290. The punishment room (1956)

Country: Japan Directed by Kon Ichikawa Absurdly ignored and unknown in the West but high respected inside the country, the Punishment room is the finest and more resistent against the time example of the first generation of Sun tribe movies that shook the morals of society of the era, expressing the nihilism and frustration of the youth (but also its sexuality and its need to escape from the traditional values) in post war Japan. Talking about cinema, Punishment room is one of the very few movies that paved significaly the way for the Japanese New Wave if not a part of it. It's amazing how modern the film looks and how few weaknesses, if any, it has, even with today's standards. A hidden gem but this is not surprising as the Ichikawa of the 50's gave to us many masterpieces

289. A river called Titas (1973)

Country: India/Bangladesh Directed by Ritwik Ghatak A film with major weaknesses regarding the plot, the rythm, the consistency of aesthetics, the acting etc, A river called Titas seems disoriented and disappointing at times, without real balance and gravity. A genius as Ghatak though, even if he is unable this time to wrap everything up successfully, couldnt let us with a mediocre film. Still give us many intense unforgetable moments, a rich cultural, historical and social canvas to think about and a haunting, visually stunning photography, "a breathtaking black and white" as some critic wrote that deserves a big screen to be fully appreciated