The Hours
Stephen Daldry
This brilliantly crafted film which depicts a slice of author Virginia Woolf's life, is likely to be on many a movie aficionado's list. Virginia (portrayed by an able Nicole Kidman, prosthetic nose and all) is grappling with mental illness while determinedly working on her book Mrs. Dalloway . The movie inconspicuously cuts across time periods — it flits from Virginia's 20th century England to a disconcerted home-maker of the 1950s and a seemingly optimistic woman living in modern America. Though replete with suicides, The Hours (2003) is sans morbidity or melodrama.
Dead Poet's Society
Peter Weir
Welcome to the elite Welton Academy — a school which promises to craft boys into men with successful (read traditionally revered) careers. Into this stuffy atmosphere enters an unconventional English teacher who advises the boys to chuck tried and tested thinking patterns. The result: the boys revive The Dead Poet's Society, the congregation of which is held in a cave in the dead of night. The narration of the story is non-judgmental and the viewers are left to decide if the master's teaching techniques worked for the better or the worse. Entertaining, thought provoking and very inspirational. Carpe diem!
Brick Lane
Sarah Gavron/ Mary Stephens
Screened at many international film festivals, this critically acclaimed movie based on Monica Ali's book doesn't ring false even once. It traces the life of a rural Bangladeshi woman, Nazneen, who is married off to a London- based man much older than herself and her bleak life devoid of any self-expression which is spiced only by the letters she receives from her sister, detailing her bohemian escapades. Nazneen later finds romantic love in a younger man. She eventually goes on to find a voice which is true and unique to her. At the end of the movie this mild-mannered protagonist emerges as a much stronger person. The aptly chosen star-cast makes the characters come alive.
Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock
Touted as one of the best of Alfred Hitchcock, this 1960 flick has stood the test of time. A concrete storyline, riveting scenes and some good acting keeps one engrossed throughout the movie. The parlour scene where there is a conversation between Anthony Perkins'and Janet Leigh's characters, as stuffed birds look on is especially well-directed. Rather than being a macabre thriller, Psycho is rather poignant and has been made after having delved deep into the human psyche.
What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
Lasse Hallstorm
What's eating Gilbert Grape? Everything it seems, as life is no bed of roses for young Gilbert who has to support a fatherless family comprising an abnormally obese mother and a mentally-challenged brother both of whom need constant care and monitoring. His two sisters help him in this difficult sojourn. Gilbert later finds an understanding lady love who doesn't scoff at his unusual family and finally gets to lead a life that's also his own. Handled with great subtlety and sensitivity, the movie makes one empathise with the characters; you laugh with their little joys and shed tears with their sorrow. Lasse Hallstorm deserves a pat on the back for fine sensibilities and the ability to handle different themes.
Those that almost made it
The Talented Mr. Ripley: Anthony Minghella
Pankh: Sudipto Chattopadhyaya
The Cider House Rules: Lasse Hallstorm
Gattaca: Andrew Niccol
The Quiet American: Phillip Noyce
Being Cyrus: Homi Adajania
(Lasya Shashimohan is a Bangalore based entrepreneur with a penchant for movies.)
