Cinema is an art designed to convey certain values to viewers. But not all films are capable of this. We have selected paintings that will make a lasting impression and make you think.
Lobster
USA, 2015.
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
Cast: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Jessica Barden, Olivia Colman, Ashley Jensen, Ariana Labed.
Plot: only couples can exist in this world. If you are a loner, you are in danger, all laws are against you. David was left alone, so now he is arrested and sent to a prison hotel, where he will have to find a mate in 45 days. If this does not happen, the prisoner is turned into an animal. Which one, you can choose? Or you can hunt other lonely, then for each caught a day of life in human form is added. But there is also an alternative grouping, in which everyone should be only without a pair. Naturally, these people are outside the law, they are hunted. Is it possible to find love in a world that denies feelings? And which is better – to become a four-legged or to pretend all your life that you have affection for the person you decided to choose?
Why watch: to understand that choice is a responsibility, that you and your loved one have much more in common than you thought, and that even if you have myopia and he is lame, you can still be happy together.
“Dogtooth“
Greece, 2009.
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
Cast: Christos Stergioglou, Michelle Valley, Aggeliki Papoulia, Christos Passalis, Marie Tsoni, Anna Kalaicidou.
Plot: a family lives on the outskirts of the city – parents and three adult children. Their house is surrounded by a high fence, beyond which only the father of the family can go, and even then only by car. Children, however, never leave the garden and are brought up as their parents see fit. All hints of the outside world have been cut off, “sea” is a leather chair, “telephone” is a salt shaker, “excursion” is a floor covering, and a cat is the most dangerous animal, something like a tiger. From the outside world, only one woman comes to this house – to satisfy the sexual needs of her son. But children know they can get out when their first canine tooth falls out.
Why watch: to say thank you to your parents for the fact that they allow you to live your life and make your mistakes.
“Equals”
USA, 2015.
Directed by Drake Dorimus.
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Kristen Stewart, Guy Pearce, Jackie Weaver, Toby Huss, David Selby.
Plot: life in a society called “The Collective” is ideal. Calm, balanced, polite, and fair people live here. There is no poverty, no violence, no greed, no emotion. Everyone is equal here. In this society, there is only one dangerous disease – the syndrome of public conscience, or simply SOS. The symptoms of this disease are fear, depression, joy, sadness, and any manifestation of emotionality. Anyone who has these manifestations disappears forever. Silas suspects he has a dangerous illness, but tries to hide it from others. Suddenly, he meets another infected. Together, it is much easier to oppose the whole world. But then the government announces that it has found a cure. The heroes will have to use all their ingenuity to keep their feelings.
Why watch: to rethink the meaning of everyday things and begin to appreciate the simple smile on the face of a passerby.
“High-rise”
United Kingdom – Belgium, 2015.
Directed by Ben Wheatley.
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Luke Evans, Sienna Miller, Elisabeth Moss, James Purefoy.
Plot: the architect had a beautiful dream, an idea that was embodied in an elite skyscraper. It has everything for a comfortable life – a supermarket, a swimming pool, a school. The inhabitants are clearly divided by floors: on the lower ones – mere mortals, on the middle – the middle class, on the upper – the rich. And they would live and rejoice, but no. If the conditions are equal, people always want more, and if the conditions are not equal, it usually ends in disaster. What happened in the skyscraper? Envy, rivalry, and thirst for thrills played a cruel joke on the tenants, bringing their ideal lifestyle to complete destruction and causing an open war between them. For most of the characters, the ending is tragic, but even those who survived did not win. Morality on the side, dreams to smithereens.
Why watch: to once again make sure that an accidentally thrown match will inevitably cause a fire.
“Melancholia”
Denmark – Sweden – France – Germany, 2011.
Directed by Lars von Trier.
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling.
Plot: the happy bride Justine and the equally happy groom walk the wedding. For Justine, everything is going nowhere better: a young husband, and a career, but she is not at all fun. Feeling like a stranger at the celebration of life, the bride breaks up with the groom right at the wedding and sends her boss away. And then he even goes to the clinic for treatment for depression. The second part focuses on Justine’s recovery from illness. Her sister Claire helps her with this. Oh yes! Most importantly, the planet Melancholy is rushing to Earth. And no one knows whether it will collide with the Earth or fly by. Claire starts to panic, and now Justine helps her sister to come to terms with the inevitable.
Why watch: to think about the eternal and get rid of the tinsel? An extraordinary film with an impressive ending, in which every frame is a finished picture.
“Under the skin”
UK – USA – Switzerland, 2013.
Directed by Jonathan Glazer.
In the main role – Scarlett Johansson.
Plot: a silent alien (Scarlett Johansson) travels in a van along the Edinburgh-Glasgow highway and gets food for her relatives. Food is served by people – men who, under the spell of a beautiful mysterious girl, are ready to go wherever she calls, even into oblivion. A film metaphor showing the process of transformation of an insensitive creature in the body of an earthly girl into something truly alive, capable of experiencing emotions. The predator falls prey. Interestingly, almost all the other characters in the film are real people, passers-by, who were filmed not even by the film crew, but by the camera inside the van. And yes, there are plenty of Lynch references here.
Why watch: for the extraordinary landscapes of Scotland, hypnotic music, and naked Scarlett Johansson?
“Mr. Nobody”
Belgium – Germany – Canada – France – USA – Great Britain, 2009.
Directed by Jaco van Dormel.
Cast: Jared Leto, Sarah Polly, Diane Krueger, Lin Dan Pam, Rhys Ivans.
Plot: the time has come when people stopped dying. There is only one mortal person in this world – old man Nemo Nobody (Jared Leto), who is living out his last days. All other residents of the bright future are watching him from TV screens. Many stories are intertwined in the film. Which of them is true and which is fiction is a mystery for a journalist who came to interview a hero of his time. One gets the impression that the old man has lived more than one life, but at least several. After all, choice is at the heart of everything. But – here’s a discovery! – there are no right and wrong decisions, no matter what you choose, the future will come anyway.
Why watch: to dissolve in a riot of colors and enjoy the mesmerizing flow of the plot.
“Being John Malkovich”
USA, 1999.
Directed by Spike Jones.
Cast: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich, Ned Bellamy, Eric Weinstein.
Plot: puppeteer Schwartz gets a job in a strange and very cramped office. In the office, he can only sit, and along the corridor, the employees move on bent legs. Strange, but nobody complains. The most interesting thing begins when the hero discovers a small door leading … to the head of Hollywood actor John Malkovich. Soon, all and sundry begin to climb into the popular head, even John Malkovich himself. In general, this is a humorous farce about how unpleasant it turns out to be to allow oneself to be a “puppet master”.
Why watch: to discover the value of your mind, not clouded by other people’s opinions.
The Truman Show
USA, 1998.
Directed by Peter Weir.
Cast: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natasha McElhone, Ed Harris, Holland Taylor.
Plot: Truman lives his ideal American life. But one day he suddenly noticed something that he had not noticed before. And suspicion is born. The clue was shocking: he is the hero of a reality show that lasts all his life. What to choose – continue to play the role of yourself or become yourself? As a child discovering an unfamiliar world, Truman opens the door to real life.
Why watch: to see in Jim Carrey serious dramatic talent, and in himself – the ability to push boundaries and go beyond.
“Into the wild”
USA, 2007.
Directed by Sean Penn.
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook, Marsha Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart.
Plot: college graduate, one of the best students Christopher McCandless was supposed to live a wealthy life, such as his parents had planned. But the guy makes an unexpected decision – he gives all his savings to a charitable foundation and goes hitchhiking to Alaska. It is not easy for an unadapted person to survive in the wild, but for the time being, Christopher succeeds. Unfortunately, a lack of experience and knowledge about nature leads to tragedy. The film is based on real events.
Why watch: so that, listening to common sense, give yourself a chance to do as you see fit, and not as others want.
