Thread by @iamsatyaindra

My friend Victoria and I started a socially distanced movie club during the covid lockdown. Over the course of a very difficult year we managed to watch and analyse some excellent movies. Thread 🧵

#pandemicmovieclub
#arthousemovies
#indiefilm
#criterioncollection
#worldcinema

#1 Black Narcissus

Disappointed and impressed at the same time. I thought it was about a clash of cultures, a spiritual battle, instead it delivered exactly what it promised; an insight into the tyranny of temptation, which it did brilliantly. It is bursting with symbolism.

#2 Birth

Such a brave film. A boy claims to be the reincarnated dead husband of a grieving widow and she falls for it — and him. Audiences were shocked and found it creepy. I think it is vastly underrated and deserves more recognition.

#3 The Great Beauty

2014 Oscar for Best Foreign Film. A brilliant, intelligent, multilayered work of art. A love letter to the city of Rome, an ode to ageing badly, to clinging onto past glories, locked in a desperate attempt to stop time and deny death. Gorgeous.

#4 Kwaidan

An anthology of four Japanese folktales, we watched two; 'The Woman of Snow' and 'Hoichi the Earless'. Both are stunning examples of the craft of filmmaking. The cinematography is incredible, production design is really fantastic. So much atmosphere. Brilliant.

#5 Devi

A fascinating tale by the great Satyajit Ray. A woman is mistaken for the Goddess Kali and she is powerless to stop the madness that ensues.

#6 Cycle

A Marathi film about a man who loves his yellow bicycle so much that his world is turned upside down when it is stolen, which teaches him and the thieves a lesson.

#7 The Kid with a Bike

A powerful story by the Dardennes Brothers. Cyril just wants to be with his dad, but his dad doesn't want him. And then Cyril meets Samantha, who takes him under her wing and gives him the love he so desperately needs.

#8 Moonrise Kingdom

A marvellous movie, fully deserves its reputation. Funny, poignant, original. On the surface it seemed to be a light, even frivolous little love story but in reality it deals with some big themes and does so subtly and sensitively. What a cast!

#9 The Dig

Totally ambushed me. I watched it and had to watch it again the very next day. Haven't done that in decades. Fabulous performances all round. Based on a true story but there is too much fiction added to the facts for my liking. It's not perfect but its bloody good.

#10 Days of Heaven

A revered early work by Terence Malick that wasn't as good as its reputation. Gaps in the sound, syncing was often off, dialogue added to unrelated footage to help the narrative. Malick spent 2yrs in the edit suite and it shows. But it is beautiful to look at.