The House is Black
1962
I was a bit taken aback upon realizing this was the best short film I had ever watched. Typically, short films are lacking in development and almost always terminate on a half-baked feeling, not to a fault of their own. It seems notoriously difficult to convey complex layers of emotion or storytelling within a short span of time. That said, this film absolutely blew me away. I believe this might be the greatest short film ever made, at least that is where I stand on the matter now.
The short film shows intimate scenes of the lives of people in Iran plagued with leprosy, segragated into a colony for lepars. The filming and dialogue is extremely poetic and the beauty that was created alongside such terrifying illness was astonishing for me to watch. I was left without a thought of flaw or error in the film, and the concept of such pain being captured through moving image so delicately convinced me that it deserved to recieve many praises.
Badlands
1973
Well, Badlands is just one of those really good and fun films. Lighthearted at it's core and maybe more simple than my other top picks, but a lovely film and especially nice cinematic work. Sissy Spacek usually plays these oddball, socially challenged characters and so, as usual, it was quite nice to see her play this role. This is my pick if you want something easy on the shoulders, something you'll feel good while watching.
On the Silver Globe-Andrzej Żuławski
1988
On the Silver Globe is a very strange film. Possibly the strangest film I have ever seen, at least in my recent years. I think the filming is my favorite thing about this film. The camera movements are intimate and chaotic and passionate, some of the most memorable filming I have seen. The storyline is a bit overwhelming in comparison to the other films I have listed but it's a worth while watch. The film was adapted from the book of the same name that was written by the directors grand uncle and it overlaps religious parallels and sci-fi dystopia.
Maborosi-Hirokazu Koreeda
1990
A film sometimes captures grief through images and expression and hardly ever does it do a good job of showing true melancholy and change. Maborosi was the first film I have ever seen that felt like true melancholy without the gimmicks. I would say for me this film is flawless and without error, a complete work of perfection and honest storytelling.
Eureka-Shinji Aoyama
2000
Eureka is probably my all time favorite japanese film, for reasons I can't describe. The film is captured completely in sepia and follows the lives of people who are marked by a traumatic event on a bus. The timeline is soft and subtle and despite the story unraveling into some rather dark themes, I still felt warm while watching it. The soundtrack is also possibly one of my favorites. If you're willing to spiral down the rabbit hole of 3 hrs & 40 mins of film, I'd say it's a worthy way to spend a saturday evening.
In Praise of Shadows-Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
1933
An essay by Tanazaki that describes the subtleties of Japanese culture and aesthetics. A simple book and a very well written essay. He describes the core of Japanese aesthetic as cloudy and veiled, in contrast to the western standards of beauty. Tanizaki makes the point that the progress of civilisation is only for the youth, that the lights of the modern day leave behind all the old simple people of the past.
Hunger-Knut Hamsun
1890
Hunger was my first Norwegian novel, despite it being translated to english. I liked the writing in this book, though it was chaotic and choppy, I suppose that was the intention. After reading the book I also followed it up with the film, if only to make sure I had imagined the writing the right way. The book unfolds a man surviving in Kristania, now known as Oslo, and his unsatiable desires of hunger, lust and power. Though I did consider at one point that the writing was a bit difficult to relate to, so rapid and nearly wild. I think if that was the intention of this book, it felt really honest and true to the main character, a man driven to insanity and fueled with hunger.
Buffalo ´66-Vincent Gallo
1999
I hardly have the words to explain how odd and interesting this film is. I would say it is probably my favorite American film as of now, just beautifully written and well made. The story is written and acted by the director Vincent Gallo, and the second lead is Christina Ricci, perfect pick for her character I would say. In some alternate universe this tale would be the estranged daughter of Paris, Texas.
Earthlings, Sayaka Murata
2018
This book came with a lot of hype and anticipation, it is one of the more popular japanese books to come out recently and I had heard a lot about it before giving it a chance. I didn't expect it to be as good as it was but it was quite brilliant. I love idiosyncratic stories laced with a bit of commentary and comedy, honestly it felt a bit like a NISIOISIN novel. There are some very dark aspects to the story as well which only makes the value of the book higher from my view, it didn't feel as if things were thrown in simply for shock. Highly recommend this odd tale of a girl who thinks she is an alien
Possession-Andrzej Żuławski
1981
My second favorite film from Andrzej Żuławski, a very uniquely presented film under the thriller category. My favorite thing about this film is the dialogue and acting, I have never seen another film that was anything close to this one.It is hard to say what the film is technically about without ruining the first experience, but it surrounds a couple who evnetually struggles in their relationship as the wife engages in some disturbing and "supernatural" behaviors and events.
Valerie & Her Week of Wonders
1970
Well, this one is basically czech alice and wonderland in some ways, obscure and colorful, I would say this is also one of my favorites. Technically this is a coming of age tale but it's coated with whimsical fantasy, a very charming film.