Godard filmography is one of the most imperative bodies of work in the archives of world cinema, that has inspired a whole generation of filmmakers. He is so influential to filmmakers during their formative period when they’re just beginning to form an aesthetic of a director.
Film: Breathless (1960)
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard made a big entrance into the film scene in 1960 with this jazzy, free-form, and sexy homage to the American film genres that inspired him as a writer for Cahiers du cinèma (film magazine). Breathless is an exercise in style that's so consistently fun to watch unfold, with each new moment and conversation, that it all merges together on its own to create real gravity.
Our protagonist in this film really thinks he’s Humphry Bogart and he's trying to get his own dame to prove it. When i watched Breathless for the first time, I wasn like “Ohh hell yeah, this is what they call CINEMA!”
The story of the film doesn’t make complete sense, but it’s justified considering how much joy Godard derives from just breaking all the rules. Its a very hit or miss film, but I guarantee you’ll have fun watching it.
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There are films that have a great turnout and are instantly revered as masterpieces on release. Then there are films that perform terribly at the Box-Office but eventually get the recognition they always deserved. These films remain ignored for years until people begin to recognise the calibre of the art.
- Titli: Performances can make or break a movie. In this case, they do the former. An unflinching portrayal of how souls get crushed in an urban jungle. If you are a fan of movies depicting real people with real-life struggles in rural India, you will really like this.
- Lootera: A brilliantly crafted and performed period romantic drama, one that takes you on a heart-wrenching emotional journey of life, love, betrayal and deceit. It's got a soundtrack one could listen to all day while it pours outside.
- Sardar Udham: In this film, Shoojit Sircar steers away from the manipulative, jingoistic melodrama to give us a more meditative, nuanced look at a revolutionary's life with his trademark pensiveness." we aren't against the people, we are against the tyranny of a particular organization. "
- Tumbbad: A heavy atmosphere sets the nerve-wracking tone for this morality tale about the dangers of greed. If I had to simply describe the tone of the film- it’s Ramsay Brothers meets Guillermo Del Toro in a more nerve-racking manner.
- Ugly: A dark gripping thriller from Anurag Kashyap, who smartly takes a straightforward kidnap situation, throws in some interestingly written ambiguous characters and holds the suspense throughout. The film’s lurid cinematography helps delineate the corrupt world on view in a manner that renders it simultaneously captivating and repulsive.
- Manto: "Literature can never be obscene." The production design of the film is impressive, with the movie set in Bombay and Lahore, spanning through the pre and post-partition periods. A well-crafted biographical drama, that effectively captures his life, ideologies, writing, controversies, and pa
Film: Mommy
Director: Xavier Dolan
A film about three misfits forming the family they needed to overcome their struggles.
Mommy is a rollercoaster ride of an experience that follows Diane, a widowed mother who struggles to cope with her teenage son's violent behaviour. However, she finds solace and hopes when a peculiar neighbour inserts herself into their household.
I saw this film as a series of incredibly compelling juxtapositions. The ups and downs of life, one after another. The complications of motherhood and a son who doesn't know his limits. A journey of trying to get by on what you have and making the best of it. People who know Xavier Dolan's work know what they're walking into when they watch Mommy. Dolan's choices always seem intuitive, emotional rather than rational, and from moment to moment, he and his actors have crafted something that remains pretty resonant.
What I find fascinating about the film and what sets it apart, given the familiarity of this type of melodrama, is the aspect ratio. The 1:1 aspect ratio keeps you both focused on every motion because every action, by necessity, will be in the centre of the frame, and for the bulk of the feature, you're going feel as closed-in as its main characters.
To give into their own worst tendencies, to think vitriol and fists need to meet with the same level of aggression; that's when the battle for humanity is lost. It certainly helps the cause of the movie that for as ugly as the behaviour its portraying is, the film is stunning to look at and listen to. Xavier's needle drops in the movies I've seen from him have ranged from euphoric to horrendous, and I can thankfully say that this features back-to-back stellar taste and excellent usage of well-known music.
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Like life, content finds it way.
What can be bigger for an independent film like RAKKHOSH to be recommended by one of the most prominent film critic in India, in a discussion panel with other 3 Star Film critics on a social/digital platform like Film Companion which is followed equally by the industry people and audience across the globe.
Here's the link to the full video:
https://youtu.be/-xVeBRTcu5U
Content is King and God is Kind!
Thank you @filmcompanion @RahulDesai
Standing ovation to RAKKHOSH after screening.
Thank you Nagpur.
