Films that Matter

And, let me just refrain myself from hiding an original work under the name of already established, by saying that there is no similarity, but reminiscences. The concept of a figuratively living 'idea' is not so absurd, it is rather a poetic device that the writer-director explores in a visual medium. Unlike the mysterious, dark and trance inducing psychological thriller Capital I, this second feature film by Amartya Bhattacharyya is a celebration of art, dreams, emotions, ideas - all that a creative mind cherishes, in an open and lush green picturesque setting with music that uplifts or tickles playfully. Though strikingly different in many aspects, the two works seem to complement each other. The various shades in the spectrum of work of the maker cannot be understood, only with either. In a place called wonderland, idea is born, we are unsure how it was conceived in the first place, however, we see the idea alive - playing with kids, resting, smiling, but nev

'Sheru' is a Hindi word meaning LION in English, this was the closing statement of the film which stayed with me a lot longer than it's running time. An euphoric feeling of finding something special mixed with an attachment to the characters and story, made me write about it. Even though the structure is that of a typical Hollywood narrative - context, conflict, climax, but the film is more about the emotional depths it touches in that structure. The film left three words in my mouth - 'Brilliant Fucking Acting'. - Read this after watching the film once - As exhilarating it was an experience of discovering one's identity, this film, for it's commercial viability, has been biased to portray a one-dimensional story. However, the director leaves a few cues here and there to instill curiosity in the mind of an active watcher for other characters as well. Nicole Kidman playing the role of Sue Brierley narrates a vision of hers in which She sees a brown

Seldom does a film make you write about it. The occurrence is even slowing with time, however, the edge of the seat situational drama mastered by Asghar Farhadi in his new venture named 'The Salesman' is a light of hope. Who is the author? "Arthur Miller", he says, of a play called the 'Death of a Salesman' that the protagonist, who is also a teacher for young boys (yes, no girls in the class), is going to perform. There is a possible death of a salesman at the end of the film (not in the play), however, this film is about the teacher who plays the salesman. As confusing it may sound, as intricately it has been woven with a packaging of simplicity. There is nothing for you if you haven't watched the film. The characters' psychosis - He is a helpful person, who could risk his life to save someone in need. Hitchcock's ticking time bomb under the table has been realistically executed with a building on the verge of collapsing but in the

What language do you think in? Will you be able to change the language of your thought when you learn a new one? Or that inevitably happens? The question isn't groundbreaking. It must have been asked by many thinkers born after the advent of language. Can thought exist without language? How has it been existing in ancient human? Will it be a picture? What have we lost, if so, in the transition from visual to verbal thoughts? The ancient of paintings of the world in the Chauvet Cave of France puts enigmatic images of animals on display in a tunnel melting through time.           This could be the most ancient example of psychedelic trance since the information about animal is not supposed to be represented here, rather, a unique disassociation of a one line image in a multitude of others is presented. Imagine this in a cave in a faraway mountain, surrounded only by the wildest of nature, seized by darkness all around, the fire inside the cave lights these images, flickeri

10 years from now, this film would be remade and probably then the original would be looked upon. There hasn't been a cinematic piece in a long time which was driven solely by such individualistic expression. Be it the philosophical discussion or contemplative imagery, everything screams of the psyche of one individual - 'Capital I'. **Read this after watching the film once** Visually profound and intelligently crafted, at the core of this film you can find an identity and a story embedded in each other. The story of a girl struggling to identify herself with a strict sexual orientation and resorts to 'something' to escape her reality, while a physics professor helps her resolve the conflict in her mind. The identity of a mysterious character named Capital I is presented through its work - visuals and poetry, driven by curiosity among various characters in the film about it. The film portrays the two themes uniquely, bravely. However a harmonic fusion betw

The man who intrigued, inspired and amazed me with his cinematic masterpieces - David Lynch, is the king of film absurdity. Absurdity - a rather not too talked about term in film language is a cult theater specter, bravely taken up by playwrights like Beckett, Genet, Ionesco and several others. As absurd our life is, as absurd our feelings are, as absurd our existence and creation is, the art which is trying to express these feelings will be. A painter turned director, Lynch discovered a space in the film medium in which he could be intuitively absurd and dramatically consistent at the same time. He discovered the sub-conscious cinema. May be it was Bunuel who discovered it, may be Leos Carax puts it more perfectly, but it was Lynch who had the ability to haunt you with his film for your entire life. Six men getting sick, The Alphabet, The Amputee - these are not the themes of short film anyone would choose who wants to be a director. Neither were his paintings ordinary. '