The Apple

1998 Director Samira Makhmalbaf

Shot in 11 days, The Apple is everything a Hollywood film is not, and that’s a major compliment. This understated and poetic, yet refreshingly simple, exercise in filmmaking raises urgent and difficult questions, but refrains from giving us stereotypical and moralistic answers. Rather than making judgment calls, Samira Makhmalbaf challenges us to reflect on the contradictions emerging from the clash between traditional values and the ones propagated by a modern and civilized society.

In the near-iconic opening shot of Samira Makhmalbaf’s remarkable first feature, The Apple, a hand is reaching into the frame to water a dried-out plant. The futility of this simple act becomes evident as we see the life-bringing water miss the pot.  The hand performing this unavailing task belongs to Zahra, an 11 year-old girl who plays herself in this true-to-life film. The bars hindering Zahra from reaching the thirsty flower are the same ones that separate her from the outside world. For as long they can remember, she and her twin sister Massoumeh have been imprisoned in the family home by a righteous and protecting father.  In tying the fate of the flower to the condition of the twins, Samira Makhmalbaf manages to create a powerful and poetic metaphor for the condition of girls and women in an anachronistic Iranian society where archaic traditions can cause antagonism and modern-day tragedy.  In a central part of the film, the father is asked to justify his daughters’ captivity to a social worker. Defending his deed, the 65 year-old unemployed patriarch refers to a tattered copy of “Advice to Fathers.”  “My daughters are like flowers,” he says, “expose them to sun, and they will wither away.” Interpreting the “sun” to mean “boys”, the religious father, whose only ally is his blind wife, decides to isolate his beloved daughters in the name of dignity.  After learning about this real-life tragedy from Iranian television, the 17 year-old director Samira Makhmalbaf became interested in the fate and future of the twins. 

It is clear that the making of The Apple was a profound experience for both Zahra and Massoumeh -- a summary initiation into both the real and the reel world. As viewers, we are allowed to share in their joy of freedom and exploration, and in their enthusiastic appreciation of the small things in life. It is a rare gift to see something so authentic in such an artistic context.  I recently read that Samira’s younger sister has shot two short films. She is ten years old and will probably soon join the ranks of her sister and father. If Samira’s filmmaking is an indication of her sister’s talents, then the Iranian Film Revolution -- or is it Evolution? -- is set to continue.

Ikarie XB 1

1963 Director Jindrich Polák

This Czech film from 1963 – based on a book by Lem, and released in America in a dubbed and recut version as Voyage to the End of the Universe – is about a spacecraft, “a small cosmic town of 40 citizens”, setting forth to seek out life on the planets of the Alpha Centauri system 26,000 light years away. Boldly going where no man has been before – Soviet-style.

Which means taking the whole thing very seriously. There's little or no frivolity in Eastern Bloc SF. So instead of some nonsense about alien princesses, you get a thoughtful script that deals in a sophisticated way with the issues that would beset a crew in that situation. The trip will take 15 years, but because of time dilation it's only going to seem like about eighteen months for those on board. That's long enough though, and a large part of the film is given over to the boredom and petty annoyances of space flight. The dialogue is mostly the kind of ultra-civilised chitchat you would expect to hear at a science symposium, and the acting is of a quality that wouldn't be out of place in a classical drama. As for the trials which the crew face, don't expect any little green men in bubble helmets: the dangers come primarily from humanity's own past and from a bizarre new form of radiation which they encounter.

For anyone who has seen Tarkovsky's stately SF epics, all this is, in a way, only to be expected. What will come as a pleasant surprise, though, is how briskly director Jindrich Polak moves everything along. His elliptical approach to characterisation and use of brief, fragmented scenes is reminiscent of early Roman Polanski. The film is shot in immaculate widescreen black-and-white, and Polak takes advantage of spacious, well-finished sets to experiment with wide-angled lenses, handheld cameras and zooms. You can't help but suspect that the resulting look had a big influence on Kubrick, not just on 2001 but on the War Room scenes in Dr Strangelove.

Ikarie XB-1 is let down slightly by an episodic storyline and an abrupt ending, but otherwise it's an absolute treat, offering all the kitsch pleasures of vintage SF while still bearing up remarkably well to modern scrutiny. Anyone brave enough to check it out will be very glad they did.

The Wind will carry us

1999 Director Abbas Kiarostami

With a strange mission, a group of people from the city come to a small village in Iran. They are awaiting the death of a 100+ year old woman, while pretending to be communication engineers.

A subtle, deceptively simple and richly rewarding work of genius from Kiarostami, this film opens on a long shot of a car negotiating a dusty mountain road, with driver and passengers arguing about where they are. Once the car reaches the Kurdistan village of Siaf Dareh, the ambiguities and mysteries proliferate and interweave. Are the men in the village treasure-hunters, as they tell a boy, the telecom engineers as the villagers assume to be, or something more sinister? Why is their apparent leader curious about the boy's dying grandma? And why, when Tehran calls on his mobile and he needs to move to higher ground, does he always drive to the cemetery, where an invisible man sings from a hole in the ground?

This engrossing and beautiful film succeeds on many levels. As witty, almost absurdist comedy, it offers lovely visual and verbal gags. And as an ethnographic/philosophical study of the relationships between ancient and modern, rural and urban, devotion and directionlessness, it's intriguing and illuminating.

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

2011 Direcor Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Murder mysteries rarely run as deep as this long, dark night of the soul from Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan. He is a master of brooding stories defined by their wry questioning of human nature and often focused on men in crisis. He has an unflinching eye for the worst in all of us and for the black comedy and absurd banalities of everyday life.

For his sixth film, Ceylan has chosen his bleakest canvas yet: a murder investigation that begins in the dark wilds of the great Anatolian outdoors and ends in the cold light of an autopsy room. In tone, it’s Ceylan’s most epic and talky film yet. But don’t be fooled – it’s also his most mysterious and meditative.We meet a group of a dozen policemen, soldiers and others as they drive about on the steppes one night in search of a body with the two men suspected of burying it. It’s an ensemble piece, and for much of its 158-minute running time, the film itself feels like a painful, fruitless inquiry as it seeks themes, subjects and characters to latch on to. It’s a police procedural, yes, but you imagine that’s just an excuse to bring together a varied group of men in the face of a terrible event. It’s very far indeed from a traditional whodunnit and much more like a compelling, masterly journey.

The Arrival of Wang

2010 Director Antinio Manetti

This is a remarkable low budget Science fiction film from Italy, that is not exactly known for this genre. Set almost entirely in one room this could easily be a play.

An interpreter based in Rome, whose speciality is Mandarin Chinese gets a call about a very highly paid but mysterious job for a government agency. The money is too good to turn down, so within 20 minutes she is in a car wearing a blindfold being whisked away to a secret location. She is to work with an investigator translating his questions during the interrogation of a suspect. Such is the secrecy of the operation that the interrogation is to be conducted in darkness so Gaia cannot see the subject Senior Wang. She does not know what Wang is accused of, she does not know what agency Curti works for, and as the interview progresses she suddenly finds herself way out of her depth. Ultimately she is moved to seize an opportunity to take matters into her own hands leading to an ending which has a sting in the tail.

The Manetti Brothers’ The Arrival of Wang presents a challenge for a reviewer. The film has a central conceit that it is probably better not to know too much about. Francesca Cuttica is very good in the film as she has to carry the bulk of it, and does so admirably. Yes, the lack of budget shows and there are tacky moments, but as an overall experience I was both fascinated and surprised by the outcome.

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders

1970 Director Jaromil Jires

Take Ingmar Berman's Seventh Veil mix it with Fellini's Amacord and have Andy Warhol direct it and you get this curious Czechoslovakian time piece. Although it contains much that is surreal it is not a surrealist film. It contains much that is gothic yet it is not a horror film. It contains much that is allegorical yet is not an allegory.

It charts the early passage of a girl from pre-pubescence to womanhood from her first period through a series of dreams and visions and her interpretations of others. Since Valerie is in shot the whole time, the film is definitely purely subjective and this would account for characters having multiple roles and incarnations. The motivation is overtly sexual in nature without becoming explicit, while her reactions are almost ambivalent.

Bearing in mind that this was produced in the early days of a communist regime it is a bold and intriguing film. There is much that irritates; some very stilted if not stiff acting, some very obvious continuity breaks, some very poor choreography. Yet there is a certain naive charm and fascination that comes some days after watching it. I think it is a small lost gem. There has certainly never been anything like it since.

Uzak

2002 Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Set in a wintry Istanbul this film deals with the complexities of urban isolation.

A photographer's ordered life is thrown into turmoil with the arrival of his country cousin seeking employment in the city. Haunted by the feeling that the gap between his life and his ideals is growing, he grows increasingly irritated by his provincial young relative's encroachment into his colourless world.

This is a cinematic delight. Slow pans and long holds allow the viewer to absorb the atmosphere. The progression of the two characters is done through the medium of expression, because, with the exception of one long outburst by the Photographer, dialogue is sparse. The opening sequence is of particular note. Tarkovsky's influence abounds and Ceylan even managed to squeeze an extract of Stalker into the the frame. Seeing Istanbul covered in snow is such an unusual setting and one, I suspect, came about more by luck than planning. A director of fine talent that reminds me of the work produced by Andrei Zvyagintsev.

Kosmos

2010 Director Keha Erdem

This is Reha Erdem's sixth feature film.  It is a profoundly imaginative and cinematic journey that bursts with philosophical ideas, mystical subplots and truly surreal moments.

A distressed stranger wanders into a snow swept border town where he saves a young boy from drowning. The insular town folk welcome him into their community, but before long they realise that there is more to this stranger than meets the eye. His abstract philosophical musings are his only way of communicating and his reclusive behaviour soon raise suspicions. With the falling to earth of a satellite his situation spirals out of control.

Filmed in Kars, in northern Turkey, in winter conditions, this is a real tour de force and one that marks this director as a visionary creator of films. Is the hero the messiah or just a hapless idiot? I  guess everyone will differ in their interpretation. But this does not detract from the overall effect.

Pusher 3 - I'm the Angel of Death

2005 Director Nicolas Winding Refn

This is third film in Refn's trilogy of Danish underworld dramas and neatly rounds the whole saga up. It plays on exactly the same premise as the previous two giving a different reaction and perspective to similarly laid out scenarios.

This episode follows the path of Milo, the dealer who was present in both the previous episodes. He is struggling to kick his addiction whilst keeping his drug selling activities prosperous. His misfortunes involve a new group of Polish characters who are trying to muscle in on his territory. He too falls foul of a drug deal gone bad, while at the same time, trying to lay on a sumptuous banquet to mark the marriage of his daughter.

There is a good amount of humour in this episode, much of centring around Milo's poor cooking and struggling with the Danish language. This film is not for the squeamish as the violence is extreme, but very matter-of-fact. All in all, this is a coherent study of people dealing with extremely bad circumstances to the best of their abilities. It is directed with a refreshing frankness in a world where there are no heroes nor happy endings.

Pusher 2 - With Blood on my Hands

2004 Director Nicolas Winding Refn

This is Nicolas Winding Refn's 2nd foray into the Danish underworld. This time through the eyes of Tonny.

In the first instalment, Tonny was Frank's gormless, sex obsessed side kick, until Frank took a baseball bat to him. Here he returns from prison, more humbled and unsure of himself. He still sports a formidable scar to his head, but that is the only reference to Frank. Tonny sets out to go to work for his father who dabbles in stolen cars. Not before long he finds himself spiralling down the toilet of wastrels, pimps and whores. To complicate matters he finds that while in prison he has become a father. There is a return of Milo the drug supplier, now more portly, as well as other characters from the first episode.

This is a very cleverly made film, once again shot entirely with handheld cameras retaining the same grainy, almost amateur, look of the first film even though they are nine years apart. Mads Mikkelsen plays the part superbly evoking empathy even in the most dire situations. The film has a good deal of pornographic content but this is filmed in such a way as to make the actions sordid and unpleasant rather than erotic. All in all a very good sequel.

Pusher

1996 Director Nicolas Winding Refn

Set in the grimy underbelly of Copenhagen this film tell the story of a drug pusher’s misfortunes with a candid realism that is unusual.

Frank is a gung-ho drug pusher who is lured by a surefire deal. When the deal goes awry he finds himself in debt with his somewhat unforgiving supplier. The more he tries to get out of this dangerous hole the deeper he manages to dig himself in. He is accompnied, helped and hindered by a motley crew of misfits. There are several reference points in this film. The escalating frustration at being thwarted by fate reminded me of Joe Palantino’s role in the Wachowski brother’s “Bound” while the ending is definitely reminiscent of Bob Hoskin’s closing shot in “The Long Good Friday”.

The camera work is all handheld which gives it a documentary feel and the violence is almost matter-of-fact. This film was followed in very similar style some 9 years later by two sequels. Refn did not make the mistake of following Frank's story beyond its natural conclusion, choosing instead to follow the lives of the other two main characters, Tonny, Frank's hapless sidekick and Milo his drug supplier. It all makes very compelling viewing.