The film, Raw, focuses on Justine who is played by Garance Marillier, when she enrols in a veterinarian school. At the age of 16, she brilliantly explores herself and her dream to be a veterinarian. Yet, the longer she stays in her, the more she discovers and immerses herself into this dark, shameless, and ravishing reality, where in she slowly caves into her desires and temptations. Slowly, but surely, she faces a terrible discovery among herself and her own family as well. Her true self, who she was and she was capable all along starts to emerge in the scenes. 

Coming of age? More like, coming of carnage. The film takes on a dangerous and seductive twist to the idea of it as a coming of age plot. It follows a teenager’s awkward and troublesome experience of having to go through your first party, initiation, kiss, or sex. It all seems very innocent at first, but it all goes downhill from there when Justine discovered her unusual desire for human flesh. Other than being a coming of age film, “Raw” also tries to explore the horror genre especially with its element of cannibalism that is the main highlight of the film. At the moment when Justine ate the finger of her sister, that was considered to be the fall of her innocence, the emergence of her sexual awakening, the start of her lustful fantasies and desires. Cannibalism and the eating of human flesh was the whole meat of the film for it was used as an important point of Justine’s coming of age.

It demands the disgust and horrific faces of the audience when each bite is made, when every drop of blood is licked, and when flesh is devoured. Julia Ducournau, did not stop at the eating of the finger, she went all the way with the leg of Justine’s roommate being eaten. It will cause you to be on edge every time. Always trying to cover your eyes before the teeth sinks into the skin. But what I like about it, is that it is not as bloody or explicit as Saw or any other American horror gore film. Ducournau makes sure that the sequences and the cinematography make the film very tasteful and artistic, hypnotic and visually striking. The lighting and editing make it a very pleasant and refined film to watch. Everything was properly executed that it makes itself one hell of a masterpiece. 

In such a way, the film highlights the idea of female empowerment. Not because of the fact that women were eating men in the film, but rather, highlights the empowering capabilities of the female characters in the film. Justine and her sister did not mind being at the “top of the food chain” (sorry for my pun), but they knew who they were, they knew what they want, and did not stop at anything to go after it. Even if it means getting yourself hit by a car in the middle of the road to feed yourself. 

Heavy trip talks about the story of Turo who finds himself unable to get out of his own village, and the only thing that keeps him going at the moment is being the lead vocalist of his amateur band called Impaled Rektum. For 12 years, Turo and his own bandmates have kept practicing and practicing but has never performed at least one gig. They eventually are visited by a person from Norway who happens to be this huge promoter of a heavy metal music festival and they have to decide on what decision to make. Because of which they ended up doing risky and dangerous things just to fulfill their goals and hopes in the end. 

It is uncommon to see a bunch of misfits and weird-looking human beings join together in a band and call it Impaled Rektum. One of the most important elements that resonated with me in the film is the comedic meat that just simply kept you entertained and wanting for more. I mean, who would not want to see a bunch of characters with one wearing heavy makeup and do weird stuff together all for the sake of their band. The passion that resides within each and everyone of them is tremendous and beyond extremes. It shows commitment and love in what they do. Their closeness for each other just adds the little cherry on top. 

As you get yourself into the first few minutes of the film, you can see that it is not one of those films that nails deep in your emotions trying to suck every ounce of feeling in you. In fact, it is a very playful and whimsical film to watch due to it comedic element and the variety of jokes and laughs that were exchanged. In a way, the film did well in providing that experience to their audience. Other than that, it makes you learn to appreciate the genre of heavy metal and how individuals like it let it sink in their lives. Heavy metal is under appreciated until now and having this movie be released in 2018 is a good thing as it will allow the audience to get to know this music genre given that it is not one of the first options of people. 

Although many people claim to have a stereotype for these kinds of people, “Heavy Trip” allows you to look inside the hearts and minds of these very individuals who appreciate that sort of lifestyle and have a difference in interests. I have to say, heavy metal is as important as every music genre and should not be judged or undermined by anyone. 

The Edukators is a film that revolves around the lives of Peter and Jan who call themselves “edukators”, as they happen to be activists who would break into the homes of rich individuals but would never steal or break things, instead, they would rearrange the furniture inside that house. They would move a few pieces of furniture in the living room and kitchen, and put them all in the wrong places. All of which is to send these wealthy people a message that someone knows them and is watching them. 

After watching this film, it reminded me of the youths tendency to rebel. Minds as young and eyes as fresh as ours, the youth of today finds themselves seeing things just a little bit differently. Change is a common idea that sparks between these youthful minds, and the current disposition will not be tolerated. Until now, we see ideas that seem to clash with each other especially since the youth are more daring and are not afraid to do things differently, and that was one of the few things that I have encountered in the film. It always common to see the ideas of the youth clashing with the old and conservative reality that surrounds them, the reality that they have to immerse themselves with. Watching this film just left me in awe wit the reality that we are all immersed in. The scriptwriting, visuals and plot is articulate and eloquent enough to provide discourse between the audience and the film. The truths and arguments that were shared by the main characters of the film, show an underlying reality to it until today. And what is great is that, this discourse that you engage with the film, allows you to reflect and assimilate yourself with the characters, allowing it to connect to your own thoughts. It is considered to be revolutionary and different in such a way. 

It plays with innocence in such a way that being young is not as simple as people think it is. It is far more complex and difficult. You have fresh and unorthodox ideas that you take into heart but want to share with the world. Yet it is not as easy and as conservative individuals think it is. 

For many, this film may come off as political film that fixates on the intricacies of capitalism and how it has affected many of the individuals who reside in Germany. It dares to explore the great lengths of political idealism in a state that refuses and neglects change. 

Elements in the movies such as the love triangle between the three characters definitely add depth to the film as it was a slight distraction that was provided among the strong plot twists that eventually emerged in the film. In my opinion, it ended very marvellously with the group of friends still maintaining to keep their friendship with each other despite what they have been through together. This movie definitely made its way to my favorites given it’s burst of ideologies. 

The film, Timecrimes, talks about Nacho Vigalondo’s cinematic masterpiece about a time-travel thriller plot that opens with a man name Hector who finds himself eyeing this beautiful women by the woods who happened to be undressing. Once he starts investigating what was happening, he was then stabbed by this man with a pair of scissors whose head was wrapped in blood-drenched bandages. Seeing this, Hector flees the scene and ends up in a science laboratory when a scientist asks him to get inside this weird-looking device which happened to be a time machine. From then on, the upcoming events started to unravel and create chaos to Hector and his wife. The essence of the film was how it pulls you deeper and deeper into each and every scene. It’s like getting stuck in quicksand, the more you move, the more you are swallowed. This is what Hector and the audience felt for each time he climbed into that time machine. For each action, there are several twists that come after it. Slowly but surely, keeping the audience entertained and asking for more. 

After I watched “Timecrimes”, it was very confusing to figure out the timeline of the whole thing. Time-travelling still leaves me confused, as there are different kinds of time-travelling that continue to manifest in several movies. Such as in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry and Hermione go back in time and save Buckbeak, during that same timeline, there were two pairs of Hermione and Harry. We also are exposed to the kind of time travel that when you undo something in the past, it affects the present, such as in Back to the Future. But with this film, “Timecrimes”, it left me with so many questions that I wanted to ask after the end of the film. Who or what started the loop? Did Hector get arrested? Did the loop close eventually? Did the scientist plan everything? 

Little did I know that, whatever was previewed in the film, stays in the film. There is no point asking whether someone started the loop or not. The reason why we ask this or why we usually think this way is because we see time as very linear. We wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night, then repeat. There is a start and an end. But that did not matter in the film, like many anti-cinema elements, linear is not one of them, and neither was the Hector’s time travelling. In fact, the loop that caused the whole should not have mattered because the loop just seemed to have existed, there was no beginning nor end to it. 

But, what specifically caught my eye in the film is its mix of genre. It can definitely pass off as horror, thriller and science fiction genre at the same time, with small bits of humour that was dotted across it. For a low budget film, it all made sense, there was no need for some heavy machinery or editing to show the brilliance of time travelling. Vigalondo perfectly executed each and every scene and was well thought of. 

If you were to watch this film without knowing the history of Germany, it would be very difficult for you to understand the references and comedic jokes that we shown in the film. 

“Good Bye, Lenin talks about the separation of East and West Germany during the years of 1980. As they were nearing the final days before the Berlin Wall collapses, riots and protests started to occur across the different cities of Germany. A communist and supporter of the Berlin Wall, Christiane, came across her son, Alex participating in the riot and was eventually beaten up by the police. Because of which, she suffers a heart attack and enters into a coma. During the 8 months of her being unconscious, the Berlin Wall collapses and the East and West Germany become unified. Several changes started coming into Germany. And her children do the best they could to hide this from her before she falls into another heart attack. 

In the film, “Good bye, Lenin”, time plays an important role in reliving, restoring, and dismantling old memories. It puts importance in the shift of changes in Germany and how it was able to rekindle the characters in the film. Which is why, when we encounter the post-war era of Germany, we see the different varieties of cultures that was broadcasted in the books, newspapers and television. The people of Germany in the film came to celebrate bigger change that was done in their country, which is one of the most pivotal themes that reflects the entire film. It was easy for Germany to accept the changes in their country, but not for the Alex’s family. As soon as their mom fell into a coma, they changed the interior of their house, and the sister started a new line of work and was dressing differently as well. But, once the mom woke up from her coma, they started putting things back to the way they were and started keeping from her the fall of the Berlin Wall. All of which was done because of Alex’s love for his mother, which is definitely what kept the whole plot running. 

The playful story that went on in this film did not have to involve politics, and fixated more on the relationship between Alex and Christiane under a historical point in time of Germany. Other than that, it talks about the feeling of nostalgia among the characters. Given that time plays an important role, the feeling of nostalgia of the past lingers and the relationship of the family revolves around it. 

The concept of the film was amazing, and the execution of that very idea was brilliant, the whole fantasy aspect of the movie was not merely to grab the attention of the audience, the fantasy genre was given paid its due, and not just used for viewership. The viewers are presented a very different perspective of the fantasy world, and are shown modern day depiction of the legend of heroes and of trolls. The film discovered and showed its audience a bridge of the two very different worlds, the world of Fantasy and that of Reality. The director also made the interplay of the two words so intricately woven together, that the very fabric of reality of the film was sown together with the two different worlds. This is shown in how the mythology aspect of the trolls was intertwined with the government that was covering it up, with the help of modern day folklore heroes, in their conspiracy to keep the existence of these trolls from the general public.

The movie also conveyed a beautiful storyline, that made it seemingly impossible for the secret to be kept from the people any further than it already was, and the flow of the tale was intriguingly organic and was made so that it was not confounding for the audience to follow. Then we are treated to the antipathy and dissatisfied portrayal of Otto Jespersen as the Troll Hunter Hans, who deserves recognition for his exceptional performance. In the film he was so serious, and somehow so aloof, so authentically captivating that by his performance, the audience was made to believe in the fictional world and the whole scheme of the motion picture. The overall tone of the film is serious and yet it is subtle to that fact, however it is not too subtle to the extent that the impending threat of doom from the trolls to humanity and further to troll-kind felt understated. The atmosphere of the film is that of fear and imminent threat, the details of the film tell the tale of a land where danger is palpable in the air, we the viewers are shown vehicles demolished, trees unrooted, lands desolated, and living things devoured.

The setting was so very appropriate, for the what the film seems to have been going for, there was mystery and enchantment in the cinematography of the movie. The film delights its viewers with details in nature believed to only be found in realms of fantasy. There are wisps of fog, elegant fjords, plentiful waterfalls flowing from mountain vistas and wildernesses seemingly prehistoric. With its cinematography, the film makes any of its viewers believe in the fictional tale André Øvredal has made for them, for they feel as if they are also part of the film, that they are not merely onlookers, or outsiders. They are within the movie and the events unfolding within it are happening to them right before their eyes. In what seem like too short a time period to completely satiate the thirst for fantasy the viewers have, the director feeds the audience enough, but leaves them wanting more.

The film, Holy Motors, was directed by Denis Levant as he emerges us into the life of Oscar, an old man, sometimes man, sometimes woman, sometimes old, sometimes young. We see the life of Mr. Oscar in a day as he switches from appointment to appointment, each with a distinct and different agenda, and with a different identity as well. We see him turn into a murderer, beggar, father, musician and a lunatic. 

What qualifies as a good actor? A true actor usually immerses himself into his or her character and can properly emanate their identity. We see how Oscar knew how to work with his audience. We encounter that theater quote that says “the show must go on” and indeed, it did for Oscar whether anyone is there to participate in it or not. He was ready to kill a person or even act like a lunatic in public. We always go back to the question of whether what he is doing is real or not. After he was murdered, it was normal for us to think that it is clearly the end of the film, he is dead. But it is not what happens, then again, what is reality in their film?

One of the things we encounter in the film is how the line what is real and what is not real start to fade. Whatever we encounter in the film, whether it is a murder or a scandal, they do not always make sense, but they do not have to. The film is quite passive in its portrayal of scenes and characters that the mind of an individual is at a loss. Was that really his child? Did he actually die? Was that man killed? Or, were they all actors playing a part in one huge scene? Question upon question seem to boggle in our heads wondering if we should believe what we see. The quote “seeing is believing” becomes confusing because each appoint becomes as bazaar and absurd as the previous one. 

As Mr. Oscar attends each appointment, he commits to an obligation, a promise that his “boss” is asking him to fulfill. For each identity he emerges in, for each role he has to play, he starts to lose his own identity, his own self. He becomes another person, and another, and another. We keep going back to the question of what is real and what is not real, and this can be intertwined with Mr. Oscars sense of identity. Like his performances, everything is merely just an act. Nothing seems to be real. Nothing seems to be true. As unreal as Mr. Oscar’s own identity. It was a conflict that he kept going back to in the film, which is what gave him such a sad life. We saw how in the ending, he really did not have anyone to come home to. In that world, in that reality, he was merely a cog in someone’s greater scene, just acting on whatever is asked of him

The film, The Five Obstructions, is a battle of wits between the Danish director of the film, Lars von Trier, and his mentor, Jorgen Leth. At the start of the film, it was established that Jorgen Leth created a 12-minute film which he entitled, “The Perfect Human”. It goes on and on explaining what a perfect human looks and acts like. In “The Five Obstructions”, he calls on the 67-year-old Jorgen Leth and asks him to create a newer version of the film in five different ways. Lars von Trier will be giving him five obstructions which Jorgen Leth has to work his way around at in making the five versions. 

It is simply odd and ironic to see humans watch and see how it is to be a perfect human, especially since we perfect is always deemed to be an impossible but feat. But, as we watch and look into “The Five Obstructions” we are given a sneak peek into the curtains of how unique and eye-catching the mind is and how it works. Within each obstruction between each film, they present a series of rules, that may seem different from each other, but begins to tell us deeper and more substantial messages. We begin to realize that these obstruction that von Trier has established, at the start, are not necessarily his own limitations and compositions of how he wants the films to look like. Instead, it becomes clear to us that the obstructions are always open to interpretation by Jorgen Leth himself, and he finds his way to surpass these obstructions. From the first obstruction with the 12 frames to the last obstruction, we definitely see how Jorgen Leth makes a masterpiece upon each masterpiece with so much. With just a few limitations dictated by von Trier, he dos an amazing job to think beyond the obstacles and still create a work of art despite the limitations. It just goes to show that life will always try to throw stuff at you, but it’s up to you whether to give up or to do something about it. Leth expressed his utmost creativity in all of his films. 

It is not just a film that talks about the journey and process of making a film. It is not even about the tedious process of filmmaking. Instead, it manifests a basic truth about the idea of creating something that presents something autonomous. When we create something out of nothing, we realize and discover ourselves, and that it never poses as a difficulty nor a nuisance to us. The more work we put into our output, the more fixated and focused we become in our creations, and this is what results in a better and more substantial version of ourselves as individuals. 

“The Five Obstructions” does not just talk about the perfect human. The five obstructions that are sewn into each film tell us that there is no perfect human. That we all have obstructions, we all have our own insecurities, limitations and impediments. And, this is what makes us human. 

What if the shoe did not fit Cinderella’s feet and was doomed to spend her life with her evil sisters? What if Dorothy never found her way home from the magical land of Oz? What if Harry did not bump into Sally anymore?

Hollywood cinema has constantly presented to us an orthodox equation of a film in its combination of elements and themes. The cinematic world is accustomed to follow the norms that should come into play in a typical film. We have already acquainted ourselves with these norms as we already search for them even at the very start of the film. We expect the cinematic universe to follow a linear and comprehensive plot which provides a problem and resolution at the end of the film. But, that is not always the case, especially with Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’avventura. 

At the start of the film Michelangelo Antonioni introduces us to a romantic relationship between Sandro and his girlfriend, Anna, as they off to go on a cruise off the coast of Sicily. As the yacht comes to a stop at a volcanic island, Anna takes a walk and was never seen again. At this point, Antonioni catches us off guard from the abrupt change in plot. What seemed to be a love story turns into a mystery as the same recurring question continues to resurface in our head, “where is Anna?”. An extensive search was conducted by the rest of the characters in the film, yet she was never found. If a linear plot were to follow this film, it would have focused on a mysterious search for Anna, looking for clues on her disappearance. But Anna’s disappearance only paved the way for another turn of events and scenarios of Antonioni’s film that will come into play. In fact, Anna’s disappearance gave the film an opportunity to progress the story further. Which, in return, lead to the love story between Claudia and Sandro.

The tables have turned at this point of the film when the missing Anna has been forgotten by the characters. Here, Antonioni puts focus on the romantic relationship between Claudia and Sandro. But, at that point of the film, in the back of our mind, we still wonder about the whereabouts of Anna as she still seems to be missing. Whether we admit it or not, we are still waiting for her to pop out of the scene and catch Claudia and Sandro in the act. Instead, the film ended without a conclusion or solution as to where Anna was. 

The element of unpredictability of Antonioni’s film caught us off guard. It may have been racking our own brains at the end of the film as we are left with a puzzle that is missing one last piece. The unconventionalism of the film introduced us to what they would call “anti-cinema”. L’avventura can be considered as an anti-cinematic film that does not provide a resolution to the problem in the ending, nor did it solve the mystery of how Anna went missing. Antonioni seemed to provide us with merely a distraction thinking what we think this film was going to be about which only made the plot unforeseeable.

Ever had that feeling when your Algebra teacher would fill an entire blackboard of equations and solutions, and after looking at each set of numbers and its entirety, it just leaves you confused? You’re left with several numbers, fractions, etc., not knowing how to piece them together. You feel overwhelmed with the amount of information, asking yourself, where does this conclusion spring from? What were the processes used in solving the equations? With that said, an individual who comes across Ingmar Bergman’s psychological drama film, “Persona”, can probably muster a similar feeling after watching it.

Ingmar Bergman welcomes his audience with a montage of clips that, honestly, don’t make any sense. Instead, he establishes the ambience and mood of his film through the opening sequence. A hand being hammered with a nail, and blood being drained from a sheep’s neck, Bergman created a disturbing and eerie atmosphere that keeps you at the edge of your seat, making his audience already know what to expect in the coming scenes of his film. He couples this with an insidious-like, skin-crawling scoring that leaves you feeling unsettled. Like the sound of nails that scrape against a blackboard, making you cringe from your seat. 

He introduces us to Alma, a young nurse, and Elizabeth Vogler, an actress who is healthy yet refuses to speak. As they were both sent to a cottage by the sea, their relationship with each other started to develop. In several scenes after, Bergman uses dialogue as an instrument and device that play a pivotal role in his film through the use of monologues by Alma. This allows Alma to be able to voice herself, (or lend) a part of herself to Elizabeth who quietly listens to her as she shares her deepest desires and secrets to Elizabeth who seemed to be engaged with Alma despite her lack of speech. As they both struggle with their identities, the word “persona” comes into play.

“We look alike.”

Bergman brings focus on the word “persona” which can be defined as a “theatrical mask” or the “appearance that you bring forth to the world”. His film, an artistically-created spectacle as it is,  unveils the aspect of the merging of personas between Elizabeth and Alma through the idea of overlapping images and characters in his cinematography. He utilizes the act of merging through the element of symmetry manifested in several shots and scenes that reveal depth to his cinematic plot. The use of this camera technique alludes to Alma and Elizabeth’s merging personas as two separates halves, yet completely identical in a sense. 

Bergman’s experimental work is very ambiguous and can be interpreted in several distinct ways, each one different from the other. The idiosyncratic aspect of the film’s entirety make it seemingly difficult to understand and decipher given its plethora of elements, techniques, and innuendos. Yet, this fusion of aspects construct a balance in each point of the plot, similar to a poem being written by a writer.