The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame III: Foreign Language Edition

Beautiful work Ed!!

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days


During the final years of communism a pair of women attempt to get an abortion. The film is basically about the dangers of communism, sexism, and poverty. This is one of those films I hate to talk about because so little happens, every scene plays for an excruciating long period of time that you either end up horrified or bored.

The moral issues of the story are where the drama really should be but once again they aren't played for any sensational qualities. It's a brave choice for the director and I understand why it was done but this 2 hrs of my life that I'll never get back.

The story also has a massive imbalance when it comes to character development. We only really get to know Gabita the "friend" as she goes through the process of being a good friend. It's shall we say...disappointing.

I watched that^^ not very long ago and liked it quite a bit. Of course it was also a movie that I really wanted to see.

I thought that the dynamic of the more-together friend helping the less-together friends was SO well-realized. Especially as she realizes her friend has not fully told her the truth about certain things.

I thought it captured the horror of going through a process like an illegal abortion AND the horror of realizing you didn't realize what you'd gotten yourself into but having to see it through to the end.

And when you consider the strong hints that I think the whole thing takes on even more heft.

I will concede that the pace is, um, deliberate. But I thought it kind of nicely evoked the way that horrible things can also feel drawn out or have these stretches of inaction.

Whisper of the Heart



It's basically at that point where I can like pretty much every Studio Ghibli movie that I see and this one I liked too! I wouldn't throw it in the love category that I have with things like Spirited Away, Totoro, and Porco Rosso but it's a real charming film. It's strengths are like a lot of Miyazakis directed films even though he didn't direct this. But you could still tell he was involved in it. Really nice looking animation and a nice centralized story. Sometimes that story lulls but for the most part it's an entertaining one. I like how the whole book thing was involved in linking the characters. The country roads song was kinda a meh point for me though. Cool to see this on the 90s and animation list, a 2 for 1 knockoff if you will.

I can't remember if Whisper of the Heart made my animations list but I know it was at least in the running.

Actually had to double check to see if I've seen Whispers or not, and I haven't, and like you raul, "It's basically at that point where I can like pretty much every Studio Ghibli movie that I see" so, on the Watchlist, it goes.

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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

I need to rewatch 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days. I saw it shortly after release and the slow pace kinda threw me off, but I feel it would fare better now with me.


In other news, I just finished Bicycle Thieves and, oh boy

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Open Your Eyes



When I first saw this one nominated for me, I was pretty pumped because it was by the same director as The Sea Inside which I loved. I also was looking forward to a Penelope Cruz performance as I actually haven't really seen much from her. But it kind of disappointed on both fronts. Cruz wasn't really a huge player in the film and thus I didn't get to see a lot of her talents (well, we saw some of her). I was kind of bored with the lead actor though. I think I would have liked it better as a more straightforward film, the dream and reality sequences kind of through me out of caring about what was happening. And especially the ending just didn't do a whole lot for me. A bummer, I thought I'd really dig it. Not horrible just not my style.

That's how easily a couple of police officers dismiss the crime of a stolen bicycle. But to poor Antonio (Lamberto Maggiorani), it means the loss of a steady income and food on the table. It is a devastating loss that could impact the lives of his family for a long time. So what can he do then?

Set in post-World War II Italy, Bicycle Thieves follows Antonio, a poor man looking for the bicycle that was stolen from him which he desperately needs to keep his job. Antonio, like many other Italians during this time, is desperate for work to support his young family and this job represents a steady income and ultimately food on the table for him, his wife, and their two young children.

One of the many things this film does magnificently is to show how chaotic the economic situation was after the war. From the crowd of people looking for work or the towering stack of belongings that we see have been pawned at the shop to the push and shove of people trying to get on a bus to get to work. In a country so affected by war, any work is a lifeline, and that lifeline is represented by this bicycle, which is not "just a bicycle".

That desperation is perfectly portrayed by Maggiorani, who transmits so much of that hopelessness through his eyes, face, and body language. He is joined in the search by his young son, Bruno (Enzo Staiola), who does an equally great job of showing mixtures of frustration and confusion amidst all of this (Another sign of the hard times is the fact that this 8-9 year old kid is seen working at a gas station).

But what I loved about this film is how it blurs the lines between "good" and "bad" as the plot progresses, which really makes us reevaluate our feelings through the first half of the film. The struggle that we see in Antonio is the struggle in all of us, desperate, holding to whatever lifeline we have, even if it's "just a bicycle".

Grade:

Whoever recommended this, thank you! It had been on my watchlist for a long, long time, but I never got through with it, and it was so much better than I expected.

It might be a good thing that this is not a movie competition because Bicycle Thieves would have already won.

When Sean watched Open Your Eyes, I seemed to remember that I enjoyed it. Nope. I looked it up and I guess I didn't.

Starting Harakiri tonight. Really looking forward to this.

Watched it pretty recently and quite enjoyed it.

I had nominated it for the Japanese HoF as a Blind Grab where it came in second.
Watched it once before nominating it and then a second time during the HoF and enjoyed it even more. A very rewarding slow burner of a film.

I’ll have my review of Harakiri up today

Just finished Breathless. Will try to write a review tomorrow.

Harakiri

Samurai hold their honor and codes closely, and seppuku, or Harakiri, is meant as an honorable way to die.

In Harakiri, the code and honor Samurai live by is challenged.

It begins with a visitor, wishing to commit Harakiri. The counselor is suspicious, as he’s heard too many stories of these, to him, disingenuous attempts when all they really want is a hand out. The counselor relates a story of a prior visitor, one who they figured didn’t intend to follow through with it and so made an example of him. Both strangers gave the exact same story.
And soon it becomes obvious, that the stranger has other reasons to be there.

I won’t go further into the plot, as the plot is an example of a film combining excellent sword fights and a intelligent plot. It raises the question of honor and duty and how it is upheld. Kobayashi frames together some great scenes, and some incredibly bloody ones. I was surprised at the amount of blood in it. And the final fight is also startling in its finality when you realize how far the Samurai have sunk, especially in their choice of weapons.

This is a great film, with great performances, especially by the lead stranger, Tsugumo. His moments of revelations and mocking laughter is a touch unnerving. And he has the look of a ronin with nothing left to lose.


Great pick

Harakiri most likely makes my foreign language ballot.