This past week I went down to the DVD store to try to stock up on a few morsels to view during this chilly season. I was able to come out of there with a few surprises. I had no idea that I could get my hands on some Jean-Luc Godard films, along with Truffaut's supposed classic Day for Night (supposed because I still have not watched it).
I really got into French films during my film school this past Spring. I had a list of over 100 movies to watch before the school and 2 of my favorites were French, Rififi and The 400 Blows. I would recommend that you watch these two at least. Add Jules and Jim and Breathless to the list if you have the time. They are probably available for free to rent at your local library. That is, if you live in Canada.
Anyways, another one at the store that looked interesting is Buddha Collapsed out of Shame (2008). It is, in fact, and Iranian film, shot in Afghanistan, I believe. It centers around a little girl who is trying to get money to buy a notebook so that she can go to school. A mix of reality and perhaps the imaginations of the children in the film, this story is very easy to get into.
It is Neorealism, and it is done very well. All of the actors are non-professional and the stories main character could very well be the village itself that this story is set in. The idea of Neorealism is to give the viewer a glimpse of what life is like in this area and to also bring them into the lives of characters that are no doubt modeled after real people.
Watching movies like this gets me excited about the possibilities of making similar Neorealism movies here in this area of China.
I would recommend that you take a look at this film and others like it. Some of the French films I suggested that you take a look at are also from the same tree as Neorealism, or at least the same forest. I suggest that you take a handful of these out from your library and then tell me what you think.
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