Posts
I
haven’t seen many films from the Middle East, but now is a good
time to start I guess. This week is films from the Middle East.
Please check out http://wanderingthroughtheshelves.blogspot.co.uk/
Cairo
Station is a film of great importantace in Egyptian cinema, it’s
depiction of violence and male sexual urges were so ahead of it’s
time the film was banned for twenty years in Egypt. Cairo Station lacks the
visual sleek and sheen of the contemporary Hollywood movies but it’s a film
with a gritty, realistic style.
Perhaps
one of the most widely viewed and highly acclaimed films from the
region was Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation. A film about a failing marriage due to
differences in opinion between a wife and a husband regarding their future...do they leave Iran for a better life or stay looking after the husband's ill father?
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Following
on from the critical success of A Girl Walks Home at Night, Under the
Shadow is another horror film set in Iran. Technically, this is a
British film, but the film is set in Iran, the dialogue is in Farsi,
it’s shot in Jordan and features Iranian talent so that more than qualifies it as a Middle Eastern film. It’s a superb
film, one that relies on chills and engaging characters to tell the
story and somehow makes a bed sheet scary.
I love A SEPARATION! I read about UNDER THE SHADOW when I checked the new releases. I haven't heard of CAIRO STATION.
ReplyDeleteI only heard of Cairo Station from a doc about the history of film. It's a good doc except for narrator's annoying accent.
DeleteA Separation is great, although I about threw my TV when it ended. I remember your review of Under the Shadow and I'd like to see it.
ReplyDeleteHaha. I haven't seen it for years. Can't remember what happened
DeleteLike you my knowledge in this category is limited so I haven't seen any of your picks but Cairo Station sounds fascinating, unfortunately it's not available from Netflix.
ReplyDeleteA Separation is on my list to see just haven't gotten there yet. I'm not a horror fan so the last isn't for me.
My picks were easy, they were the only three I could remember seeing in a Middle Eastern language though I realized now I forgot about Late Marriage.
Dostana (2008)-Sameer “Sam” and Kunal are two handsome, single womanizers and casual acquaintances happily living in Miami. While apartment hunting they both want the same sublet but the landlord Neha wants only female roommates. What to do? They decide to pretend to be a couple to get around the problem which goes well until both fall for their roommate while still trying to maintain the façade that they’re gay. Fun romantic comedy which seems to go out of its way to objectify John Abraham who plays Kunal.
New York (2009)-New York cabbie Omar (Neil Nitin Mukesh) is set up by the FBI in a ploy to force him to spy on his friend, Samir (John Abraham), a suspected terrorist. As Omar recounts his relationship with Samir he also reflects on his friendship with Maya (Katrina Kaif), now Samir's wife, and how their lives changed after 9/11. Agreeing to become an FBI spy Omar learns that this isn't the first time Samir has been targeted by the government.
Jail (2009)-Honest citizen Parag Dixit (Neil Nitin Mukesh) is falsely accused in a drug case though his friend is actually to blame and imprisoned. Due to evidence against him and an overburdened organization he is denied bail suffering extensively at the hands of a callous, corrupt system. A strong indictment of Indian prisons.
Cairo Station is available to watch for free on Youtube….decent quality as well.
DeleteI don’t wish to disparage the horror genre because it’s my favourite genre as I feel it’s a genre full of depth and often right on point when examining the ills and fears of the contemporary society but there’s so much more to Under the Shadow than just being a horror film. There’s other themes such as living in a society where women are treated differently and denied certain freedoms. Where you are forced to hide things that don’t fit with the ideology of the country you are living. It’s also about a mother –daughter relationship in the midst of war, how do people cope and live their lives whilst the city if being bombed? Even as a non-horror fan, I think you will find a lot to like about it.
Some interesting picks, I like the sound of New York. Seems like that’s worth checking out.
I haven't seen any of these but A separation is on my to watch list for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt's an amazing film. Check it out as soon as.
DeleteI really want to see Under the Shadow. Heard a lot of good things about it. Same with Cairo Station, actually.
ReplyDeleteI imagine it's on DVD soon or possibly already.
DeleteLove A Separation. A great, but tough movie to watch. Under the Shadow sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteIt is. It's not just a horror film, got other stuff that work in its favour really well.
DeleteCairo Station sounds interesting - one to find and add to my watch list.
ReplyDeleteLoved A Separation. Haven't heard of the other two, but they sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteI've never even heard of Under the Shadow...I'm gonna have to look it up.
ReplyDelete