MATT'S Top 20 Films of 2013 - #15 to #11
15 - MISTER JOHN by Joe Lawlor and Christine MolloyAfter discovering his wife’s infidelities, a man travels to Singapore to attend his brother’s funeral and look after his business. After discovering the new world presented to him, he warms up to the idea of carrying on his brother’s identity.
With Mister John, Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor establish themselves as unique visionaries in modern cinema. Their unique branch of hypnotic modern noir really comes through in the film, which unusually and enigmatically thrives on its avoidance of mystery to become mysterious. Yet the realism of the film is rendered beautiful and cinematic not only by the wonderful cinematography that really glorifies the greens and reds of the Singaporean landscape - and stand as a testimony as to why 35mm still looks best on the big screen - but also through dream sequences and the audience's subconscious perceptions of realistic actions and reactions in a traditionally cinematic way. Much can be said about the hypnotic pace of the film, as thankfully and rewardingly it takes its time in letting its story unravel.
As well as that, the film features an amazing performance by Aiden Gillen whose interpretation shows a great connection with his lead character Gerry and makes his passivity seem magnetic, hence conveying Mister John's take on masculinity as a theme and as a preconception.
14 - THE LUNCHBOX by Ritesh Batra
Ila is a married woman who seeks to win her husband’s love and attentions by cooking him a wonderful meal for him to have at his workplace for his lunch break. However, the lunchbox is mixed up and it ends up going to Mr. Fernandez, an older man insular man who has been grieving his wife since she died. Realising the mistake, the two start connecting with each other by using the lunchbox to send each other letters.
The Lunchbox is a heart-warming debut by Ritesh Batra that has all the appeal of old-fashioned classics. This Indian film also successfully rekindles the format of the romantic comedy with platonic love thanks to a wonderful original charming central plotline. Furthermore, its priceless glimpses into the Indian social, cultural and geographical setting offer a wonderfully rewarding element particularly on an international level.
Yet, the film is made all the more appealing by the cast’s delightful performances that make it all the easier to connect to the characters and understand the nature of their feelings.
13 - NEBRASKA by Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne returns to his birthplace of Nebraska to once again capture its meditative quietness and examine the relationship between an ageing father and his son. This is the story of David, who takes his stubborn father, who believes he has won a million dollars to be collected in Lincoln, on a trip from Montana to Nebraska.
The performances are great. Will Forte’s sensibility affirms him as one of American cinema’s most talented newcomers while Bruce Dern gives the best performance career as the booze-addled and physically vulnerable Woody. The latter’s performance in particular conveys the great power of the film that constantly challenges its viewer with its contrast of the tragicomedy of real life.
The wonderful black and white photography evokes heavy feelings of nostalgia and melancholia whilst deepening the film’s poetic appeal through a subjective and intimate evaluation of the grey skies, the lonely diners, the empty taverns and the characteristic landscape of its setting. However, while it may be harrowing and poignant it is also laugh out loud funny as well as very entertaining and refreshingly optimistic.
It may not be Payne’s most compelling work but, while it is far from being obvious or clichéd, it may just be his most rewarding crowd pleaser yet.
Anna, a young girl brought up in a convent, is just about to take her vows and become a nun. Before she does, her Mother Superior insists that she try to reconnect with her last remaining relative, her aunt Wanda, who an intellectual and strong woman. After some initial hostility, the two set off on a road trip looking for the place where Anna’s parents were executed and buried during the Second World War.
Pawlikowski’s latest work feels like a journey of character’s self-discovery but also a journey through the meanders of Poland’s historical conscience. Shot in glorious black and white photography, each frame is carefully composed and adds a poetic depth to the narrative and conveys the careful structure of the character development.
All the while, Kulesza and Trzebuchowska share wonderful chemistry in their moments of soft spoken melancholia and pathos with their performances of their respective characters, who have radically opposed personalities, that conveys Ida’s lack of emotional obviousness in favour of a more honest and touching approach.
11 - STARRED UP by David Mackenzie
David MacKenzie takes the essence of the domestic drama of a difficult father son relationship and confines it to the tense and claustrophobic setting of a prison.
Starred Up is the story of a rebellious teenage inmate whose angry life deteriorates when he is transferred to the same prison as his father. The father’s attempts at helping his son, in fact, seem to do nothing but fuel Eric’s rage even more and risk putting him into more trouble with the guards. MacKenzie digs deep within the psychology of the characters and their somewhat distorted and selfish priorities.
In the end, this testosterone filled drama is also a harrowing and hard-hitting intimate portrayal made even deeper and more compelling by the wonderful magnetic performances of Jack O’Connell and Ben Mendelsohn who invest body and soul in their honest and sometimes disturbing interpretations of father and son.
to be continued...