badly written.

FilmFeature

Image: Carol (2015)

There's just something intriguing in the overall mood of this film that totally drew me into watching it. I was just randomly scrolling through a random list I found in the internet when the poster popped out and it got me curious right away. I mean, that's Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara! How am I supposed to look away from that? And judging from the title, I had a feeling it will be a sad one and as a sucker for sad films so what more reason do I need to not watch it? Yes, it's sad.

The film is actually just your typical forbidden romance – plot-wise – but what really sets it apart from the rest is its stunning visuals, choice of timeline and the way the characters were portrayed. Let me start with the visuals and walk my way down.

The colors used are a little bit toned-down but not dull which makes its viewers feel just the right amount of “vintage”. The camera direction and angles that are very well-thought of, and partnered with long silences, it really helped emphasize the emotions of longing in the film. And to intensify that, the events took place in a time – 50s – where this kind of love is not you know, acceptable. On the other side of it though, since the film was set way way back, the interior as well as the costumes really left a satisfying feeling in my heart since I am a fan of vintage-themed things. As for the characters, the way they were portrayed is I don't know how to word it but “realistic” which lets the audience absorb every emotion in the film. The eye talking, the awkwardness, the secret glances, the painful smiles, the longing, everything was just familiar to me and that made me enjoy each scene without having to figure out what to feel.

I'm not going to talk about the events in the film though as I don't want to spoil anyone but trust me, this is something you must not leave in the dusts. This is a must-watch. A classic. And a beautiful one.

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Poetry (2020)

Poetry, a Korean movie by Lee Chang-dong, is a story of a woman, who one day, decided to go to a poetry class with the hopes of fulfilling her dream of becoming a poet. As the film progress, the audience gets to see how the elderly woman's life changed due to some unexpected turn of events, which will lead to the question of her being able to write a poem or not.

Mija, the main protagonist of the story, is a 60-year old woman who works part-time as a caregiver for a well-off disabled man in order to support her grandson who, I can safely say, is in his rebellious phase. The film started off by introducing her relationship with other characters such as the disabled man, her grandson and the mom of her grandson which is a nice approach because the audience will be able to understand Mija's character right away. And to what I've seen, I can say she is quite a lonely woman who has no one to talk to.

Mija is actually just living a normal life until she learned about her grandson's secret (I won't spoil here) which required her to produce a large amount of money. And to stir up her life more, spoiler alert but not really as there were hints from the first scene already, the director made it sure that she learns about her early stage Alzheimer's in the midst of everything and had no one to talk to about it. Damn it. Although her character does not speak a lot, you can feel how hard she was trying to pull herself together day by day after everything that has happened, which is really heartbreaking to watch. To be honest, I haven't fully recovered from the film and just remembering the movie, especially the end, already makes me feel sad about it.

The pacing of the movie is quite slow but it makes the experience realer. In fact, because of it's slow pacing, the audience will actually be able to immerse themselves fully to the emotions being portrayed in each scene, especially that the film includes beautiful long shots – a real treat to the eyes of the audience – mostly featuring Mija as she slowly piece together her first poem. The film wants you to connect with the protagonist and I believe it worked.

It's a beautifully executed film and I highly recommend this one. Also, don't you want to know whether she was actually able to write a poem or not? Heh.

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Colorless (2019)

Sad, tragic, heartbreaking, deep – these are the words I can think of after watching this Japanese film. You might think this is just the typical photographer and model love story who fell in love with each other after working together but as the movie progresses, the film shows its true colors.

This film is about Yuka, an amateur model who has big dreams and an amateur photographer named Koyamada who is yet to discover his personal style. As the two began working with each other, the two started to date and all that stuff but as the film reaches the end of the first part, everything goes dark as you get to know the truth about what has happened so far. Yep, the movie is divided into parts which means a messy timeline but hey, it works. As each secret gets uncovered, watching this film will make you really, really frustrated because you are not just dealing with one point of view but two – Yuka's and Koyamada's. I honestly don't know what to feel when I was watching this. It's like I'm being torn. I think the main feat of this film – why everything works – is how real it is. The events and how the characters are tied with each event will make you think about what possibly happens behind the scenes in this world we live in, which is pretty much heartbreaking. You'll know what I mean when you watch it. Also, the way each scene was shot definitely adds a certain depth to each moment. For a non-creative person, it's definitely an A+!

The truth is, when I finished the film, I honestly wished I didn't get to the end. I mean, it was just so sad and tragic. Until now, it still breaks my heart especially for Yuka. But yeah, that's how life went for them and I have no say in that. Still, it's just so sad!!! And three exclamation point means I'm serious.

Anyway, I didn't get to watch a lot of movies in 2020 but for me, this is one of the best films that got released that year so you definitely have to watch it. It's deep, sad, tragic and heartbreaking. Watch it and you'll know what I mean.

PS. I don't want to spoil so I purposely left out the details about the things that happened in the film. Heh.

PPS. If you're not comfortable with explicit scenes, do take note that this film has that.

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Her (2013)

Set in the age of technology where Artificial Intelligence had already been a part of our everyday life, this film by Spike Jonze shows how love can make someone break boundaries as a lonely writer developed feelings of love to his personified AI assistant.

The film introduces the main protagonist, Theodore Twombly, as a lonely letter writer in the final stage of his divorce who likes to play games in his free time. After passing by an advertisement for the first artificially intelligent operating system or OS1, he decided to give at a try and from that moment on, he began to question himself for his feelings towards Samantha, the voice behind his personified AI assistant as they grew closer to each other. Samantha, being an AI, has the capacity to learn through a person's thought patterns and learn what and how to respond. Thanks to this, the lonely Theodore started feeling a little less lonely as he has now a company who listens to his ramblings about life. If only the story could just end with the two being happy with each other. Too bad, as the story unfolds, the audience get to witness how feelings of doubt arise between the two of them as Theodore tries to find his sense of reality while Samantha learns to develop human-like emotions despite being an AI and begins to seek for a sense of identity.

Cinematography-wise, the film boasts with its A+ shots of the city's exterior and interior, giving off a soft, futuristic vibe. The office interior where Theodore works for is also a treat to the eye as it is filled with orange and yellow hues which is a total opposite to what emotions the main character portrays, especially in his long shots. The choice of music in this film is also something I want to praise as it added flavor and depth to each scene. From the background music to the film's official soundtracks, everything just fits perfectly. I especially love the song Samantha sung in one of the scenes that it made me learn to play it in the ukulele. In case you want to listen to the original version, it's called “The Moon Song” by Karen O.

This is a film that does not follow the conventional love between two humans, opening the audience to the idea that love is not limited to a certain set of rules which makes it a must-watch in my opinion.

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In The Mood For Love (2000)

The reason why I insisted to myself that I must watch this movie before any other movie is because it reminded me of my favorite song from Julie London which has the same title as this movie. I am glad I did. The movie truly is a masterpiece that lets you experience every kind of emotion there is when you’re in the mood for love.

It's about a man and a woman, both living with their own spouses, who went to move to their new apartment, which happened to be next to each other’s, on the same day. Since I'm a huge sucker for romantic films, things like these already put me to an assumption that this is Wong Kar-Wai's, the director, cute way of introducing these two to each other’s lives, but as the movie progresses, I realized I got fooled. Instead, I can say that it was rather a sad and a unique way of intertwining the fates of two strangers.

This is a movie that does not rely on words but more on actions like the shots where the two protagonists would pass by each other through a narrow stairway that leads them to and away from their apartment – a scene I find the most aesthetically pleasing. But even without words, you can feel the tension between them in every scene.

Honestly, the plot is really simple and there’s not much I can talk about it but the feels it brings, and how realistic it is, can send shivers. I must say, this is hands down one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, especially in this genre, as it captures the true essence of romance. It’s a type of film that will make you feel a lot-joy, sadness, longing, bitterness, regret-in just one sitting. And once it ends, you’ll be left wondering how love can be so beautiful yet so scary.

After watching the movie, I tried to look it up and wow, this movie continues to bag awards. Aside from the fact that it became a nominee for the Palme d’Or in the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, it has been continuously receiving recognition from huge publications and film critics until the present. Year 2016, the film ranked second in “100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century”, a compilation made by BBC about the best films that has been released since 2000, from a poll answered by 177 critics. And just this 2019, has been included by Guardian in the Best Films of the 21st Century list, taking the fifth spot. Although all Wong Kar-Wai films are amazing, this one is the real deal. It is the masterpiece out of all her masterpieces that's why it deserves every recognition it has gotten and will get in the future. Bravo!

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Shoplifters (2018)

Judging from the title and the movie poster (the scene which happened to be my favorite part of the movie), you can already get a grasp of what the movie will be about. Shoplifters by Koreeda Hirokazu in a nutshell is about a family that steals together and stays together.

What I like about this movie is that even if you know for a fact that theft is something that deserves to be punished, you will not be able to stop yourself from rooting for this family because the movie appeals to the audience by highlighting the unfairness that happens within the society, not just in the movie but also in real life.

It also challenges the idea of “family” that the society has set, as you witness the truth unfold in front of your eyes. I must say that the plot twist of this movie is something that I have never seen so far that it totally left me scratching my head and gasping for air. The constant switching from one character to another, showing the truth behind each character with a close-up shot and how it chose to reveal itself in a fast-paced manner is something I also want to mention. It really was a brilliant approach to tackle the climax as it puts the audience on the edge of their seats, just like the characters. And the fact that the movie did not forget to drop hints here and there but still manage to the leave its audience in awe, proves that Shoplifters is a movie of a different caliber. It’s a movie that will make you feel hooked until all you can see is a reflection of yourself trying to process everything that just happened. Also, don't forget it's A+ cinematography.

If you sum it all up, you won't even be surprised to know that the movie won the Palme d’Or, which is the highest award in the Cannes Film Festival.

Shoplifters is a masterpiece. Koreeda Hirokazu is a genius and I'm definitely going to watch his upcoming films.

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Mary and Max (2009)

This Australian “clay-figure” animation film focuses on two characters which you already know the names of, as they’re literally on the title-Mary and Max, whose lives will not at all intersect if not for our little Mary’s curiosity. The film represents Mary’s world in brown while Max’s world was represented in black and white, which struck me quite interesting.

The movie accurately depicts through Max how Asperger’s Syndrome affects people which totally deserves a big round of applause because it was informative and did not sensationalize it. Through Max, the audience were able to get a grasp on how people diagnosed with this mental illness deal with their anxiety attacks and how they really think about themselves and other people. While every person has their own thoughts and their own ways, the movie can be used as a reference as it approached things in a realistic way. On the other side of the the movie, how certain events and words affect people at an early age while they grow up was depicted through Mary.

As the movie progress, I actually started forming a hunch that something will happen so I already assumed the worst and yet, I still lost it when it reached the climax. I just cried so hard I didn't have any tissue to pull out. Good thing I was all alone that night. Funny how a “clay-figure” can make someone ugly cry until the movie reaches its end.

This is a must-watch for me and I will never get tired of telling people about this movie.

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