four more movies to make you cry
I watch a lot of movies on my commute home. These four are about isolation.
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Castaway on the Moon (2009)
Tying for first place Audience Choice Award at the 2010 New York Asian Film Festival, this is an incredibly well-made movie that explores themes of isolation and connection. I told y'all to go see it, and I know you didn't, but somebody did and they gave it an award so there. Anyway...
Unlike so many Korean movies, this one actually has an ending, and while not entirely shocking, it is certainly not inevitable. The film is also shot beautifully and edited smartly, particular when and how they change viewpoints. Oh, and to top it off, the soundtrack is pretty good too.
Please do yourself a favor and see this movie (if you can't find it, let me know and I'll help). The Korean title translates as "Kim's Island", and is appropriate. The screencap is from seven minutes in. Anything later than that would have spoiled a great moment, because the movie is full of great moments (like this).
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The Place Promised In Our Early Days (2004 anime)
After World War II, Japan has been divided into two parts. In the uneasy political climate afterward, as the country heads perhaps inexorably to war, young adults find it hard to keep the promises they made in their youth. Also some weird stuff is happening because anime.
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More (1998 stop-motion short film)
This movie is proof that you can pack a lot of emotion and food for thought into five minutes. Come on, it's on YouTube and it's less than seven minutes long; there's no reason to not watch it.
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Breathless (2009)
Some people join a gang for the sense of belonging; others, for the power, or the money, or lack of other choices. I put Breathless in with these other films because they're all fundamentally about emotional separation, exile. A gangster realizes he is lost in his relationships with his family, his coworkers, society, and himself. I really don't know how better to describe it, but it's really good. Won some awards and stuff.
_______
Castaway on the Moon (2009)
Tying for first place Audience Choice Award at the 2010 New York Asian Film Festival, this is an incredibly well-made movie that explores themes of isolation and connection. I told y'all to go see it, and I know you didn't, but somebody did and they gave it an award so there. Anyway...
Unlike so many Korean movies, this one actually has an ending, and while not entirely shocking, it is certainly not inevitable. The film is also shot beautifully and edited smartly, particular when and how they change viewpoints. Oh, and to top it off, the soundtrack is pretty good too.
Please do yourself a favor and see this movie (if you can't find it, let me know and I'll help). The Korean title translates as "Kim's Island", and is appropriate. The screencap is from seven minutes in. Anything later than that would have spoiled a great moment, because the movie is full of great moments (like this).
_______
The Place Promised In Our Early Days (2004 anime)
After World War II, Japan has been divided into two parts. In the uneasy political climate afterward, as the country heads perhaps inexorably to war, young adults find it hard to keep the promises they made in their youth. Also some weird stuff is happening because anime.
_______
More (1998 stop-motion short film)
This movie is proof that you can pack a lot of emotion and food for thought into five minutes. Come on, it's on YouTube and it's less than seven minutes long; there's no reason to not watch it.
_______
Breathless (2009)
Some people join a gang for the sense of belonging; others, for the power, or the money, or lack of other choices. I put Breathless in with these other films because they're all fundamentally about emotional separation, exile. A gangster realizes he is lost in his relationships with his family, his coworkers, society, and himself. I really don't know how better to describe it, but it's really good. Won some awards and stuff.