Remember that Jesus Christ had difficulty with persuading people that he is the son of God? He had to die and return from the dead to open the eyes of non-believers. There are still millions of those who aren't entirely sure. Nowadays, another Jesus Christ would have a tough task to convince us that there's something extraterrestrial and divine in his being. He would most likely be thrown into a mental asylum, accused of blasphemy or hailed a guru of a sect. People have little mercy for higher powers. But if there was a man who very convincingly claimed that he came from another planet? Can you grant him the benefit of the doubt or will you try to discover the truth at all cost? K-PAX.
Behind every family, there is a facade of the censored version presented to family and coworkers, and there's the real life of grudges, hatred, and humiliation. Picture perfect usually works only in pictures. Why is it so difficult to deal with the frustration of a failed career, a failed marriage, and a failed life when you are getting older? Why the middle-age crisis is a laughable theory once it doesn't concern you, and why it's never too late to turn your life upside down? The exposure of American hypocrisy, a screwed-up family: a loveless marriage, a middle-age crisis, a romance, neglected children and coming to terms with the passing of time. It all can be poked fun at when we are teens but becomes a bitter-sweet irony of our own lives when we reach adulthood. American Beauty.
War isn't the best time for love. Instead of cheerful days by the river, bouquets of flowers, hearts cut from red pieces of paper and exchanges of goodnight kisses by the moonlight, you have pain, dirt, hatred, sickness, and death. But can you really stop loving under hostile and life-threatening circumstances, can you wait for better days if you have no certainty that these days are yours to enjoy? Can you cope with the situation once you are on a different side of the barricade and you are in love with the same woman? Three hearts, one love story. Zgoda.
It's extraordinary to be loved by one person for an entire life. Among the skyrocketing rates of divorces, it's increasingly rare. People love you for certain things in life. At some point, they love you for your beauty and youth: you are physically attractive and you have potential. At some point, they love you for your experience, money, help that you can offer: a simple shelter or your need for this shelter which they are about to give. Then, they love you out of routine, they got used to your company and you engraved yourself in every activity and memory they have. To be loved in all these stages, for better and for worse, is a cliche which happens to the few. A woman who fell in love with words and freedom and a man who fell in love with a woman and all her flaws. Iris Murdoch and John Bayley in Iris.
There is a strange belief among human beings that we, as species, are better than animals. We think that our inferiors have no feelings, attachment, and emotions whatsoever. They can be used for milk, meat, skin, fur, and jewelry, bred in disastrous conditions to multiply the profit. Some people like killing on their own terms, be the trigger to the bullet. They want to hunt and put down what belongs to the wilderness. And they don't see anything bad in their actions, quite the reverse, they praise their entertainment and see themselves as heroes. With a realistic eye and a dose of cynicism, Ulrich Seidl's sin Safari. Doesn't killing in the blink of an eye with entertainment and collective reasons in mind put us a little bit lower on the scale of human development? Food for thought. Enjoy.
Some women are extraordinary. They are born just like that, once in a million, among the crowds of obedient housewives, hardworking mothers, polite secretaries, and devoted teachers. Some women are not afraid of breaking rules established by men and years of patriarchal traditions. Some women leave a heritage of points of view, ideas and experiments able to fill the lifetime of numerous women and men. Some can turn both happiness and suffering into unforgettable images which last generations. There was once an artist who was so original in her art that she could express her individuality, pain, and heartbreak both in her life and in her paintings. Turbulent life, turbulent marriage and an outstanding story of Frida Kahlo in Frida.
Your mind is full of layers. Some layers are those of the obvious, socially accepted and loud; others are hidden under your memories, traumas and nightmares, either suppressed or exploding in the most unexpected moments, shattering your life into pieces. There are reasons why your mind is what it is, why you are attracted to particular individuals, why your taste in sexual pleasure ranges from pain to humiliation. It is all written in the language of your mind. It's one thing to be able to read it, another thing is to fall victim to one's own theories and turn one's patient into one's own personal downfall and the fulfillment of wildest fantasies. No one is immune to the ways of love and desire. Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud in A Dangerous Method. Possibly, the most dangerous in the whole world of mental ailments is love.
Running a family business is hard work. It requires patience, self-respect, stamina, persistence and a pinch of luck. Having your family members as coworkers doesn't come easy either. But being the master of your success is a feeling very few can be proud of and fully appreciate its outcomes. Three siblings faced with a difficult task of running a vineyard, coming to terms with death, relationship problems and building of self-worth. And a tribute to an amazing business which has been running for thousands of years, barely changed by the progress of technology. Take a sip, Ce qui nous lie.
Imagine that there is a stranger, walking unexpectedly into your life, opening old wounds but also helping them to heal. Imagine that your heart can once again find a purpose after a tragic loss and there is a feeling budding like a flower, growing on the water of your blood, willing to stay afloat. Imagine times in silence after a huge storm of pain, loss, and rain of weapons, decimating your friends, lovers, and neighbors. Imagine fathers mourning their sons on both sides of the barricade, blaming each other equally for the same exact patriotism. Imagine a lie which also becomes your lie. And imagine what it is like to live as a woman in the middle of it all. War, loss, love, and a secret in a subtle game of colors. Franz.
Who would you choose? A gentle boyfriend who will make you feel safe and loved but add no spice to the relationship? Or a walking villain who will make you walk on your tiptoes but satisfy you in bed? Good girls and bad girls equally have their share of experiences which either ended in boring marriages or excruciating heart-aches. But occasionally, you don't have to choose and you kill two birds with one stone, hitting the genes jackpot. But shouldn't you be concerned that all this game of love comes a little bit too easy? A mystery to solve and a sexual fantasy on both sides of the spectrum. L'amant double.
In the bubble of excess, consumption, fast food and fast life we lose the sense and purpose. In the chaos of greed, we lose what is the most important. Sometimes it's enough to be loved and love in return, devote your life to art and passion and reach the state of happiness despite physical deformity and hostile relatives who would sell everything just to get a little bit richer. An amazing story of a woman, who seemingly couldn't deal with everyday chores but did so much more. A life worth living and a film about an artist who cultivated her own idea of life, honesty, and modesty. And love to share this life with. Maudie.
Women tend to obsess about clothes, hairstyles, boyfriends, and gossip. They don't like the boring routine of uneventful lives, relationships which lead to nothing and being closed in a cage of same old romance, money-talk, and circle of friends. They also seem to obsess about other women, comparing themselves endlessly to the image which they would like to follow. The problem is when the admired woman is quite a bad girl involved in a criminal case. The charm of the 80s clothes, fashion, and New York, and two women who had a taste what their lives could look like in any other circumstances. With Madonna, Desperately Seeking Susan.