Notes On A Scandal
Richard Eyre
With stellar performances from Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench and the music of Philip Glass to mesmerise you throughout, little can go wrong. The movie explores how the lives of a veteran high school teacher and a younger art teacher are affected when the former discovers a “secret” about the latter. The movie successfully captures the intense desire that a person can have for someone to the extent that the person ends up destroying the other person’s life.
Taxi Driver
Martin Scorsese
When Robert De Niro and Scorsese team up, sparks fly. Taxi Driver is about the life of a taxi driver who lives in New York. Suffering from depression and insomnia, the driver seeks refuge initially in porn theatres and later in a programme of intense physical training to find focus. Who can forget that iconic scene in the movie, when Bickle looks at himself in the mirror and asks, “You talkin’ to me?” He succeeds in saving the life of Iris, a sex worker and helps her return to her parents’ home. Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle and Jodie Foster as Iris take the concept of acting to a whole new level and in the process glorify the script too.
Groundhog Day
Harold Ramis
This film makes you laugh every time you watch it. A weatherman named Phil Connors while covering the Groundhog Day event finds himself living the same day over and over again. Being initially reckless and confused because of it, he later decides to improve his life by making full use of the situation. Being light hearted and inspiring at the same time earns brownie points for the movie. Bill Murray as Phil Connors and Andie McDowell as Rita are amazing in their roles. The movie teaches you to make the best of every situation.
4 Luni, 3 Saptamani Si 2 Zile
Cristian Mungiu
Translated as four months, three weeks and two days, this Romanian film is about a woman who helps her friend through an illegal abortion in the days of Communist Romania. The film not only depicts the problems encountered by the two women but also captures the relationships between individuals in an apt way, be it the friendship of the two women or that of the woman with her boyfriend. With the topic of abortion at its helm, the film delves deep into the intricacies of human relationships.
Le Scaphandre Et Le Papillon
Julian Schnabel
The Diving Bell and The Butterfly is based on the true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke that leaves him paralysed from the neck down. Left with only his left eyelid functioning and unable to speak, Bauby doesn’t lose hope. Instead he develops a system of communication with the people around him by blinking his left eyelid. Despite his condition, he decides to write a book and succeeds in doing so. Shot artistically, the movie shows you that there is much to learn from Bauby’s life.
Those that almost made it
There Will Be Blood : Paul Thomas Anderson
Little Children : Todd Field
Half Nelson : Ryan Fleck
The Silence Of The Lambs : Jonathan Demme
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly : Sergio Leone
Akshat Jha is a sales analyst based in Gurgaon
