307. Earth and ashes

Country: Afghanistan Directed by Atiq Rahimi The destruction, the mourning for the ones who got killed, the trauma, the total hopelessness. Without much drama but with precision Rahimi show us the devastating face of the war and how it deprives the human spirit from any joy and dreams. The vast landscapes of Afghanistan deserts that dominate the movie are the empty souls of the unlucky ones who survived and left behind

306. The white tiger (2021)

Country: India Directed by Ramin Bahrani As an easy to follow and understand, quite entertaining and well made commercial film, The White tiger conveys successfully its message exposing the multi layered exploitation of the poor in modern India, in a socio-economical system that is identical to slavery. The film depicts the total failure of Indian society to provide a decent life for the great majority of people, touching issues as the brutality of the upper classes, in an archaic, but still powerful, cast sustem, the strong, also exploitative, family hierarchy, the massive corruption of politicians and judges, the ineffectiveness of education and healthcare, the lack of opportunities for the low social classes to improve their tragic living conditions

305. Yol (1982)

Country:Turkey Directed by Yilmaz Guney and Serif Goren Even if not without weaknesses, often existed because of the huge challenges that the creators faced during production, Yol is still a masterpiece as it captures, with a powerful, heartbreaking and accurate way, the depressing reality of Turkey during the Evren dictatorship of the early 80's when a military oppression and a suffocative state control were added to a violent patriarchal society that already was suffering from poverty, underdevelopment, low level of education,archaic local laws and behaviours,sexual starvation and lacking of any form of freedom. An all-time classic, an unforgetable landmark for world's sociopolitical cinema

304. Emotion (1966)

Country: Japan Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi Its something disturbingly silly, outdated, pretentious and amaterish in Obayashi's cinema that makes it often almost unwatchable. However,in his unique, messed up world, there are moments where he hits a rare poetical spot, when he captures and ridicules the abdurdity of the human existence with a way that is beyond words and is located in an unknown location. Emotion is one of the films that have more of these captivating special moments even if overall you would probably dislike it

303. Nomad (1982)

Country: Hong Kong Directed by Patrick Tam Goofy and of "low taste", also daring and sensual, but for sure unapologetic, Nomad blew some fresh air to the body of Hong Kong cinema in the early eighties. Watching the film today may hit many viewers also with nostalgia: the movie, more or less, illustrates what it means to be young and in love without worrying about anything else in the world. An obvious influence for the young Wong Kar-wai, mainly visually (the visuals of Nomad really stand out) but at many other levels too

302. Ghaysar (1969)

Country:Iran Directed by Masud Kimiai A young man takes revenge killing the ones responsible for the deaths of his brother and sister and Masud Kimiai gets a chance to take us to the baths, tea shops, slaughterhouses, cabarets of pro revolutionary Iran and to show us the possibly most daring and sexual scene of the history of Iranian cinema

301. Madhumati (1958)

Country: India Directed by Bimal Roy According to Indian cinema critics Madhumati is one of the most influential Indian films of all time: not only the theme of the movie but also its style gave inspiration to countless upcoming Indian directors. Watching the film almost 70 years later, apart of the usual Bollywood cringe at times, still you can appreciate the beautiful expressionist black and white photography and framing, the noir, goth and paranormal elements, the poetical side of a film that is made for the satisfaction of the most simple audience but still can communicate with a more sophisticated one

300. Death at an old mansion (1975)

Country: Japan Directed by Yoichi Takabayashi A stylish, with many intense, beautiful, well directed moments and an interesting plot,crime film, Death at an old mansion is one of the most notable movies of Takabayashi,a director who never fulfilled the initial high expectations but who rarelly directed boring and average movies either

299. City after dark (1980)

Country:The Philippines Directed by Ishmael Bernal A legendary film, voted repeatedly as one of the very best Filipino movies ever made, City after dark or Manila by night, as is its alternative title, is a multi-narrative of people connected mostly each other by lies and exploitation, living a rather marginal life, fighting to escape from the poverty, in the ruthless nightlife of unseen, underground Manila. Prostitutes, pimps, drug dealers, junkies, abortions, crimes, gay sex, violence, everything that the Marcos regime of the era tried to hide under the carpet, are exposed here in a bitter drama that played a big part on the evolution of the Filipino cinema to adulthood

298. Symbol (2009)

Country: Japan Directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto Although Symbol is the definition of a film that has zero artistic value and you can easily call it not only "bad" but also idiotic, I think that still has a place in a list like this because as soon it unfolds you want to watch it with the addictive way that you want to watch a reality show, moreover it's quite weird and this weirdness makes it somehow interesting. Dont try to find anything deep on it: the plot vaguely reflects the stages of human life and even the stages of human history and that's all

297. Rainy dog (1997)

Country: Japan Directed by Takashi Miike One of the most memorable early films of Takashi Miike, where,as usually does, blurs the line between a commercial and an artistic approach with some occasional sparks of genius here and there. Many weaknesses, many things that we have seen countless times before, however the film has some moments of real magic that you can't ignore. Moreover the feeling of rainy Taipei never has captured so beautifully: you almost have the illusion that you are there

296. Suzaki paradise, red light district (1956)

Country: Japan Directed by Yuzo Kawasima The film that Kawasima himself, a director that was a very important influence for Shohei Imamura,loved the most among the 50 movies that he directed, Suzaki paradise is one more black and white film of the era, reflecting the ethical dilemmas, recession, fight for survival and desperation of post war Japan. Not a masterpiece but without a doubt a compact, very well constructed ,balanced movie with a vivid realism and a solid plot that keeps you interested from the first frame to the last

295. Ring : Kazenban (1995)

Country: Japan Directed by Chisui Takigawa The first and totally unknown internationally adaption of Koji Suzuki's novel it was a TV horror film that without doubt deserves a mention. It's the most faithful version to the book and it has many raw and unrefined elements that makes you feel somehow tensed up. Dont expect too much but if you liked the famous version of The Ring you should watch this one as well as its approach on the story is also interesting

294. High and low (1963)

Country: Japan Directed by Akira Kurosawa No matter how much you admire or you like High and Low, one thing is certain: it's a film that every future director, if not any artist, has to watch and study to learn from it. The way that Kurosawa builds the tension, the way that, even in theatrical scenes, he compacts massive amounts of pure action,the way that he transforms the existential and ethical dillemas of the protagonists to a social commentary, the way that he deals with such serious issues offering at the same time so much entertainment, is nothing short of amazing

293. 27 Down (1974)

Country: India Directed by Awtar Krishna Kaul The first and last movie of a very promising director who died too early, 27 Down is a bitter film about the crushed dreams of the youth under the extreme social and financial pressure of the Indian patriarchal society. The young protagonist of the movie keeps asking himself in vain who he is and where he is going as he is unable to shape his identity himself and his father chooses his job and even his wife in an arranged marriage. With beautiful black and white photography, artistic framing and a strong documentary-like feeling, 27 Down has a special place in the filmography of Indian cinema even if the various weaknesses that it has prevent it from being something even greater

292. Death on a full moon day (1997)

Country: Sri Lanka Directed by Prasanna Vithanage A summary of a war: a coffin with the remains of your precious one, who joined the army as the only way to make a living, covered by a national flag. A loss that you refuse to believe and comprehend:the loved person is still vividly alive in your mind. The poverty: its not even time for mourning, you have to fight in order to survive. A powerful comment with the less possible drama but full of emotion for the ongoing at the time Sri Lankan civil war that was only pain for the impoverished simple people, without any value or benefits. Prasanna Vithanage, makes his miracle again, creating a little gem out of nothing (the film had a budget of just 80.000 usd). Its surprising how he makes you to feel so engaged with characters that he is not analyse at all. Its beautiful how he makes you to smell the wet soil under the rain, feel the wind and the dust, listen the little voices of the nature. Living is too amazing to waste it in a war that is not your war

291. A separation (2011)

Country: Iran Directed by Ashgar Farhadi While most of critics got very impressed with the way that the director blends so effortlessly all the social-economical issues of modern Iran to the plot, things related with the law,the religion,the position of the women,the unequality etc, what rather engages farther and deeply the viewer, at the point that he watches the whole film glued to his seat with his heart racing, is the universality of the human condition that the movie exposes, the accuracy of the feelings of people who aim for the happiness with good intentions and genuine emotions to get lost finally in the complicity of comflicted interests, social norms, ethical dilemmas and different points of view. Even if you really intent to do the right thing and everyone arounds you does the same (a rare, ideal condition) life still seems absurd and painful and this realization is devastating. Not enough words to praise this film: its a masterpiece at any aspect

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

288. Women of the night (1948)

Country:Japan Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi Although not among the major works of Mizoguchi, Women of the night remains a movie that is not appreciated enough: very few know about it and even fewer mention it or include it in lists. It's a pity because, with all its weaknesses, the film still has many great moments and undeniable qualities. Raw, daring, full of emotion, depicts,from an almost feminist point of view, the heartbreaking position of countless young women in post war Japan, who were trying hard to survive in totaly inhuman conditions, with an unfiltered way that very few movies of the era managed to achieve