If this was a list for the best performances of the decade, Jeon would be near the top of my list for
Secret Sunshine, but I found the film kind of bloated and episodic (even though I liked a lot of it and the writing was great). Still, Jeon was fantastic (and is my #2 for 2007, an absurdly strong year for films andperformances, behind Tang Wei) and the pain she taps into in the first revival scene is just shockingly primal and raw. Best Cannes Best Actress winner in ages... too bad that, as far as other international recognition went, she fell curse to being Asian and not Maggie Cheung.
As far as Korean films go for this decade, Jeong Jae-eun's
Take Care of My Cat takes the cake!
I think I've settled on five swapsies, which might be too many (but I saw someone on the main page with four) - I've already talked about Vibrator, Linda Linda Linda and A Piece of Sky but would like to endorse:
The Forest for the Trees by Maren Ade
A really tense, disturbing and psychologically brutal film about a young teacher who starts one of her first major jobs in a large high school, and is completely broken down by her students, colleagues and the effects her own overly-earnest personality has on others... there's scenes of psychological tension that are really upsetting here, but the film is so well-done that its a satisfying watch by the end (which is ambiguous and quite haunting). The lead actress is stupendous, and when you realize this is the director's film school final project it is even more impressive. Her sophomore feature, "Everyone Else", just won Best Actress at Berlin this year.
also,
The Closed Doors by Atef Hetata
Most of the films from this decade that I've really loved have been completely unexpected pleasures. This is a really complex, layered film that juggles so many issues - the pressures young men in Muslim society are put under by religion and social mores, the plight of women in Muslim society, the class divide, the Madonna-or-Whore complex, the bond between mother and son, the reconciliation of sex with religion, and the thin line between faith and fanaticism - with such grace when most other films would collapse under the weight. It has a humanistic approach and an attention to dialogue and character detail that is reminiscent of Ray and Ozu. It's a first-time director too, which makes it a miracle film (unfortunately for us, it is still his only film). The film is incredibly low-budget and probably won't look good on any transfer - I don't know which release I saw it on, but I got it from Netflix when I was living in America, I assume it was the Typecast Releasing DVD - but the direction is so deft and precise that it doesn't really matter. And being an Egyptian film it gives you a unique glimpse into a society that we rarely see on-screen (I'm kind of ashamed that it is still one of the only African films I've seen). Also, I really dug Manal Afifi's supporting performance as the neighbor of the main characters.*
*I've noticed that IMDb is woefully under-informed when it comes to African films. Afifi has been in a lot of Egyptian films, apparently, but on IMDb this film is listed as her only credit. And I know that low-budget films from other countries in Africa don't have IMDb pages yet, either. The IMDb URL for the film is
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209885/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, because it doesn't come up if you search for "The Closed Doors" (although that is its name on Netflix and IMDb lists the English title as "Closed Doors". The Arabic name is "Al abwab al moghlaka".
Swapsies that I caught since starting an account here:
The Aura - An effective crime-thriller but pretty conventional. The climax in the woods is a little masterpiece of tension, though, and I really liked the bank robbery fantasy sequence. The acting was fine - Ricardo Darin was capable but didn't show too much emotional range and basically squinted his way through the second act - but I thought Dolores Fonzi showed promise. A bit too slick and soulless for my tastes, but it is smartly done. A C+ from me.
Fog of War - Exhilarating composition but I think it skims over some of the more negative aspects of McNamara's leadership and basically deifies the guy. Well-made but had issues with the way the content was handled. A B or B- from me.
)
This film is really personal to me, not just because I treasure it as a piece of filmmaking but because I feel an instant kinship with the lead character, who looks at the world in about the same way as I do. I didn't find the philosophy to be sketched too thinly - indeed, more philosophical scenes like the scene at the diner and (especially) the scene in the hotel bathroom (which left me stunned with its power) really worked for me. (and I loved the soundtrack) It'll probably be my #2 for the decade. In any case, I'll try to track down Drama/Mex!
