No Country for Old Men
Usually, movies are about ‘good vs evil’. But this one isn’t. In this, the hero doesn’t win. The film is unpredictable. After all the randomness and chaos we witness throughout the film, it ends with a relaxed monologue of a clueless, old police officer talking about his dream of a world he can finally understand. It is a fitting end for the world and the characters this film sets up.
12 Angry Men
12 Angry Men
What I learnt from 12 Angry Men was: ‘To make a film, you need just a room and a few characters.’ You needn’t be too worried about other things like budget, aesthetics, etc. I think it is the perfect kind of movie to make during a time like this. It’s easy to shoot. In the film’s beginning, 11 of 12 jury members will be in favour of pronouncing the defendant guilty [which will result in a death sentence]. And, they will be pissed off with the 12th guy for disagreeing with them. Slowly, one after another will change their decisions. The film is basically about the conflict within the characters and between them.. And, that is one important thing to remember while writing a film.
Magnolia
Magnolia
This film introduced me to Paul Thomas Anderson. He is an auteur in his own way. All of his films are something else and describing them with words is in a way belittling them. The film itself is one of my all-time favourites. It offers closures for all its characters. And, there is something organic about the way the characters behave and interact with each other. You sense a thread that connects all of them. And, the pacing of the film is eloquent. It’s also one of Tom Cruise’s best roles. He plays a socially unacceptable masochistic guy. But the film makes you get into the character and you understand why he is like that It is a three-hour movie but it doesn’t feel that long.
Pariyerum Perumal
28/09/2018: A scene from Pariyerum Perumal. Photo: Special Arrangement
I remember walking out of this film feeling something I have never felt in no other Tamil movie before that or till date. Pariyerum Perumal is a classic about caste. Yet there is nothing preachy about the film. The hero doesn’t preach to the audience; he simply makes them feel what he feels and leaves it to their conscience.
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