102. The ruins (1956)

Country: Philippines
Directed by Lamberto Avellana

Too commercial, with weak plot, directed without much inspiration, with an ending full of 'moral'messages, this movie normally had to be out of this list. However, is something original on these dark neo-realistic images of human despair in the post war Manila that are depicted on the film. The young couple , a prostitute and an ex-soldier, is trying hard to survive, together with hundreds other people who live in a slum, under a ruined  from the bombs cathedral. Even I watched the film without English subtitles , so without to understand the dialogues, I could see some quality and power to this film and a lot of memorable scenes. Moreover, is part of an era of a national cinematography that is very rarely represented. So, I decided to include it even if is far from be something great

You can watch the full movie here without subtitles : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUsnV44ZnNg

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101. Still life (1974)

Country: Iran
Directed by Sohrab Shahid-Saless

I am aware that this film is not for everyone. Even people familiar with artistic movies probably they will find this one very boring,  considering that nothing happens in the 90 minutes of its length. Actually this is true: nothing happens, as we witness, almost as in a documentary, the everyday life of an old couple that spends all the time silently in a small room , in the middle of nowhere. However, if you really give time to the film, the portrait is so real, the depiction of life so vivid, the common things that unify any human existence with the others so present, that the film ,after a while , becomes almost captivating. The movie , with a strange way, comes to concern us deeply , and the old couple , with their simple and boring routine, comes so close to us that become almost our parents, our relatives, our friends, ourselves : at the end although is not melodramatic at all, we feel strong emotions

 You can watch the full movie here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98LfQJoyDQU

     

100. Fallen angels (1995)

Country: Hong Kong
Directed by Wong Kar-Wai

Another movie that I watched more than fifteen years ago , so, is difficult really to recall with details. However, the Hong Kong landscape of the night , in a post modern era , as is depicted in the film , is still vivid in my memory.  I am impressed from the fact that Fallen Angels is considered among the less important works of Wong Kar-Wai : personally I found it more minimal, less videoclip-ish, more atmospheric and emotional intense than, for example, his Chungking Express , a movie that has many similarities and is celebrated as a masterpiece.

You can watch the full movie here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCFFJbREVN0

99. The woman in the dunes (1964)

Country: Japan
Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara

I am not sure if I can write for a movie that I watched more than 20 years ago. From what I can recall the film is a rare masterpiece , more bizarre, more meaningful  , less heavy than the book of Abe that is based and I was read a few years ago. The sand is 'alive' and the dunes give you almost illusions , the sensuality is raw and vivid, the black and white photography is stunning , the metaphor and philosophical meaning of the story obscure but painfully present. The sand ,with all these designs and geometrical shapes that often takes, is a mysterious labyrinth that in reality is the human brain

You can watch the full movie here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdTEs5MHqoU

98. The cow (1969)

Country: Iran
Directed by Dariush Mehrjui

'The cow' is often quoted as the best Iranian movie of all time and the first movie of Iranian New Wave. Even if this , in my opinion, is far from the truth , still is a great film. Through a very simple story and a direct approach , manages to make many of complex political comments for Iran of that era and to pose many questions about our existence as social beings. The film has landscapes and spaces as very important part of the action been heavily influenced from Italian neo-realism .However , Eisenstein is also present , Kafka as well as the film has a surrealistic note, and this very solid mixture of elements gives to the movie part of its charm

You can watch the full movie here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCwKWPRFAEY
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97. Hansel and Gretel (2007)

Country: South Korea
Directed by Yim Pil-sung

A dark fairy tale, that gets the best of the horror movie tradition and combine them in an unique grotesque and eye catching film. The plot never lets you to lose your interest ,  is unpredictable without the usual stereotypes, as the for the atmosphere and the style are a bizarre mix between gothic and postmodern.  Hansel and Gretel is probably the most fresh movie that I watched for years, in a genre that overall looks very tired , repeating itself again and again.

 
You can watch the full movie here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZCZ7NVmJPQ