254. How to win at checkers (every time) (2015)

Country: Thailand
Directed by Josh Kim

A simple and humble film, with a plot that every audience can enjoy and, at the same time, an essay against the many levels of the social unequality in Thailand, when the ones who have money can win everytime and the ones who don't they have their future pre written as the 'slaves' of the above. With an amazing cast and characters, with humour and humanism, the film succeed to make the audience to get deeply involved emotionally from the first minutes without to capitalize on misery, over dramatization, easy tricks and easy tears. However the bitter taste of the social unjustice at the end feels intense.
'How to win at checkers (every time)' has also to be credited with the most natural depiction of gay characters ever: i really believe that they have to screen this film at every school in order to boost acceptance and to fight homophobia.
Not a 'watch, i m a masterpiece, product of a genious' type of film but it deserves any praise

253. Cruel story of youth (1960)

Country: Japan
Directed by Nagisa Oshima

One of my most favorite movies of rebellious youth ever, this film is a ground breaking work as defines the New Wave era opposing most of the things that the old Japanese cinema was standing for. Although the exploitation films with sex, crime and violence were already a trend in Japan, Oshima's intellectual approach eleveted this concept in a very high level as he used it as a platform to present a psycological study of the rather existential anxiety of young people and its connection with the social and political issues of his era. Stunning colors and visuals, documentary style of filming but with sound effects that give to it a weird dreamy feeling that communicates with the subconscious