Submit Blog Post

J

Jugu Abraham's Movies That Make You Think

A selection of intelligent cinema from around the world that
entertains and provokes a mature viewer to reflect on what
the viewer saw, long after the film ends--extending the
entertainment value

  • Rated2.7/ 5
  • Updated 2 Years Ago

235. US director and scriptwriter Paul Schrader’s film “First Reformed” (2017) (USA): Schrader’s best work, drawing on Bergman’s “Winter Light” and Tarkovsky’s “Sacrifice”

Updated 5 Years Ago
By Jugu Abraham

235. US Director And Scriptwriter Paul Schrader’s Film “First Reformed” (2017) (USA): Schrader’s Best Work, Drawing On Bergman’s “Winter Light” And Tarkovsky’s “Sacrifice”
“ Wisdom is holding two contradictory truths in our mind, simultaneously.   Hope and despair.   A life without...
Read More

278. Us Film Director Todd Field’s Third Feature Film “tár” (2022), Based On His Original Screenplay: An Intelligent, Well-crafted Study Of The Decline, Fall, And Eventual Survival Of A Gifted, Renowned (possibly, Partly Fictional) Maestro

277. Japanese Film Director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Fifteenth Feature Film “broker” (2022), Based On His Original Screenplay, Set In South Korea And Made In The Korean Language: “finding Ourselves And Each Other”

276. The Late French Director Bertrand Tavernier’s Feature Film “Ça Commence Aujourd'hui” (it All Starts Today) (1999), Based On A Commendable Screenplay Co-written By The Director, His Daughter Tiffany, And Dominique Sampiero: A Primary School Teacher Who Walks The Extra Mile To Serve And Speak For The Tiny Tots Raised By Parents With Marginal Incomes

275. Italian Director Paolo Taviani’s Twenty-second Feature Film “leonora Addio” (2022), Based On His Original Screenplay: A Fitting, Unique Tribute To The Nobel Prize In Literature Winner Luigi Pirandello And To The Late Film Director Vittorio Taviani From The 91-year-old Paolo, Younger Brother Of Vittorio

274. Turkish Director Semih Kaplanoglu’s Eighth Feature Film “baglilik Hasan” (commitment Hasan) (2021) (turkey), Based On His Original Screenplay: An Interesting Study Of A Turkish Male Farmer Growing Apples And Tomatoes Preparing For A Hajj Pilgrimage To Mecca With His Wife, A Dream-come-true Trip For Her

273. Thai Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Tenth Complete Feature Film, “memoria” (2021), Shot In Colombia, Based On His Original Screenplay: Metaphysics Of Awakening Human Memory Through Sound And Sight, Rather Than Words

272. Russian Director Andrei Mikhalkov-konchalovsky’s Fifteenth Feature Film “dom Durakov” (house Of Fools) (2002), Based On His Original Screenplay: An Assessment Of A Film Trashed Soon After Its Release By Most Critics

271. Japanese Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Ninth Feature Film “doraibu Mai Ka” (drive My Car) (2021), Based On His Co-scripted Screenplay, Adapting A Fascinating Short Story Written By The Celebrated Contemporary Japanese Writer Haruki Murakami: An Unusual Script Structure Comprising A 39-minute Prologue, Followed By The Main Tale, And Tying It All Up With A Stunning, Minimalist, Micro-epilogue

270. German Film Director Maria Schrader’s Third Feature Film “ich Bin Dein Mensch” (i Am Your Man) (2021) (germany) In German, Based On A Short Story By Emma Braslavsky: Can Artificial Intelligence And Robotics Find Your Perfect Spouse In The Near Future?

269. Canadian Film Director Denis Côté’s Tenth Feature Film “hygiène Sociale” (social Hygiene) (2021) In French, Based On His Original Script: An Unusual Film That Serves To Entertain Verbally And Visually As A Dark Comedy, Without Sex Or Violence

236. Japanese Director Naomi Kawase’s Film “vision” (2018) (japan/france): Science Fiction Through The Eyes Of Japan’s Terrence Malick

234. Russian Director Aleksei German, Jr.’s Sixth Feature Film “dovlatov” (2018) (russia): A Soulful Reduction Of The Travails Of A Russian Writer Of Repute, Intelligently Collapsed Into Six Interesting, Representative Days In 1971 Of Brezhnev-era Ussr, Providing The Viewer A Mirror Image Of What Director Aleksei German, Sr., Endured As A Creative Filmmaker Battling Censors In That Same Timeframe.

233. Lebanese Director Nadine Labaki’s Third Feature Film “capernaum” (a.k.a. Caphernaum; And Chaos)(2018) (lebanon): A Film That Puts Lebanon On The World Cinema Map By Presenting Truth, Humanism, And Issues Often Swept Under The Carpet, In Many Parts Of The Globe

232. Danish/irish Director David Noel Bourke’s Third Feature Film “bakerman” (2016) (denmark) Based On His Original Story: An Interesting Tale Of A Quiet And Introspective Dane Facing Career Threats From His Employer Who Is An Immigrant, And Unprovoked And Unconnected Vandalism From Other Immigrants, Sparking Off An Unusual Chain Reaction

231. Indian Director Praveen Morchhale’s Third Feature Film “widow Of Silence” (2018) (india), Based On His Original Story: A Lovely Tale Woven By The Director’s Observations On The No-win Situation For The Women In Kashmir

230. Vietnamese Director Ash Mayfair’s Debut Feature Film “the Third Wife” (2018) (vietnam) Based On Her Original Story: Gorgeous Cinematography, Interesting Visual Allegory, Female Characters And Actresses Add Value To A Film That Ought To Make Vietnam Proud!

229. The Late Chinese Director Bo Hu’s Debut And Final Film “da Xiang Xi Die Er Zuo ” (an Elephant Sitting Still) (2018) (china): A Realistic Film On The Lives Of The Marginal Urban Population In China, A Perspective Rarely Presented To Foreigners, Based On A Novel Written By The Director

228. Turkish Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Film “ahlat Agaci” (the Wild Pear Tree) (2018) (turkey): A Slow-paced, Contemplative Stunner, Yet Another Ceylan Tale Of An Adult Male Member Within A Traditional Family, Touching On Several Contemporary Problems In Turkey

227. Italian Director Valerio Zurlini’s Last Film “il Deserto Dei Tartari” (the Desert Of The Tartars) (1976) (italy), Based On The Italian Novel "the Tartar Steppe" By Dino Buzzati: An Unforgettable Film Where Cinema Proves To Be Almost As Effective As The Novel

226. Italian/us Director Andrea Pallaoro’s Film “hannah” (2017) (italy/france/belgium): A Film With Minimal Spoken Words And Yet Providing A Subtle, Complex And Visually Informative Narrative, Aided By An Award-winning Performance, Intelligently Captured On Camera

225. British Director Peter Brook’s Film “meetings With Remarkable Men” (1979) (uk): George Gurdjieff’s Philosophical Quest For Life's Answers Presented On Screen Using Snakes, Sandstorms, And Musical Competitions Conducted On Open Hillsides As Metaphors.

224. Indian Director Rahul Jain’s Debut, Long-documentary Film “machines” (2016): Hard-hitting And Real Perspective Of Modern India

223. Japanese Director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 12th Feature Film “sandome No Satsujin” (the Third Murder) (2017): An Amazing Script And Film Less About A Murder But More About Why Murders Are Committed And What Is Truth, Presented By Re-working The Rashomon Principle.

222. Russian Director Andrei Konchalovsky’s Us Film “shy People” (1987): An Original Story/screenplay By The Film’s Director With Notable Performances And Cinematography, All Worthy Of Greater Recognition Than Bestowed

221. Bulgarian Director Stephan Komandarev’s Film “posoki” (directions) (2017): Has God Indeed Left Bulgaria Along With A Third Of Its Population, To Quote A Character In The Film?

Russian Maestro Aleksandr Sokurov Speaks To Jugu Abraham On Grigori Kozintsev And Andrei Tarkovsky, Titans Of Russian Cinema

220. Iranian Director Mohammad Rasoulof’s “lerd” (a Man Of Integrity) (2017), Based On His Original Story/script: A Very Critical And Philosophical Look At Corruption And Religious Intolerance In Iran Today

219. Swedish Director Ruben Östlund’s “the Square” (2017), Based On His Original Story/script: A Modern Social Satire On Urban Hypocrisy That Will Unsettle Most Viewers In Different Ways

218. Russian Director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Film “nelyubov” (loveless) (2017) (russia), Based On His Co-scripted Original Screenplay With Oleg Negin: Indirectly Encapsulating The State Of Politics In Russia From Late 2012 To December 2015 And Religion As Practised Today In That Country.

217. Turkish Director Semih Kaplanoglu’s Film “grain” (bugday) (2017) (turkey), In English, Based On His Original Screenplay Co-scripted With His Wife: A Sci-fi Film On An Agricultural Scenario That Could Be Real In The Near Future, With Theological Understatements

216. Hungarian Director Ildikó Enyedi’s Film “teströl és Lélekröl” (on Body And Soul) (2017) (hungary) Based On Her Original Screenplay: A Stunning Script Involving Dreams And Matching Dreamlike Cinematography Bring Hungarian Cinema Back To The Heights It Had Climbed Several Decades Ago.

TAGS

New Blog Posts