Spirited Away.
After getting lost en route to their new home, ten year-old Chihiro and her parents discover an abandoned theme park. Fascinated, Chihiro’s father insists they explore despite his daughter’s apprehension, whereupon they discover a street of restaurants filled with enticing fresh food, though quite who prepared it remains unknown. Chihiro’s parents feast on the banquet laid before them while Chihiro herself, noticing something is amiss, continues to explore. She meets a boy named Haku who warns Chihiro to leave before sunset; returning to the restaurant as the night descends, Chihiro discovers spirits emerging from the shadows, the formerly dried river bed is flooded and impassable, and her parents have transformed into pigs. In order to free her parents and return from the fantastical world of magic and monsters she finds herself in, Chihiro must work in the controlling witch Yubaba’s bathhouse, where she meets many weird and wonderful characters. Spirited Away is a profoundly beautiful, gloriously surreal, thoroughly entertaining animated adventure. Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli yet again produce a film rich in provocative themes: friendship, innocence, self-discovery, environmentalism, western capitalism and Japanese culture, to name a few, are discussed in a film that is primarily targeted to a younger audience. Unbelievably good.
The Devil’s Backbone.
In the late 1930s during the final months of the Spanish Civil War, twelve year-old Carlos is brought to a boys orphanage after the death of his father. Carmen, the headmistress, is apprehensive upon his arrival due to the difficulty in feeding the others as it is; she has a stash of gold bars in a hidden safe, though she cannot sell them in such a difficult wartime environment. Carlos receives a hostile welcome from an older boy, Jaime, who on the first night tells him to sneak to the kitchen to refill their water jugs that were mysteriously spilled. Once he reaches the kitchen, a haunting whisper chills Carlos before he is caught by Jacinto, a hate-filled, violent worker at the orphanage. Carlos learns from the other boys of a ghost who haunts the orphanage, “the one who sighs”; having experienced supernatural phenomena since his arrival, Carlos goes in search of this phantom, the truth of which will shape the destiny of the orphanage and its inhabitants. The master of the gothic drama, writer and director Guillermo del Toro, is on top form as he crafts a compelling, atmospheric, tense, eerie “ghost story” that leaves a lasting impression; not so much from a horror standpoint but by the characters and the aspects of humanity they reveal.
The Piano Teacher.
Returning home late from a piano lesson, Schubert aficionado Erika is berated by her overbearing mother with whom she shares a small apartment; the confrontation ends in violence before the two apologise. Erika is a portrait of a strict, self-assured teacher acting almost indifferently to her students, believing that they are incapable of fully understanding the music they play. After performing a recital however, she is introduced to Walter: a talented, yet possibly unfocused engineering student, who becomes infatuated with Erika and seeks to enter her master class in order to pursue her romantically. Though she, again, appears indifferent, Erika is likewise fascinated by Walter; all the while aspects of her sexual repression are revealed through episodes of voyeurism and sadomasochistic acts. Director Michael Haneke produces yet another wonderfully shocking film that may be too much for some viewers, having only just recovered myself from his 1997 picture, Funny Games. A breathtaking performance by Isabelle Huppert as the perverse piano teacher. Viewer discretion is advised.
The Man Who Wasn’t There.
Quiet, chain-smoking barber Ed Crane works for his brother-in-law, Frank, in post-WWII California. Unlike Frank, Ed isn’t entirely invested in the hair cutting trade; when businessman Creighton Tolliver strolls into the barbershop, spouting stories of his newest venture, the freshly invented concept of dry cleaning, Ed’s curiosity is perked leading him to pursue a partnership with the entrepreneur. In order to gather the dry cleaning business’ start up cash, Ed anonymously blackmails his alcoholic wife’s boss, believing that they are having an affair. Unfortunately for everybody involved, Ed’s plan doesn’t quite unfold as expected in a film noir style tale that must be seen to be believed. Captivating dialogue courtesy of the Coen brothers screenplay filled with their trademark dark, dry wit; exquisitely shot by frequent Coens collaborator and cinematography royalty, Roger Deakins; and exceptional performances from a terrific ensemble cast that includes Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand and James Gandolfini. The Man Who Wasn’t There is yet another jewel in the crown that is the Coens’ filmography.
Amores Perros.
Prologue. Two men speed down the streets of Mexico City fleeing from gun brandishing thugs in a pickup truck, while a dog lies severely injured on their backseat. In their desperation to escape, they run through a red light crashing into another car; an event that will effect the lives of all involved. Part 1: Octavio y Susana. Octavio, the fleeing driver, dreams of escaping Mexico City with his abusive, adulterous, criminal brother’s wife, Susana. Octavio enters his dog, Cofi, into several dogfights in order to raise enough money to leave with Susana. An unkempt man shoots a businessman in broad daylight; he later watches a woman’s funeral from afar. A married man receives a phone call from his lover. Part 2: Daniel y Valeria. The married man, Daniel, is a magazine editor who’s engaged in the hinted-at-affair with model Valeria. Having separated from his wife, Daniel and Valeria move in together before events following the car crash place a strain on their relationship. Part 3: El Chivo y Maru. The unkempt man, Chivo, wanders the streets collecting stray dogs. The truth of his past and his current situation are revealed through a crooked cop. Alejandro G Iñárritu’s directorial feature debut, Amores Perros, is a suspenseful, raw, visceral film edited in a compellingly unconventional order as aspects of each vignette are glimpsed at within the others, revealing the complexity of the characters and the plot piece-by-piece. An outstanding, intertwining story of loss, life and love. And dogs.
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