Mani Haghighi
Director/Writer
Iran
Voted for
| Film | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Mulholland Dr. | 2001 | David Lynch |
| IDIOTERNE | 1998 | Lars von Trier |
| The Thin Blue Line | 1988 | Errol Morris |
| The Band Wagon | 1953 | Vincente Minnelli |
| Ugetsu Monogatari | 1953 | Kenji Mizoguchi |
| Persona | 1966 | Ingmar Bergman |
| La notte | 1961 | Michelangelo Antonioni |
| The Passion of Joan of Arc | 1927 | Carl Th. Dreyer |
| Shanghai Express | 1932 | Josef von Sternberg |
| A Woman under the Influence | 1974 | John Cassavetes |
Comments
Mulholland Dr.
Because it says things to me that I understand and don’t understand at the same time.
IDIOTERNE
Because its hardcore punk DIY aesthetic makes the truth it explores both unbearable and unavoidable.
The Thin Blue Line
Because it transforms the murky differences between facts and stories into a territory in and of itself.
The Band Wagon
Because it encapsulates perfectly the romance associated with the act of artistic creation.
Ugetsu Monogatari
Because it is the supreme example of lyrical associations transforming into coherent cinematic images.
Persona
Because it’s a minimalist film that manages to assault you like a silent typhoon.
La notte
Because it uses coldness, austerity and alienation to make you swoon with longing.
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Because its compositions infect you like a virus and circulate in your consciousness forever.
Shanghai Express
Because its sharp, shiny, dark images make you feel like you are in the presence of love itself.
A Woman under the Influence
Because its undiluted sadness is so overwhelming it gives you hope.
Further remarks
These are the films that make me want to make films. Whenever I watch them, I get the urge to get up and light a scene, talk to an actor, move my camera. I wouldn’t make films the way I do without them. Painful omissions: Melancholia (Lars von Trier), There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson), 8½ (Federico Fellini), Ran (Kurosawa Akira), Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino), GoodFellas (Martin Scorsese), Exterminating Angel (Luis Buñuel), Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami), Marnie (Alfred Hitchcock), Annie Hall (Woody Allen). Personal obsessions: Chungking Express (Wong Karwai), Short Cuts (Robert Altman), American Hustle (David O. Russell), Birth (Jonathan Glazer), A Heart in Winter (Claude Sautet), Visitor Q (Miike Takashi), The Untamed (Amat Escalante), The Grudge (American remake, Shimizu Takashi), Werckmeister Harmonies (Béla Tarr) and, yes, Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis).