1. I think that Adam (2009) pairs perfectly Mark Haddon's book from the previous post. The kid grew and felt in love, but the difficulty of coping with the outer world is still there. Again, a touching movie that I dearly recommend.
2. Going forward with the young people theme as well as with the one of the introvert personalities another good choice for a movie night out with some witty friends is The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I knew nothing of Emma Watson except the Harry Potter series ( my bad!) but she grew to be a pretty good actress. One will find her charming and the whole story of Charlie (the role in which Logan Lerman was cast), a misfit toy, could be a mirror for every troubled adolescence. Do we "accept the love we think we deserve?" Do we have our own tunnel song? Are we infinite?
3. A more debatable, controversial movie is Shame (2011). I could briefly say that it shares the story of a man, Brandon, who is looking for human connections but fails to do so because he is caught up in a world of unreal intimacy, of lust. His troubled sister becomes a burden when she unexpectedly drops in for a prolonged visit, but again he fails to give her any real support. The movie is introspective and the pace of it is somehow sterile, but it is a remarkable movie about addiction and pain.
4. A different drama: Mao's Last Dancer (2009). The story is based on the autobiography of the ballet dancer Li Cunxin. It can be an interesting perspective upon the cold, communist China for a history-lover but also an opportunity to re-think your perspective upon ballet. It is a graceful, moving and melancholic performance and, in the same time, a lesson about sacrifice and courage.
5. What about belly dancing? An impulsive, postal worker dreams to dance and thinks she is in love. But love is a tricky concept when it comes to a Middle -Est culture to which Lola, the main character, is exposed in Egypt. The movie depicts cultural aspects of Egyptian society and some of its taboos. But the most remarkable aspect of the movie is - to me - the student-teacher relationship. Watch Whatever Lola wants and tell me if you disagree.
6. Wings of Desire released in 1987 is a mostly monochrome, lyrical movie. It reconstructs Berlin and human history through the eyes of two angles. Angels rest in libraries at the end of the day. People's thoughts are overwhelming and yet, through pain people realize they are alive. One of the angels desires to leave his immortal condition so that he can hold an apple, walk barefoot and love. There is a circus and an acrobat that have all the chances to become his personal island. And he crosses the river.
7. Without any trace of doubt my favourite summer movie is Sidewalls (2011). And how could it not be? It has the same photographic quality as Azuloscurocasinegro, the inner poetry of Italo Calvino's Invisible cities and the same initial sadness as Pink Floyd's Wish you were here. Romantic without being soapy. Funny above all! Different and optimistic (the YouTube video in the end is, in fact, featuring one of my favourite motivational songs). This is a movie that I am going to watch again. And that says it all.
8. When did you last watch a beautiful Bulgarian movie? The optimistic title The world is Big and the Salvation Lurks Around the Corner unfolds the story of an Ausländer living in Germany. His amnesia caused by a tragic car accident is the starting point of a recovery voyage: childhood and communist era ( I remember the long queues so for me it was too a voyage back to the past), family, culture and backgammon. And backgammon is more than a game. It's a metaphor. Our destiny is often the result of a cast dice.
This is the kind of movie that brings tears to your eyes. Loved it.
*It also reminded me of Chris Rose's story A game of Go.
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