213. Fires on the plain (1959)

Country: Japan
Directed by Kon Ichikawa

One more great movie by Ichikawa that together with his 'Burmese harp' is a loud statement against the brutality of war. In this case the spiritual , lyrical element of the 'Burmese harp' is left out and we witness just the bare ugly and freakish face of the war where any atrocity, including canibalism, can occur and is not any space for illusions of glory. However, the link that connects the two films is the optimism of the director, his faith that the humanism can still survive at the end even in the worst kind of hell

You can watch the full film here: https://youtu.be/zAj3C5dRGW8

212. Gerorisuto (1986)

Country: Japan
Directed by Shozin Fukui

At first, this short 'experimental' film looks insignificant: a young woman acts as to be possessed for the whole 12 minutes in different places of a large Japanese city. However, when the film ends you realize that it captured powerfully the allienation of the urban environment where the uncategorized, ancient, wild, passionate part of the human nature needs desperatelly to express itself but ìt is not allowded. Shozin Fukui , shortly after this film, with two full length movies became one of the leading figures of cyber-punk cinema in Japan

You can watch the film here: https://youtu.be/INauGnZv3BQ

211. 2046 (2004)

Country: Hong Kong
Directed by Wong kar-wai

Once more here the director delivers an impressive film pushing his unique style to its best. When I watched the film for the first time I was not exactly satisfied with the plot and the characters finding it also weak in some parts and a bit pretendious. However, when I watched it for two more times my doubts faded and disappeared: the film is a leage of its own, sensual, mesmerizing, powerful, monumental. Quite an experience to watch it in a big screen as it is visually a pure masterpiece

210. A scene at the sea (1991)

Country: Japan
Directed by Takeshi Kitano

The film, actually it was his third, that established Kitano as a important director, 'A scene at the sea' is a in my opinion, a great example of cinema that should be taught in every movie school. With minimal action and dialogues, with a very simple and slow plot Kitano builds a beautiful , tender, fascinating world and makes the viewer's feelings towards to the characters of the film to grow minute by minute and to explode at the end. Kitano here follows the best traditions of the delicate, humanistic Japanese cinema

209. Red angel (1966)

Country: Japan
Directed by Yasuzo Masumura

Probably my favorite Masumura film, 'Red angel' gives a unique, brutal, anti-heroic image of war mixed with sensuality. This is not a contradiction as sex comes easily up when your life can be taken at any moment in war time if you are in the frontline. Although the film have many  weaknesses and some indifferent scenes they are moments that seems like a masterpiece. Not many times before in Japanese cinema the war was portrayed with such a honesty

You can watch the full movie here: https://youtu.be/PQZaoBKZNIk

208. Macabre (2009)

Country: Indonesia
Directed by Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto

Although disappointing comparing with the previous great short movie of the directors that had the same actors and similar concept Macabre still is well made and gets the attention of the viewer just right from beginning. It's a decent slasher film that, with all the weaknesses it has, represents the upgrade the recent years of the horror, in general, genre in Indonesia, on terms of production quality and cinematic skills of the people who work in the movie industry

You can watch the full movie here: https://youtu.be/K1S4WcB3hw4

207. Act of killing (2012)

Country: Indonesia
Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, Christine Cynn and an anonymous Indonesian person

A powerful, disturbing documentary, where you almost dont want to believe what you are watching, that re-enacts one of the darkest pages of the Indonesian history. Needless to praise its quality: obviously is an unique piece of work that has great impact to the viewers and it blends with innovative way different elements. But apart of artistic qualities the film takes huge credits as, after it screened, it opened an important conversation in the Indonesisn society about historical events that was tabboo to talk for. Morover, the film gives you a vivid glimpse to what politically is Indonesia today: the present is revealed as even more shocking than the past

You can watch the full movie here: https://youtu.be/TEYjkPZTk6o

206. The maid (2005)

Country: Singapore
Directed by Kelvin Tong

Nothing very special here just a decent film of phychological terror with mystic atmospere, smooth depiction of supernatural and slow, mature escalation. Too commercial for my taste with a weak ending but however a notable example of the genre in a cinematography that we have limited access

You can watch the full movie here: https://youtu.be/noFPhmW-9dw

205. Vengeance is mine (1979)

Country: Japan
Directed by Shohei Imamura

No matter what the storyline of each movie, Imamura seems every time that is interested only of one thing: to show the dark, confused, deformed face of Japanese society who struggles between the traditional notion of itself and a its new allienating face in the heart of a sudden modernity. Vengeance is mine, as narrating the story of a serial killer without phychological explanations, without sympathy but also without negative judgments, depicts in reality the director's view on this familiar, brutally innocent, without consciouness, monster: the Japanese nation. A film that, even if doesn't offer any easy solution and it's rather disturbing, is masterfully made in any detail

204. The six principals (2010)

Country: Thailand
Directed by Abhichon Rattanabahyon

As Thailand still struggles to move on from its usual political status where a greedy elite is ruling and the society experiences luck of democracy, unjustice, anequality, oppression of the free speach etc Abhichon Rattanabahyon goes back more than 80 years ago to remind the declarations of Peoples Party's revolution that still are valid today as political assertions. In this beautifully made short documentary the director exposes and discuses with bravery all the serious political problems of his country

You van watch the full film here: https://vimeo.com/18866840