The Truman Show: comedy drama satire encapsulating the search for authenticity for self and community under conditions of control and manipulation
Peter Weir, “The Truman Show” (1998) Once in a while Hollywood releases a film that
French and French-language Films
A Cat in Paris: a whimsical children’s action thriller film paying homage to Alfred Hitchcock
Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli, “Une Vie de Chat / A Cat in Paris” (2010)
French and French-language Films
Sans Soleil: a pretentious and confusing film that plays a stupid joke on its audience at its end
Chris Marker, “Sans Soleil” (1983) Picture yourself receiving a letter from a long-time friend who
Australian and New Zealand Films
The Tracker: a desert Western study of European colonialism and exploitation and its effects
Rolf de Heer, “The Tracker” (2002) On the surface, a simple story of four men
Hedwig and the Angry Inch: an individual’s search for wholeness and authenticity delivered in a flat musical adaptation
John Cameron Mitchell, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (2001) A feisty little number showcasing John
The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover: a parable on the decline and fall of neoliberal British society and culture
Peter Greenaway, “The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover” (1989) Straight away viewers
Torn Curtain: an unremarkable spy thriller film let down by poor casting and a laboured script
Alfred Hitchcock, “Torn Curtain” (1966) To properly appreciate how good a director Alfred Hitchcock was
Australian and New Zealand Films
Women He’s Undressed: a whimsical and shallow treatment of an Australian country boy who hits the big time in Hollywood
Gillian Armstrong, “Women He’s Undressed” (2015) Hollywood could not have dreamt up a more classic
High and Low: a crime thriller of downfall and redemption, and a plea for compassion for material and spiritual suffering
Akira Kurosawa, “High and Low” (1963) Most movies based on pulp crime / police procedural
French and French-language Films
That Obscure Object of Desire: a tale of sexual obsession in a society falling apart through its hypocrisy and violence
Luis Buñuel, “That Obscure Object of Desire” (1977) Between two full buckets of cold water