Welcome to the seventh instalment of ‘3 films you need to see before you die!’ As you can probably anticipate, these lists will be unbelievably subjective and probably challenging for some people to read. With each small collection of films, I hope to shed light on the films that have captivated me in my own life and at the same time trying to sell them as an interest to you!
So, without waffling any further,
here are 3 Films you need to see before you die! In my humble and biased
opinion.
1. Children of Men (2006) Dir. Alfonso Cuaron
Alfonso Cuaron’s dystopian look at
the future of nationalistic politics in the most inventive way possible. Children
of Men arrives in the form of 2027 Britain, an island that has now largely
become a pit of despair tormented by anarchy and the police state that blames
the worlds problems on the new wave of immigrants. In this world, it has been 18
years since Earth has witnessed the birth of a new-born child and as half of the
population slowly loses their minds in a chaotic rage, the other half fall into
a depressive state of realisation that life as we know it has an expiration
date not too long in the future. Cuaron takes an exaggerated look at the
potential of a world so dominated by hate and division that in turn has catastrophic
effects on the biological evolution of life all together. Theo Faron (Clive
Owen) is the miserable former activist who becomes forcefully involved with the
miracle of Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) the first woman to become pregnant in 18
years. Kee is heavily pregnant and shielded by the forthright Julian (Julianne
Moore) who seeks the help of Theo to safely deliver Kee to the Human Project, an
organisation committed to repopulating a broken society.
Films with a dystopian outlook often
generate a mixed reception, this is not the case for Children of Men as
it offers so much to chew on. It is in essence a visionary piece of art. Whether
its the innovative cinematography that leaves you relentlessly agitated, or the
incredibly authentic set design that displays London in an unimaginable state of
chaos. Alfonso Cuaron created so much more than just a film, he created a world
that for 1 hour and 49 minutes you can’t even think about leaving. From the immigrants,
the homeless and the guerrilla fighters on the ground, everyone seems to have different
person to blame for societal shift that occurs in Children of Men.
However, It is the haunting absence of children and their unique emotional
attachment that makes the film so memorable, it is only the dogs, cats and
various other pets that offer a comparable form of childlike innocence that this
dystopian world is lacking.
You will struggle to find any heavily
rehearsed action sequences in Children of Men, instead you intensely follow
Theo on a mission where he is clearly out of his depth. Both Theo and Kee are fighting to do the best they can in the unexpected situation they find
themselves in. They have little control, only desperation prevails as they
strive to do what they can to begin the process of rebuilding the world, in
spite of the many adversaries and challenges that meet them on the way. Alfonso
Cuaron is largely the man lauded for breathing new life into the Harry Potter series,
and Children of Men was only more proof of what a visionary director he
can be when given the scope to produce a film with the cultural importance
displayed in a potentially shocking dystopian future.
I briefly mentioned how effective
the look, feel and general aesthetic of Children of Men is to the
overall meaning of the film. You see London without any of the futuristic clichés of flying cars and extravagant costumes, it actually is real London,
just made to feel dull and depressing. Plus, even though the overwhelming doom
and disappointment relates to the lack of children in the world, the usual
enemy still rears its head. Us. In the end it is always the humans living on
earth, and their struggle to learn from the past and grow that ultimately
prevents society from moving forward in a positive trajectory.
A film about so much more than an absurd
evolutionary defect. A film that displays a future that is not an impossible
outcome, and the dangerous effect of propaganda in establishing a police state.
Strap yourselves in.
In 1999, after the release of Magnolia,
Paul Thomas Anderson told the Cannes film festival that his next film would
be an Adam Sandler movie. Little did they know that it would actually be an
arthouse Adam Sandler Movie. Adam Sandler can do brilliant work, maybe we just
needed the legendary Paul Thomas Anderson to truly unlock that potential. This
movie is undoubtedly one of Anderson’s most underappreciated projects, an empathetic
tale of a complex man, stricken by loneliness, plagued by deep routed anger issues
and an overwhelming want for love. Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is a loner and generally
feels crowded by his 7 sisters and the pressure they place on him to find love.
In an attempt to take his mind away from these struggles, he calls up a phone
sex line one evening which will eventually lands him in future trouble with his
soon to be love interest Lena (Emily Watson). For many, Adam Sandler’s comedy
can be a little like marmite, some love it, some loathe it, however it is clear
in this instance that Paul Thomas Anderson has managed to unlock a much deeper
Adam Sandler performance than anything we have seen before.
Punch Drunk Love is no more a romantic comedy than it is a slightly sinister
drama about the complexity of mental illnesses. Early on you can tell that Barry
Egan’s privacy is something constantly being invaded by his overpowering
sisters, the kind of pressure you can imagine they have been imposing on him all of
his life. This relentless pressure has led Barry to put on a front (like many
of us), on the outside he is cheerful, attentive, and fun, but every now and
then as he becomes overwhelmed by intrusion, he breaks out into a frightening display
of uncontrolled violence and anger. This looming sense of creepiness is
something that Adam Sandler has always been able to do well, even in some of
his more conventional comedies. Punch Drunk Love offers a deeper inspection
of Sandler’s clearly unappreciated talent.
With Paul Thomas Anderson films, you’ll
struggle to find a conventional plot assigned to each character. With Punch
Drunk Love the characters are drawn together not by chance, but by fate.
This idea of fate is clearly shown through Barry and Lena’s quirky
relationship. On their first date at a restaurant, they appear to hit it off
straight away, almost effortlessly. Barry appears to let go of some of the barriers
he places upon himself to let some love in. Lena too, who’s deep eye contact leaves
Barry completely out of control with his emotions. During the date Barry gets up from the
table, heads to the bathroom and in an intense frenzy destroys everything in
his way. Upon his return to the table, Lena notices that Barry’s hand is
bleeding, leading them to be subsequently removed from the restaurant. Nevertheless,
Lena naturally seems able to understand Barry’s erratic outbursts and she
carries on as if the date is completely normal. Displaying them as two misfits
who found each other at the right time.
I’ve already mentioned to the death
about how much Adam Sandler excels in this movie, and no doubt Sandler’s
presence wouldn’t have been as influential without Punch Drunk Love’s flawless
score. The balanced composition of classical music with needle drop moments
creates a persistent symphony that works completely synonymously with the
narrative, working almost in the form of a musical without any of the cheesy clichés. Probably the most unique needle drop arrives with ‘He Needs Me’ from
the critically panned Popeye (1981) with Paul Thomas Anderson breathing
new life into the mesmeric song. The film is truly one big sonata, with the
camera, performances and music all working as one.
Since Punch Drunk Love Sandler
has starred in the brilliant Uncut Gems (2019) and once again, he is
given the full scope to perform to his true potential, he is genuinely one of Hollywood’s
most coveted assets.
No film highlights the collaborative nature of modern cinema like The Last Black Man in San Francisco. Directed by Joe Talbot and written by Joe and his childhood friend Jimmie Fails, who also stars as the title character (with the same name). This is the story of a young man searching for his home in a city that is slowly leaving him behind. The Last Black Man in San Francisco presents San Francisco in the kind of light that only a native San Franciscan could, A majestic city basking in all of its natural glory, with the diverse people that make it so great. Jimmie Fails works a low paid job as a nurse at an elderly care home, he lives with his best friend Montgomery Allen (Jonathan Majors) who has a passion for art and theatre. Jimmie and Mont set out on a mission to reclaim San Francisco for themselves by moving into the house that Jimmie’s family had owned for generations. Sadly, Jimmie’s father lost the house a while back, and a white couple currently lives there. Plus, there is no suggestion that the couple are even open to selling the house even if Jimmie could afford it. Nevertheless, Jimmie and Mont take the radical measures to repossess the house to their own principles.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco is dominated by many social themes, but two standout significantly. Individuality and Toxic Masculinity. The individuality and identity of Jimmie is so prominent throughout, a man whose primal need is protect the house which he sees as a part of him, fighting against the poverty and urban renovation within San Francisco, getting to the root of why he loves and hates the city he calls home. Mont too breaks away from the stereotypical codes of what a young black man ‘should’ be like. A lover of art and theatre, unlike his acquaintances who turn their anger at injustice and poverty into violence and resentment, Mont turns his discrimination into art through sketches and plays. This breakaway leads into the strong presence of toxic masculinity in the film. Jimmie and Mont are often goaded by their peers for being so close, they talk, they show their vulnerable side, and this is largely seen as a weakness by others. Regardless of this, the pair are able to show strength in the sincerest sense, to be true to themselves always and be passionate about the things important to them. That is real strength.
The Last Black Man in San
Francisco also has one of the most compelling
opening scenes I have ever seen. A 3-minute collage that encapsulates
everything that this film is about. Deprivation, Gentrification, and the love
that is present in friendship. The world is changing around our title characters,
but they remain faithful to themselves as they decide to skateboard around the
city instead of taking the bus. The opening sequence displays the diverse people
that make San Francisco so iconic. The natives, the poor, the rich and even
some of the righteous liberals who love to impose their views on people who are
simply not interested. It’s a city that is changing constantly and Jimmy and
Mont find themselves caught in the middle, trying their best to forge their own
path, swimming against the current.
One of the most poignant moments in The Last Black Man in San Francisco is when Jimmie confronts two non-native San Franciscans as they criticise the city on the bus. Jimmie informs them that they don’t have the right to hate San Francisco because “You can’t hate something you don’t love first”. Often, we criticise things because we care, Jimmie sees San Francisco with all of it’s flaws but he still loves it. After all, it is his home.
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