1. "The Pianist"
The film is a biographical, drama, and war film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Adrian Brody and Micho Zambrowski, and was released in France on September 25, 2002. The film won 3 and was nominated four times at the 75th Academy Awards.
Based on the autobiography of Valladislau Spruman, the film depicts the story of a Polish Jewish pianist struggling to survive during World War II. A gifted composer and pianist, Valladislav continued to play live on the radio before the Nazi occupation. However, during those days of white terror, he was under the threat of death all day and had to hide around to avoid falling into the clutches of the Nazis. He was plagued by hunger and humiliation in warsaw's Jewish quarter. Here, even when all the things he loves have to be given up, he still lives tenaciously. He escaped carpet searches and hid in the ruins of the city. Fortunately, his musical talent touched a German officer, and under the protection of the officer's death, the pianist finally survived the end of the war and ushered in the dawn of freedom. His courage earned him a great reward, and with the help of everyone, he found the art he loved.
Narrated in the first person, the film shows a straight-forward look at World War II and German fascism in the eyes of a Pole. Ordinary people who seem to be silent about war are the ones who are closest to this cruel truth.
2. Inception
The film was directed by Christopher Nolan and starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, among others. The film's plot moves between dream and reality, and is defined as "a contemporary action science fiction film that takes place within the structure of consciousness." The film was released in 2010.
Dom Cobb is an experienced thief who is the best in his business because he can sneak into the most mentally fragile dreams of people and steal valuable secrets from the subconscious. Cobb's rare skill made him the most coveted target of dangerous corporate espionage, but it also made him an international fugitive who lost his love.
Now That Cobb has a chance to atone for his sins, his life will return to its original state as it was. Unlike in the past, Cobb and his team's mission this time is not to steal ideas, but to implant them. If they succeed, it's a perfect crime. But even with meticulous and professional arrangements in advance, it was impossible to predict that the dangerous enemy already knew their movements, and only Cobb could have predicted the whereabouts of the enemy.
The filming plan for this film was born during the filming of Batman Prequel 2: The Dark Knight, and Christopher Nolan had considered working with his intimate partner Christian Bell again, but Christian Bell suggested that Christopher Nolan find other actors of his choice to play the male lead because he wanted to shoot Terminator 2018 and christian Bale had other shooting plans. At this time, Christopher Nolan thought of another actor he liked but had never officially worked with, Leonardo DiCaprio.
3. "Eavesdropping Storm"
It was directed and written by Florian Heinkel von Donasma and starred Ulrich Moue, Sebastian Cocci, and Martina Godette. The film was released in Germany on March 23, 2006.
The film tells the story of a secret agent in The Stasi (NSA) in East Berlin, East Germany before 1984, who was responsible for spying on a male playwright and his girlfriend, and gradually became attracted to their lives, turned to sympathy for their plight, and finally secretly helped them.
Since its release in Germany in mid-March, the film has easily grossed more than 11 million in 11 weeks and has brought a huge reputation – the Bavarian Film Festival has won 4 awards; the German National Film Festival has won 11 record-breaking nominations and 7 awards (including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Screenwriter); and the European Film Festival's shortlist of 6 nominations has become the biggest winner.
In addition to the artistic quality of the film itself, a key reason for the film's own uproar was that it was probably the first film in the sixteen years since German reunification to be unsweetened and milky, seriously portraying the terror rule of the East German secret police.
4. "One By One"
The film is a 2000 film directed by Taiwanese director Yang Dechang that portrays family affection and the meaning of life, starring Wu Nianzhen, Jin Yanling, Li Kaili, Zhang Yangyang and others. The film was officially released in Taiwan on November 6, 2009, and premiered in France on May 14, 2000, the same year the film was shortlisted for the Palme d'Or at the 53rd Cannes International Film Festival and time magazine's Top Ten Films of the Year, for which Yang Dechang won the Best Director Award at the Cannes International Film Festival.
NJ is a very principled businessman who lives with his wife Min Min, daughter Tingting, son Yangyang and grandmother in an ordinary apartment in Taipei. After a troublesome wedding for his brother-in-law, he ushered in more chaotic days because his grandmother suddenly suffered a stroke and fell unconscious. Min Min's company and home run at both ends, often feeling that they are going to be emptied; Tingting has always felt guilty for her grandmother's stroke, and found herself in love halfway through to find herself as a substitute; NJ is even more troublesome, the company is facing bankruptcy, and he is unwilling to let go of the self-esteem that others see as worthless. In the family, it seems that only Yangyang has no worries, and he calmly uses the camera to photograph the back of various people and help them grow another pair of eyes, however, Yangyang's simple words express deeper sadness.
The importance of the film lies in its re-emphasis on family values in this fragmented contemporary metropolis, and at the same time, it sets the realist film into a family by molding a social model of typical characters, replacing social phenomena with the state of life, and handing over a demonstration work that must be seen and watched.
5. "City of God"
Based on the novel God's Town, the film is a feature film directed by Fernando Merrills and starring Matthews Nacgare, Alice Braga, and Sohohei. The film was released in Brazil on August 30, 2002.
In Rio de Janeiro in 1960, the government built many housing houses in the slums, which have since been known as the "City of God". The children living there are almost a gun in their hands, and any van that enters the area is doomed to be robbed, and it has become a haven of violent drugs, and even the police are reluctant to step into it easily. Rocket, who grew up there, was a poor black kid whose dream was to be a photographer, while Aze, who was the same age as him, dreamed of becoming a gang boss. Rocket, like all of his playmates, has been surrounded by violence, bloodshed and drugs, but Rocket has an extra-sharp heart, and in the face of the cruel environment, Rocket uses photography to record his kind observations. Ten years later, Rocket raised his camera to document the devastated city, and Aze had achieved his dream, unmatched by his drug network in Rio de Janeiro.
The film shows the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in a crime and thriller scene, the "City of God" and the capital of sin. The film uses the protagonist's perspective to witness the brutal, ambitious, and greedy side of the slums. The living environment shown in the film, the observation and exposure of life, are all bold attempts. The Rio slums, which are the real filming locations, add a more wild and heavy ink.
6. The Grand Budapest Hotel
The film is the eighth feature film by American director Wes Anderson, who wrote and directed himself and starred Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revololi, Silsa Ronan, Edward Norton and others. The film was released in the United States on March 7, 2014. In February 2015, he won the 87th Academy Awards for Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup & Hair Design, and Best Original Score.
Set in Europe in the 1930s and 1960s, the film revolves around a legendary hotel concierge and his young protégé. In the famous and endless stream of guests at the Grand Budapest Hotel, the concierge Mr. Gustav experienced many sounds and horses, including the theft of priceless paintings, the property disputes of famous royal families and other absurd anecdotes; not only that, he also witnessed with this luxury hotel the flames of war in Europe for half a century.
The brightly coloured images are like watercolor postcards, the smooth and diverse camera movements bring the audience a fresh and rich perspective, the legendary characters and absurd performances create a real "dreamy feeling", and of course, the soundtrack from Alexander Displatt, which is strictly in line with the narrative and good enough. Wes Anderson's recognition in the film industry is no longer just from Billy Wilder, Liu Beiqian or Kubrick, but completely his own.
7. "Whale Circus"
Directed by Bella Tarr and starring Russ Rudolph, Peter Fitz, Hannah Chigula, János Derzsi and others, the film was released in July 2000.
The film tells the story of a small town on the Hungarian plains that welcomes a circus. The most unique thing is that this circus has a whale carcass and a mysterious prince. Ever since the circus came to town, all order has been disrupted, eventually erupting into a clash of violence and goodness.
Very beautiful black and white photography with a mysterious cold tone. I especially like the beginning of the planet rotation, and some narrative about the music, full of philosophy and allegory. A few simple pale shots haunt the creepy humanity, which is very unsimple.
8. Fragments of Memory
The film is directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Guy Pierce, Kelly Anne Moss, Joe Pantriano, Mark Boone Jr. and others in the thriller and suspense genre. The film was released in France on October 11, 2000. In 2001, Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan won the Waldo Schotter Screenwriting Award at the 17th Sundance Film Festival for this film.
The film tells the story of Leonardo Shelby, who suffers from "short-term memory loss", who must find his wife's killer based on his fragmented memories.
The feeling of fragmentation created by the film allows the audience to personally experience the inner world of the protagonist. The film finds an integrated story for this thorough flashback narrative technique, the details of the story that arrange the flashbacks require special thinking, and finding a theme that fits this framework requires inspiration.
9. "A Parting"
It was directed by Asha Farhati and starred Layla Khatami, Peman Moadi, Sare Bayat and others. The film was released in Germany on February 15, 2011.
Westminster wanted to leave Iran so that his daughter could get a better education. She made almost all the preparations for this, but her husband Nader did not think so, and he still had his father with Alzheimer's disease who needed to be taken care of and could not leave. In a fit of rage, Westminster took Nader to court and asked for a divorce. Sad, Westmind returned to her mother's house. Losing Westminster, Nader found his life a mess and had no choice but to hire a female worker to take care of his father, but found that Reitz not only neglected his father, but also tied him to the bedside. Enraged, Nader pushes Reitz out of the door, and Reitz slips down the stairs, accidentally causing a miscarriage...
The film intertwines the ethics of kinship at the individual level with the class differences at the social level, showing the estrangement and conflict between the relatively wealthy and westernized middle class in contemporary Iranian society and the working class, which is not highly educated and still strictly adheres to religious rules.
10. "Dogtown"
The film is a suspenseful film written and directed by Russ von Trier and starring Nicole Kidman, Harriet Anderson, Lauren Beccaul, Paul Bettany, James Kane and others. The film was released in France on May 19, 2003. He won the Best Director and Best Cinematography awards at the 16th European Film Awards on December 6, 2003.
The film tells the story of a mysterious woman Grace in a closed and old American town. She is beautiful and kind, and is escaping the gangsters. The town's writer Tom urged the villagers to keep the woman and let her escape the town for the time being. However, the condition was that Grace would have to do all kinds of farm work to pay it back. People agreed, but soon discovered that Grace was a wanted fugitive. Everyone wants to drive Grace away, and finally promises that if she works harder, she can stay here.
Grace worked day and night, and it was difficult to escape the unfortunate things. A townsman raped Grace after a police roundup. Dirty things began: people began to insult her casually, even Tom, also unveiled the mask of kindness, Grace became a dog in the town, working, suffering, and the kind heart gradually changed. The people in the town could not imagine that the mysterious life of this woman had made the insult at this moment a disaster for him.
It's not a delightful movie. Not that it's because it's not well shot, but in fact the film's narrative structure is rigorous, well-conceived, the style is cold, the styling set is refreshing, and it is also deeply thoughtful, and Nicole Kidman's performance is also very accurate. It cannot be said to be pleasing to man because it unceremoniously and spared no effort to break the audience's moral and psychological defenses.