Ariel Baska
Filmmaker, Critic
USA
Voted for
| Film | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Les Enfants du paradis | 1945 | Marcel Carné |
| La DOUBLE VIE DE VÉRONIQUE | 1991 | Krzysztof Kieslowski |
| KAIDAN | 1964 | Masaki Kobayashi |
| Wendy and Lucy | 2008 | Kelly Reichardt |
| Possession | 1981 | Andrzej Zulawski |
| The Act of Killing | 2012 | Joshua Oppenheimer |
| The Gleaners and I | 2000 | Agnès Varda |
| Bulbbul | 2020 | Anvita Dutt |
| Madeline's Madeline | 2018 | Josephine Decker |
| Raise the Red Lantern | 1991 | Zhang Yimou |
Comments
Les Enfants du paradis
This film was entirely filmed during the German occupation of France, and its obsession with theatrical life and art is inspiring both in the context of the story and the context in which it was made.
La DOUBLE VIE DE VÉRONIQUE
An insistently beautiful meditation on longing and nostalgia for something you've never known.
KAIDAN
Surreal and haunting, this horror anthology brings a tonal dissonance that sweeps up the viewer in a strange kind of bliss.
Wendy and Lucy
The powerful heart of this film, which knows the anxieties of homelessness while caring for another, beats so strongly that the reverberation is felt long after the film has stopped playing.
Possession
A powerfully dark and strangely comedic meditation on existence in Cold War Berlin, and similarly apocalyptic times.
The Act of Killing
This filmmaker managed to capture on film the moment a murderer develops empathy for his victim, an unusual feat, and endlessly disturbing to watch, yet deeply important to history of documentary.
The Gleaners and I
Agnés Varda's investigation into the cast-offs and castaways of society is both brilliantly funny and well-observed in its meta-textual reflection on the things we reclaim.
Bulbbul
A transformative film about the role that women play in Indian society as either victims or villains, this film is outlandishly colourful and lovingly framed.
Madeline's Madeline
A stunning reflection on theatre and its relationship to madness, this film is claustrophobic and dangerous and messy in all the right ways.
Raise the Red Lantern
The possibilities of cinema appear endless in this film, which is heart-stoppingly breathtaking and heartbreaking simultaneously.
Further remarks
There are many more films I could have chosen that deeply resonate with me, but these films are a representative sample of the films that have shaped the way that I think about cinema and its possibilities.