Compiled is a list of ten films that made me want to move to Los Angeles and continue to inspire my stay in Los Angeles. Some of the films are my most favorite of all time, while others are on the list because they taught me something invaluable about story.
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1. Little Miss Sunshine
Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris // Written by Michael Arndt
Little Miss Sunshine's protagonist, Olive, is adorable on the outside, though her individuality and determination are what make her admirable, young age and all. In spite of her list of quirks, she's the most normal in a family of dysfunctional dynamics. From a crass grandfather, to a critical father, to a brother who refuses to speak – Olive's little world is filled with colorful personalities, which ultimately help drive (literally, they drive around in a yellow van with a broken horn) her goal of participating in a pageant. This film addresses themes of death, family and failure with depth but also with the reality that sometimes–in spite of it all–you just have to keep dancing.
2. Rabbit Hole
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell // Written by David Lindsay-Abaire based on the play by the same writer
Rabbit Hole is an important film that should be watched if only to learn more about the very human side of grief. While I understand that grief is a natural part of loss, the indescribable resulting pain can feel dehumanizing, and therefore misunderstood by onlookers. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart's performances are haunting, and the details of their home beautifully crafted – reflecting the torn reality of what once was, what now is, and what might be for the grieving characters. On paper and cinematically, this film is a beautifully raw portrayal of loss, and what the reality of moving forward might look like.
3. Close Up
Directed and written by Abbas Kiarostami
Constructed by part reenactment, part actual footage to depict a real-life incident, Close Up examines a situation defined by truth and fiction. The actual people who were involved in the incident even play themselves within the reenactment. At the center of the film is a man whose own lies at a personal level might actually be evidence of a greater truth at a national, and perhaps global, level. It might not be initially obvious, but this film sheds a heap of light on the importance of creativity and filmmaking, and how make-believe can attest to a person's dire need for story. Just when I think I've fully understood this film, its layers peel back again and I'm left wondering whether my perception of fiction or my perception of reality is right.
4. The Family Stone
Directed and written by Thomas Bezucha
This is hands-down my favorite Christmas movie about a family firmly rooted by its mother, Cybal (Diane Keaton). Her feisty, strong, and tad-bit controlling personality help set the tone for a clever and chaotic family dynamic that is all too relatable. The idea of coming home for Christmas and being confronted with old and new familial issues is what makes the holidays unruly (and fun!) both in life and in film. Each family member is endearingly flawed, so when one brother brings a girlfriend home for Christmas, personalities conflict until new love interests are sparked. Not your typical Santa-Claus-reindeer-love-story Christmas movie, but still wonderful at any time of year.
5. The Seventh Seal
Directed and written by Ingmar Bergman
Yet another film with all sorts of beautiful, complex layers going on. What will always bring me back to this film is the heavy use of symbolism and the intention behind the placement of props and characters. The character of Death is not the typical grim-reaper that is so well known today – instead, Death is humanized in a morbid, but truthful way. And, life is represented by a game of chess, which–albeit morbid–is a startlingly obvious choice of representation.
6. The Lobster
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos // Written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou
A very recent film, The Lobster is brilliant storytelling. It is a dark, though clever, commentary on love: the ridiculousness of it all, the desperation that drives it, and the lengths a person will go for it. The characters exist in a world that requires one to choose a mate based on particular (and, odd) compatibility factors, rather than choosing a mate as a result of feeling in love. Some characters, however, cannot help but seek to blend the act of choosing and feeling in love, in spite of great (if even disturbing) sacrifice. It's a story that just might change your persepctive on compatibility, and the weight people tend to put on it.
7. A Clockwork Orange
Directed and written by Stanley Kubrick based on a novel by Anthony Burgess
Kubrick forever changed the way I view the use of color, hallways, and violence in film. Clockwork also proved to me just how much thought not only goes into making a world on film, but making the rules of the world believable. Massively controversial, and not always easy on the eyes (even for the protagonist), this film isn’t something I can just watch every day. Yet, getting past the acts of violence and, at times, obscene subject matter, one will find the characters memorably idiosyncratic, as well as a lesson on why it’s best to be good. Kubrick’s films are gorgeous in all of their outrageousness and eeriness. And, A Clockwork Orange makes the list because telling difficult stories comes with the risk of being misunderstood, and this film can easily be misunderstood for many ideas that fall short of its value.
8. The Tree of Life
Directed and written by Terrence Malick
If anything, this film should be consumed time and time again simply for just how saturated it is with breathtaking images. Never mind the theme of nature versus grace; or, the subtle hints at something otherworldly and divine; or, the fact that dinosaurs make it into the first act of the film. This film is important because it takes the microscopic aspect of life (the individual) and aligns it with the macroscopic (the universe and mankind). The biggest lesson I continuously take away from The Tree of Life is the idea that the most minute parts of life are vital to the bigger picture. Therefore, the simple and mundane should be handled and perceived with grace. I recommend watching this film on a large screen and with a willingness to be patient and absorb each picture.
9. An Education
Directed by Lone Scherfig // Written by Nick Hornby based on the memoir by Lynn Barber
A film keen on depicting the struggle that is growing up. The protagonist finds herself in the awkward, though necessary, in-between of not quite being a woman and no longer being a child. She craves culture, conversation, love, and travel – and believes that these only exist outside of her small town and school. The story follows her as she navigates experimenting with the freedom that comes with adulthood, only to find that too much freedom will eventually have startling boundaries. She is then left to choose whether to go forward with her premature adult choices, or go back to the freedom that comes with youth – a freedom with boundaries more forgiving and promising.
10. The Darjeeling Limited
Directed by Wes Anderson // Written by Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman
(You should probably watch Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore and The Grand Budapest Hotel while you’re at it). The film follows three brothers throughout India as they subconsciously search for closure. In the aftermath of their father's death, each man numbs himself in a unique way only to find that, no matter how far into a foreign place he goes, the circumstances remain. The brothers are left to choose whether to run away from their problems once more, or commit to the adventure of working together and finding their mother. There’s a great moment when one of the brothers stops denying that his stories are fiction, because he can finally come to terms with the truth in his life -- which completely relates to a storyteller/filmmaker's need of coming to terms with truth and fiction, and telling a story regardless.
