2014, was awarded by jury with Grand prix and collected numerous awards at the later stage. A comedy, a detective and a criminal story about a writer, who wandered in the mythical city Zubrovka, where an action is unfolded based on motives of Stefan Zweig’s stories. And although the subject line takes origin from Austrian author, a film is entirely British with unique English humor. Grand Budapest Hotel is one of the most intriguing films with epic end for the last decade of the author's cinema.
YOUTH. Paolo Sorrentino, 2015 (Italy) Giovinezza
After receiving “Oscar” prize for the best foreign film («the Great Beauty»), Sorrentino goes shooting his second masterpiece, the film about all that passes by. «Everything seems to be close in early years, that is future. Everything seems to be far away in old age. That is past». It deserves watching youth, because of Michael Kane's game and Harvey Keytel, because of Rachel Weisz’s beauty in eternal grief, because of Jane Fonda's role, which is unique and so non-characteristic for her and because of exquisite music accompaniment. All in past, all in early years.
DISLIKE. Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2017 (Russia)
They say, the film idea about messy, or should I say, painful divorce of modern Russian couple occurred to Zvyagintsev after discussion of Ingmar Bergman’s cult film “Scenes from marriage”. Disclosing a plot of divorce weakness in the 21th century, the director shows the Moscow reality in whole its beauty, and also touches upon the most bottom of a human soul. It isn’t Sunday’s film, thus if decide to watch "Dislike", then prepare yourself for irreversible sense of frustration - as while watching a film, so for a long time after.
Zeynab Jeyhan
