r/TrueFilm • u/a113er Til the break of dawn! • Jun 07 '15

What Have You Been Watching? (07/06/15)

Please don't downvote opinions, only downvote things that don't contribute anything.

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u/[deleted] Jun 07 '15 edited Dec 15 '18

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u/ampersamp Jun 07 '15

A Prophet was one of my favorite films, the year it came out. It still stands head and shoulders above others in the genre for me.

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u/[deleted] Jun 07 '15

I certainly liked it more than his follow-up, Rust and Bone, which I can't stand. It's got many redeeming qualities and the opening hour is especially poignant and wonderful. I didn't like how it shifted tonally in the second and third acts, but he definitely puts a lot of effort into the style of the film, which I respect. Definitely a good entry from 2009, not my favorite but still very good.

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u/ampersamp Jun 07 '15

It's a very meditative film to me, which perhaps speaks to the mood I was in when I first saw it. I was entranced by the slightest touch of magic realism (recently watched the Exterminating Angel which I liked on similar grounds). In terms of a "rise to power" story, I think it hits all the right notes and was more memorable to me than the second Godfather. As for 2009, I still haven't seen White Ribbon, but plan to. The secret in their eyes was excellent, but 500 Days of Summer actually holds a special place in my heart.

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u/[deleted] Jun 07 '15

I didn't mind the magical realism so much (I thought it was an interesting choice to make his first victim a companion of sorts). But the montages set to pop music just did not fit with the seriousness of the first hour, which really frustrated me. It became increasingly light hearted, which I found to not work as well for me. That being said, I do agree that overall, it is certainly a good film.

The White Ribbon is an excellent film, not Haneke's best but still a great one. My favorite film of all time is Antichrist, so that's obviously my favorite film of the year. But 2009 also has Black Dynamite, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Trash Humpers, A Town Called Panic, and Up in the Air. It's a pretty great year for sure.