The Counterfeiters

Language: Austrian                                                 Year: 2007

There are many films set during the second world war depicting the horrors and violence of front line fighting but few tell the story of the goings on behind the scenes to advance the war effort. Based on the book 'The Devil’s Workshop' by Adolf Burger this film tells a very different story. After renound counterfeiter Salomon "Sally" Sorowitsch (played by Karl Markovics) is arrested, he is placed in a Nazi concentration camp and forced to assist in a counterfeit operation. He is tasked with  creating fake currency in an attempt by the Nazi's to weaken the economy of the enemies.

 

Alhough technically a crime thriller this film has an awful lot more to offer. As those involved in the operation are spared from the true torture of the concentration camp, the abhorent sufferings of others are often heard but rarely seen; a torturous reminder of the fate that awaits them when they are no longer of any use to the germans.

The weight of the moral dilemma is enormous as the protagonist must decide whether to jeopardise the operation at the risk of  the lives of all involved or continue working for something that could ultimately win the war for the Germans.

Let The Right One In

Language: Swedish                                                Year: 2008

Set in the early 80's, this film tells the story of a young boy Oskar who's life starts to change as he begins a relationship with Eli a young girl who moves into his tower block. After enduring years of bullying and loneliness, Oskar finds that his friendship with Eli is more beneficial than he thought. As their relationship progresses, we realise that this isn't a straight forward horror flick but a love story. We witness the children fall in love over the course of the film through late night conversations in the freezing snow to more disturbing scenes as they show the lengths they would go to protect each other. For all intents and purposes this is a vampire movie but it is certainly not conventional. This is a fresh take on the genre and and one that challenged my views on what a horror film should be.

both of the lead characters are played by newcomers that completely excel in their roles and John Ajvide Lindqvist, who wrote both the original novel and the screenplay and director Tomas Alfredson have created an absolutely beautiful film that is genuinely scary but also incredibly moving.

A remake is due out later this year starring Chloe Moretz ( Kick-Ass) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) in the title roles and is to be directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield). You never know...

Delicatessen

Language: French                                  Year: 1991

Before Jean-Pierre Jeunet made his cinematic masterpiece with ‘Amelie’, he made a surreal comedy with Marc Caro about the dark goings on in a futuristic French town.

As Delicatessen opens we meet Louison, a new arrival  to the eerie town (superbly played by Dominique Pinon a stalwart of French cinema and a Jeunet regular). We quickly learn that a local butcher is in charge of the block of flats where Louison is keen to lodge and that he has more planned for the newcomer than some small repair jobs. As Louison strikes up a friendship with the butchers daughter, the tension unfolds and the depths of the tenants’ madness starts to reveal itself.  The only way Louison can seemingly save himself and his new love from the murderous butcher is with assistance from an underground group known as the troglodytes.

This film is unusual to say the least. All the characters in the housing block are caricatures with unusual quirks; one stand out being a man who has flooded his basement flat to create the perfect environment for his snail farm.

Jeunet cleverly merges normally disturbing themes such as murder and cannibalism into very funny, often skilfully constructed scenes including a wonderful set piece where all the tenants are performing mundane tasks to the same rhythm.

This is a film that is visually remarkable and a great example of creative filmmaking.

The Secret In Their Eyes

Language: Argentinian                                Year: 2010

For me, this was the the film that finally pushed me to do this blog. This is a certified, modern day classic and the thought of people not getting to experience this piece of cinema bothered me.

Having watched the oscars in early March, I was backing either 'A Prophet' or 'The White Ribbon' to scoop the best foreign language film award and was shocked to see a relatively unknown film walk away with it. When it was finally released in cinema's a few weeks ago, I smugly set out to prove the Oscar's panel wrong. However, what I found was something quite remarkable.

The film is Argentinian and is one of many successful films coming out of South America in the 'Latin American New Wave'. It tells the story of  lawyer Banjamin Esposito played by Ricardo Darin (also in the brilliant XXY) and how since his retirement he has been plagued by one particular case from 1974. This is one of those films that works on so many levels. On one hand it is a gripping thriller with some seriously tense scenes and graphic flashbacks (the 18 certificate is well deserved) and on the other it is a heart wrenching love story with one man's battle at losing a loved one and another of living in regret at never acting on his feelings when he had the chance.

This film works because it is told so well. It would have been easy to tell this story as a straight forward cop thriller but director Campanella adapts the story with a real humanity and tells it beautifully.