Flicks that took my heart away...

The 15th edition of Kolkata Film Festival just got over this evening. This year there has been a medley of some 'very good' and some 'not-so-good' films. Amongst them, here are some of the flicks that took my heart away.

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas: This UK-US venture by Mark Herman was probably the best shot of the entire festival. The story based in the backdrop of the World War II, and the infamous Great Hole Tragedy by Hitler’s Germany portrays a story of friendship between a German and Jew children. The story lineup and the treatment was just mind blowing. For the first time in my life, I literally cried after watching a film!

The Two Legged Horse: Her father Mohsen, is the living legend of world cinema, but Samira Makmalbaf proved her talent in this film. The Two Legged Horse deals with a typical subject faced by ‘all of us’ in our mundane life. In this world, money is the honey, and for that we aren’t afraid of making ourselves into mere animals. The story isn’t that simple, it deals with everything we come across, but in its own typical way, which is undoubtedly much controversial. There lies the success of Samira. A must see Iranian flick from the house of the Makmalbafs.

Harishchandrachi Factory: This Marathi flick by Paresh Mokashi is the year’s best ‘home’ production. This is the story of the nation’s first ever cinema, Harishchandra. This flick deals with the subject in a crisp terse and pithy manner. How an individual dared to dream big to make Indian cinema grow into an industry, how Dadasaheb Phalke fulfilled the great Indian dream, this flick tells you all. A must watch for every Indian cine buff.

The Poor: Yilmaz Guiney and his typical treatment of film making rules yet again. The Poor alias Zavalliar deals with the subject that’s true to its core, very contemporary. It’s the story that tells you the pang of poverty, curse of being poor. It would be unfair to reveal the story here. All the Guiney admirers must watch the flick. It’s a must see.

The Conductor: Andrzej Wajda tells the story of a symphony conductor in this film. This is the story of a legendary symphony conductor and his ‘controversial’ life. The man comes back to perform in his last gig, will he be able to? The story gives you a pen-picture of a man’s psychological whirlpool, what one goes through in the ‘not so pleasant’ phase of life. I must admit that here Wajda has sowed a plant which has grown up in to a huge tree, and this is the best example.

Lost Song: This flick by Rodrique Jean is a sweet and sour story, telling the viewers a story of a mother whose life takes an ugly turn after the birth of the child. The mother becomes psychologically affected after the motherhood. The story ends in a tragic way, justifying the title of the film, Lost Song.
A unique effort by this Canadian director, but one must say that the film was a bit slower. Had it been a bit faster, the film would have been much more thrilling.

Clown: An out an out happy note film with the urge to purge the child abuses. A
smart way of story telling. It portrays how a group of young drug addicts can be purged and brought back into the mainstream of life. Here, circus plays a vital role in motivating the youths. It’s indeed a nice presentation by the Italian film maker Marco Pontecorvo. Really inspiring!

The Childhood of Icarus: This swiss film is one of the finest treasures of world cinema. A scientific thriller, the story goes on with a patient being made the vegetable to cure another patient. He’s in a trap. Will he be able to overcome it? A brilliant film by Alexandre Iordachesu.

Guelwaar: Ousmane Sembene and his unique way of story telling is the USP of this film. It tells you about the problems of African citizens. That’s the magic of this film from the legendary film maker.

Jermal: This is for the first time an Indonesian film touched my heart. It’s the story of a child who has lost his mother. How he effaces out the difficulties to meet his father is the subject of Jermal. The director Ravi Bharwani deserves a special mention for portraying the slice of life through this film.

Wagha: This Supriyo Sen short film was indeed a brave attempt to portray the relationship between India and Pakistan. The most difficult topic was easily portrayed onscreen by this film maker. A must watch for film fanatics.


Apart from these there are many other films that attracted me. I fell in love with Bimal Roy’s films, yet again. Watching Udayer Pathey and Bandini was indeed a treat. Even, the Austrian film The Big Bliss as it has taken me by surprise. Sweet Rush, Athens Istanbul, Elegy has been the real treats. But, I was utterly disappointed with a French film titled “Black”. It’s probably the worst selection of the festival.

Here are the Top Ten films that took my heart away. I think that these would be appreciated by other cinema fanatics too.
Do send in your takes, would love to hear from you as well…