Criterion

by Ari & Yuki

The Seventh Seal - Ingmar Bergman

Bergman’s somber meditation on the meaning of life is one of the most powerful film experiences in existence. There are many great films that deal with spiritual conflict, but none of them have affected me as strongly as this contemplative masterwork that beautifully mixes adventure/fantasy, historical drama, and philosophical and religious themes so vigorously. It’s rather unfair to only provide a brief synopsis of The Seventh Seal, as the story is worthy of in-depth analysis for its many layers of fascinating and provocative content. The quick summation of the plot is as follows: The Knight Antonius Block (Max Von Sydow) is on his journey home after his experiences during the Crusades, and the world is in ruin with the black plague symbolizing a mystical wrath on humanity. Block travels with his squire, Jons (Gunnar Bjoernstrand), meeting and picking up strangers along the way, including an actor couple who may be touched by the grace of God, a drunk looking to kill the man who stole his wife, and an innocent girl who Jons saves from a possible rape and murder. They encounter several bizarre and horrifying situations on their way, most notably a girl who will be burned at the stake for being possessed by the devil and causing the plague. The most eerily disturbing aspect of the story involves the Knight’s confrontation with the Grim Reaper. Over the course of the film, Block challenges Death to a game of chess, hoping to win the match and save his soul. Through his journey he contemplates the nature of our existence, looking for a concrete answer or even a shred of evidence that God actually exists. The Seventh Seal is a film to be experienced - a dark and atmospheric exploration of the purpose of life, one that will remain a defining masterpiece for several decades to come.

Fires on the Plain - Kon Ichikawa

An unforgettable anti-war statement that realistically examines the atrocities of war and the futility of such brutality. Kon Ichikawa’s film vividly recreates the horrors of war with its sequences of violence and carnage, not to mention an overall tone that assaults the viewer with its realism and intensity. Fires on the Plain delves into the psychological torture of a desperate Japanese soldier wandering aimlessly through the Pacific during WWII. He’s sick and starving, his body is in rapid decay, and his mind is lost. As he travels across the Pacific, his experiences becomes increasingly hideous; from killing an innocent and frightened woman, to surviving off of salt, to witnessing a fellow soldier eat human flesh. This is one of the most grisly films I’ve seen, filled with sequences of disturbing violence and genuinely upsetting imagery. Ichikawa’s work is forceful and uncompromising - one of the best war films there is.

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul - Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Fassbinder updates Douglas Sirk’s All That Heaven Allows in 70’s Germany, centering the story on the unusual romance between an elderly woman and a younger man. The woman, Emmi (Brigitte Mira) enters a bar at the outset of the film, where she meets a worker called Ali (El Hedi ben Salem). The two spend the night together, eventually leading to her home where they have an unlikely emotional connection. The two fall in love, a relationship Emmi’s children can hardly believe or respect. Their love causes a great deal of racial tension between the people they know, along with issues of jealousy, inadequacy, and repression. Ali finds comfort in Emmi, but feels distant from his culture and lacking in sexual satisfaction. Not only do Emmi’s children initially refuse to accept the situation, but her friend’s and neighbors treat her disdainfully. When Emmi sends Ali to the market to buy some food, the owner purposely acts like he can’t understand Ali’s German. When they have lunch at a restaurant, people watch them suspiciously. Fassbinder directs the film with subtlety, using deliberate pacing and a rather melancholy visual tone to portray their emotional state. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is moving and memorable, with excellent performances from the lead actors.

UPDATE

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

by Yuki

The relationship between an unlikely pair of lovers is the focus of Fassbinder's scrutinizing look at racism in German society.  Emmi, a widowed cleaning lady, takes shelter from a rainstorm one night at a Moroccan-themed bar and meets Ali, a handsome younger laborer from Morocco.  They spend the night together and quickly fall in love, marrying not long after.  The blossoming of their  relationship is one of the most satisfying I have seen on film, since they are such physical opposites, yet their chemistry is somehow totally palpable and affecting.  Though the two are vastly separated by age and culture, they both lead lonely, toiling lives and find a tenderness in one another that is evident from their first meeting. 

What makes this film so compelling is the directness and simplicity with which it is told.  Unlike many of Fassbinder's earlier films, there is very little ambiguity in the story: Once Emmi and Ali have found each other, it is clear that all they want out of life is to be happy together.  They both posses a docile, soft-spoken nature, and their relationship does not inspire either of them to bring about some larger social change.  But as soon as she lets Ali move in with her, Emmi is encircled by the harsh judgments of her leery neighbors, her co-workers, and even her own grown children.  In creating such a stark contrast: Emmi and Ali's quiet love in the face of society's fierce paranoia, Fassbinder unravels the irrational fears that are the source of prejudice. 
Stylistically, the film is quite bare and bleak, with lots of shots of lonely streets and empty piazzas, but it is always infused with a sort of electric, almost awkward tension that Fassbinder is so great at creating.  Afterall, this is not one of those melodramatic interracial films that require an over the top back-drop for an extra emotional push, but that is precisely what makes it so frightening and effective.  When Ali and Emmi and alone together in public, they are always surrounded by vast, empty spaces, or are confronted with ice-cold, piercing stares.  Fassbinder takes time to linger on these frozen, numb faces, particularly in one heartbreaking scene when Emmi introduces Ali to her children, and the camera slowly moves from one blank stare to another, before they each explode with anger towards their mother.

The latter half of the film delves deeper into the characters as we begin to see just how complex their situation has become.  Emmi breaks down and confesses to Ali that despite her love, she cannot completely ignore the isolation she feels from her fellow Germans.  Ali, who has managed to suppress his anger and isolation since arriving in Germany, begins to feel its toll and turns to gambling and drinking, leaving his distraught wife at home.  It is an eye-opening development for the audience to realize the weight of Ali's position and the great effort with which he kept his feelings in check for the sake of his sanity and his love for Emmi.  She in turn, forgives him of all his hurtful conduct if he will just go back to her.  "I know how old I am," she says, "I see it in the mirror every day… I need you."  The ending is a bit abrupt and open-ended, leaving Emmi and Ali in a hospital room after he suffers from a debilitating ulcer.  "It's very common with immigrant workers," the doctor tells Emmi, "He'll recover, but he'll be back here in six months."  It's a bit puzzling to end on such a detached note with kind of social commentary from the doctor.  I'm inclined to call it weak, but the rest of the film is so striking and effective that I am willing to let it slide.