Shreya's Treasures

KIMI NO NA WA (YOUR NAME) DIRECTOR: MAKATO SHINKAI GENRE: FANTASY, ROMANCE               “I feel like I’m always searching for something, someone.” Haven’t we all felt the same at some point or other in our lives? A sense of displacement from our daily lives, and a search for something that would anchor us to a more commonly perceived sense of normalcy? Every now and then, there comes a transcendent piece of cinema, a film that not only surpasses expectations, but also makes the entire idea of having expectations appear as ludicrous as one attempting to understand the secrets of galaxies located millions of light-years away; that not only captures the zeitgeist but coats it in a benevolent luster that is enough to exorcise the demons of the age and enhance the legacy of the era; that unites audiences and critics alike into a cacophony of rapture. Kimi no Na Wa, translated in English as Your Name, is one such film. "Dusk:  the time of the day ...

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME RELEASED : 2017 DIRECTOR :  LUCA GUADAGNINO                                           "Is it better to speak or die?" “Call Me by Your Name,” begins in the summer of 1983, in a place so enchanted, that it belongs in a fairy tale. The location, the opening credits tell us, is “Somewhere in Northern Italy.” Such vagueness is deliberate: the point of a paradise is that it could exist anywhere but that, once you reach the place, you never forget it. Thus it is that a young American named Oliver (Armie Hammer) arrives, dopey with jet lag, at the house of his Professor Mr Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg) and his wife (Amira Casar). “We’ll have to put up with him for six long weeks,” Annella says, with a sigh. Well, not long enough, as it turns out. One can pack a whole lifetime into these six weeks. The first words of the film are “The Usurper” , uttered by...

THE PIANIST DIRECTOR : ROMAN POLANSKI RELEASED : 2002 “The life of a human being, let alone his personal freedom, is a matter of no importance. But the love of freedom is native to every human being and every nation, and cannot be suppressed in the long term. History teaches us that tyranny has never endured. And now we have blood-guilt on our conscience for the dreadful injustice of murdering the Jewish inhabitants.” Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" tells the story of a Polish Jew, a classical musician, who survived the Holocaust through stoicism and good luck. This is not a thriller, and avoids any temptation to crank up suspense or sentiment; it is the pianist's witness to what he saw and what happened to him. That he survived was not a victory when all whom he loved died. It is a cold, harsh approach to a cold, harsh subject and the film treats its history with the utmost respect, detailing the experiences of one man and one journey whilst implying that...

                                          SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION                       DIRECTOR: FRANK DARABONT                       RELEASED: 1994  “Hope is a good thing, maybe even the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” The Shawshank Redemption is a movie about time, patience and loyalty – these qualities grow on you during the progress of this story, which is about how two men serving life sentences in prison become friends and find a way to fight off despair. More so than just the brilliant acting by Mr. Freeman and Mr. Robbins, the cinematography is quite flawless and the film has a consistent flow to it. The Shawshank Redemption is a very humane story with a lot of powerful, and emotional scenes that have captivated millions of viewers...

JOJO RABBIT DIRECTOR  :  TAIKA WAITITI RELEASE : 2019 Creating a World War II comedy-drama that counts on getting laughs about one of history’s greatest monsters is a big swing. But Waititi uses this humor to illustrate how easily fascism feeds off human flaws.The shift in tone comes when the film stops focusing on the banal and showcases the brutal horrors of the situation. Beneath the fanaticism, Jojo(Roman Griffin Davis) is a frightened boy whose sister has died and whose father has disappeared in battle. But his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), has a secret: she’s a covert anti-fascist who is hiding a Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), in the attic. When Jojo stumbles upon Elsa, he is initially horrified, believing her to be a monster. But gradually the pair strike up a love-hate relationship that infuriates Imaginary Adolf and causes Jojo to start to rethink his allegiances.The film’s dramatic focus is how Jojo deals with this sprightly J...

DEAD POET'S SOCIETY DIR: PETER WEIR RELEASE: 1989 I don’t want to go into the details of the directors and actors of this piece of art. I call it art, because it is lot more than just a film, it is life itself. On a platter. In front of us to embrace it. This masterpiece is about a teacher, Keating (Robin Williams), who influences and changes the course of his students’ lives; teaches them how to appreciate poetry, literature, music, art. Tells them about Carpe Diem- and makes them practice it. Teaches them how to live their own lives and not follow the herd... using all unconventional ways in a school whose moto is “Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence”. Keating is that teacher who guides his students against all odds. But unfortunately, one of his students, Neil (Robert Sean Leonard), commits suicide because of the parental pressures he faces. And that is when things change and we see the students standing up to Keating’s principles and making him un...