By Leo Stiles
With the World Cup dominating our lives for the last few weeks, you might think that the countries battling it out for glory in South Africa produce football teams and little else worthy of note. That would be a mistake, since many of these countries also make world-beating movies too.
For some, ‘world cinema’ is a phrase that evokes the idea of boring and arty films that require you to read more than watch. This is a myth and if you believe it you are robbing yourself of the pleasure of some of the best made and most daring films you will ever see.
Here at JOE, we can’t get enough of great movies, whatever language they might be in. So we thought we’d bring you five of our world cinema favourites just to get you started. You can thank us later.
City of God (Brazil)
If this movie was a player it would be… Lúcio, a player who can dazzle you, much like the film, and make it all look effortless.
This is the film Scorsese wishes he could make, a hyper-kinetic epic that tell the story of one of Rio’s slums, the titular City of God, as it becomes a battleground for the city’s drug gangs during the late 70s. Filmed on location and with a cast of non actors, the film is a violent and moving account of two boys growing up in the chaos and danger of the slum.
Rocket is a young and talented photographer who documents the actions of the city’s most notorious gang in an effort to rise above and escape the poverty. The other is the psychotic Lil’ Dice who through sheer bloody murder climbs to the top of the criminal tree and is, frankly, a terrifying presence throughout the film
City of God is about as perfect as a film can get, with a superb narrative that encompasses a multitude of storylines while effortlessly keeping its focus on the two boys. The cast is a revelation and their lack of acting experience gives them a realism that never once feels anything less that genuine.
Director Fernando Meirelles gets right into the slums with his cameras which whirl and spin through the alleys and gutters with such grace that you will swear that some sort of special effects are being used. They aren’t, but the effect is so good that the film manages to portray the poverty-ridden City of God with a terrible beauty.
All the films on this list are worthy of your time, but if you had to pick just one then this is it.
[REC] (Spain)
If this movie was a player it would be… David Villa, a man who is no stranger to shocking the the opposition.
When this low-budget gem was released in 2006, it was a shot in the arm of the zombie horror film and is the only ‘found footage-style’ movie to truly work since the Blair Witch Project.
The story is told from the point of view of a TV camera crew as they make a documentary about the night shift of a fire station in Barcelona. When the station receives an emergency call to an apartment building, the presenter and her cameraman tag along, only to end up trapped with the residents as the building is quarantined because of a suspected viral outbreak.
What follows is a white-knuckle horror movie that uses spectacular handheld camera work to put you inside the building as all hell breaks loose and the residents become infected and transformed into crazed zombies.
The only film in recent times to come anywhere close to REC’s intensity is 28 Days Later and even that film flagged before the final credits. REC is just relentless in its drive to scare you and has a nice twist that gives the film an original spin on the zombie genre.
The American remake, Quarantine, came out in 2008 and was, predictably, rubbish making the original a must see for horror fans. Better yet, if you move quickly you should also be able to see the sequel on the big screen since REC 2 is still being shown in some of the better cinemas around the country.
Old Boy (South Korea)
If this movie was a player it would be… Park Ji-Sung, who must be well used to managerial hammerings after five years at Old Trafford.
This is one of those films that is almost impossible to categorise and could never have been produced by a western filmmaker, a fact that is borne out by a series of failed remake attempts over the years, including one that was to be directed by Steven Spielberg.
Well thank heavens for that because a watered down version of this film would be a travesty of cinema and take the shine of what is a bizarre original.
Directed by Park Chan-wook and included in his Vengeance Trilogy, Old Boy is the tale of Oh Dae-su, a drunk who is imprisoned in a windowless apartment for 15 years for no apparent reason. When he is suddenly released, he embarks on a quest to find out who did this to him and extract his revenge.
To say any more about the story would ruin the film which features a revelation late in the proceedings that will shock you even as you applaud its audacity. All that can really be said is that this is a film about crime, punishment, social taboos, love and revenge with a touch of black humour and violence thrown in for good measure.
Choi Min-sik as the fragile and mentally-damaged Dae-su plays the comedy broad and the drama deadly serious. His commitment to his character is absolute and has all the mania of early Nic Cage, only better. As daring and twisted as the whole film is, the fight scene at the centre of the film as Dae-su takes on a small army of goons with just a hammer, has to be seen to be believed.
The Seven Samurai (Japan)
If this movie was a player it would be… Keisuke Honda, a player that obviously has some of the samurai spirit in him.
We wanted to keep this list pretty contemporary so that you might actually be able to find each film with ease, but an exception had to be made for the granddaddy of all action films, The Seven Samurai.
This film is so monumental that its influence can be seen in everything from westerns and war movies to Star Wars, and it is as enjoyable to watch today as when it was first released in 1957. The story will sound familiar to anyone who has ever seen an action film, with seven exceptional warriors making a stand against a huge gang of bandits who are terrorising a small rural village.
Directed by the legendary Akira Kurosowa, the film keeps its story simple and focuses squarely on the seven warriors, giving each character a distinct individual personality and ensuring that each of them remains important to the story.
Kurosawa has a ball by setting his Samurais loose in battle scenes that have become the template of every epic of the last 50+ years. Aside from the fight scenes, the film resonates well thanks to its universal themes of courage, honour and self sacrifice.
Notable remakes of the film include the brilliant western, The Magnificent Seven. Rumour has it that George Clooney is being lined up to star in a modern interpretation of the film next year.
Downfall (Germany)
If this movie was a player then it would be… Miroslav Klose, a player who might be on his last legs but can still be dangerous.
Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, Downfall chronicles the last desperate days of the Third Reich as Hitler’s vision of a dominant Germany disintegrates and the Soviet army closes in on Berlin, leaving him only with his raving megalomania and his loyal inner circle.
What makes the film work is the towering central performance by Bruno Ganz as the Nazi tyrant. Ganz, who prepared for months before shooting began, portrays Hitler as a human being, not just as a monster capable of mass genocide.This can make for some uncomfortable viewing and you may be surprisingly touched by the love he clearly has for those closest to him and then appalled at the casual way he condemns the people of Germany to death.
The film is not a one man show and great pains are taken by the filmmakers to show that Nazi Germany was not the product of just one man but of an entire people who chose to believe in Hitler’s vision of an invincible nation.
The fact that we all know how it ends does not rob the film of any of its intensity and there is a sickening dread to the final scenes that shows the insanity at the heart of Nazi high command.
Obviously this is not a film that could be accused of being light entertainment, but scenes of Hitler ranting at his officers have become a You Tube phenomenon (with the film’s subtitles replaced with more humorous ones). Check out the World Cup themed clip above.
All of the highlighted films are brilliant, but they barely manage to scratch the surface of what’s out there. Feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments section below.
