A awkwardly miss-matched collection of some of the best films (in my humble opinion) that have through time altered my deduction of the world into a more balanced and functional one…kinda.
Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
dir: Nicholas Ray
This film epitomizes my love for ‘Old Hollywood’ – well certain parts of it anyway. Ignoring the whole inequality and bigotry of the time. We see the beginnings of someone who would captivate generations of cinema go-ers and critics alike, this film propelled James Dean to an unforgettable status. Rebel Without A Cause basically gave birth to the notion of the Teenager, without selling them off as brainless deviants but showing a group of youngsters who stood for something and stuck by what they believed in. Jimmy Stark the protagonist is a traditional revolutionary, he was an entirely exceptional figure, someone before his time who acted as the herald of his once voiceless generation. Rebel Without A Cause inspired millions of young people in the 50’s to think for themselves and challenge the opinions and views of their parents and contemporaries. It definitely helped me to appreciate my own values.
Leon: The Professional
dir: Luc Besson
I like how a trained hitman can quickly become hot-under-the-collar at the sight of a 12 year old girl dressed as Marilyn Monroe. The main power struggle is between a sexually immature 12 year old girl and a grown man, which I think is fantastically refreshing! Every character in Leon practically oozes charm, even Norman Stansfield the dexterously fashionable drug addict/corrupt agent. With his tendency to crack pills in his mouth rather suggestively and his well-fitting beige linen suit, he was obviously set up to be a bit of a heartthrob. The highly stylized visuals help to beef this film out into a true master piece – each frame is satisfying. It also serves as a working embodiment of Besson’s values of romance over realism and spectacle before narrative. Mathilda was everything that 14 year old me (and admittedly present me too) so wanted to be and well wasn’t; aloof but provocative and bewitchingly beautiful.
Amelie
dir: Jean-Pierre Jeanut
Amelie makes me feel a nostalgia for a place I have never been, every frame seems to have this hand-crafted, romantic quality – as if every part right down to the colour of the leaves on the trees was picked especially. Jean-Pierre Jeunet successfully transforms an emotionally charged story into a light-hearted cinematic masterpiece. Due to the lack of warmth and love Amelie received as a child she seeks to find adulthood by infiltrating strangers lives. She is a character who despite suffering her own personal tragedies can still see beauty in the world both in big things and little insignificant moments. I think that’s definitely something to aspire to.
Wristcutters: A Love Story
dir: Goran Dukic
One of the very first films to NOT beautify suicide without the controversy. It follows the story of Zia who (rather unreasonably) kills himself after breaking up with his girlfriend but soon finds himself in a insipid purgatory which ironically seems more dull than the world he so wanted to escape. This world is populated with people just like him, who killed themselves under slightly melodramatic circumstances. The film’s (pardon the pun) cut throat reaction to teen suicide is not enough to be offensive or devalue the act of killing oneself but does incline youngsters on the edge to ask themselves the question ‘Is it worth it?’.
My Own Private Idaho
dir: Gus Van Sant
This is a film whose structure is planned around the incoherent stream of lucid memories from its narcoleptic lead, so as you can probably gather it’s not exactly the easiest thing to follow. Gus van Sant threw out the tired stereotype of objectifying women and showed the male side of prostitution. Drenching the dialogue with hidden meanings and poetic dribble highlights the transience of youth and the lengths they will go for acceptance and well, money. With shots of baron wasteland and compromising situations it doesn’t glorify the life it’s characters lead but the characters themselves – it shows them as vulnerable genius’. Now why couldn’t any films do that for females?
Honourable mentions; Big Fish, Delicatessen, Trainspotting, Manhattan, Monty Python’s – And Now For Something Completely Different, Nikita, Dazed and Confused.