With Roma all set to release on Netflix in the next few days, I thought this was an apt time to release my list of some of the best movies I saw at the Mumbai International Film Festival – MAMI – this year. Of course, knowing me, I picked movies based on country and travel as a theme and found these gems that I suggest you watch as soon as possible.
Roma, Mexico
The quiet assuredness of Roma is reason enough to watch this engaging and emotional movie by Alfonso Cuaron. Following the life of a wealthy family during the tumultous times of the 70s, the central character is a maid who acts as a witness to the happenings of the wealthy family while her own story unfolds in the background. The two stories come together beautifully in the end and Cuaron’s slow shots of airplanes flying over the city and marching bands parading down the wealthy lane stay with you long after the credits have rolled.
Burning, South Korea
This movie is based on a Haruki Murakami short story so I was assured this would be a good watch. However, the story took quite some time to build up and when it did, the characters left with more questions than answers. Still, it was reassuring to see a part of Korea that not many movies have ventured into. The propaganda-blaring North Korean speakers, the gritty bylanes of Seoul and the greenhouses that have a significant bearing on the plot are all worth watching at least once.
Also Read: 5 Movies I Saw At MAMI Based On My Travels
Rafiki, Kenya
A movie based on same-sex love from Kenya, Rafiki made waves after it was banned in its home country even as it continued to receive acclaim outside its own country. At its heart, Rafiki tells the story of an aspiring doctor and a free-spirited woman in Nairobi with sensibility and compassion. The political angle, gossiping aunties and the violence and betrayal of steering away from Christian love are added incentives to watch this admirable coming-of-age story.
Ash is Purest White, China
Zhangke Jia has to be one of the bravest filmmakers in China today. His movies manage to show aspects of China that other directors simply can’t seem to find. From the Three Gorges Dam to the rural countryside, Ash is Purest White is as much about China as it is about the life of a female gang member told over 16 years from 2001 to 2017.
Also Read: What’s The Connection Between South Indian Films And Georgia
Birds of Passage, Colombia
Wow! What a visual feast Birds of Passage is. Traditional customs are left in the lurch as the modern Waayu invade homegrown Colombians and start trafficking in marijuana leading up to the beginning of the narcotics mafia. With such a heavy hangover of Narcos hanging over itself, Colombia’s customs and traditions and their gradual uprooting makes Birds of Passage a must-watch movie.
Shoplifters, Japan
The Golden Palm winner this year at Cannes, Shoplifters is the agonising and funny story of a dysfunctional family that look out for one another even when the stakes don’t demand them to. Giving more than a glimpse into rural Japan and the hard lives of the citizens, Shoplifters makes a visually stunning argument for itself as in languorously unfolds.
Also Read: How To Travel Right, According To Anthony Bourdain
3 Faces, Iran
Trust Jafar Panahi to land a film with almost enviable regularity. The Iranian filmmaker gives audiences a peek into Turkish-Iranian territory and folk village beliefs about the ‘vulgarity’ of entertainment. The movie manages to be intimate, funny in places and yet cover its broad themes with subtle metaphors. With actors (including Panahi) mostly playing themselves, 3 Faces is a high point for the director after a couple of underwhelming films in the recent past.
Honourable Mentions –
Leave No Trace, Portland, Oregon
Exploring a father-daughter relationship through the father’s natural need to run away from civilisation and stay in forests and forage, this excellent movie has more than a few elements to make you ponder about the choices you make in your life and its repercussions.
Cold War, Poland
Set during a tumultous period in Polish history, Cold War is brilliantly acted by its lead protagonists with their love story moving from Poland to Yugoslavia to Berlin and Paris, this visually stunning film was a great watch.
Climax, France
Some movies require you to experience them to appreciate them fully and Gaspar Noe’s latest film fulfills that criterion by a long measure – and then some. Watch this movie anywhere you can find it. Just make sure you don’t miss this crazy, twisted film.
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