I'd like to disagree. I believe "The Secret in Their Eyes" is a superior film to all the competing ones ...
The Secret in Their Eyes (8)
I rarely agree with the Academy choices but this time I do: the award went to the best movie out of the five nominees. Campanella switches back and forth between a comedy and a dark drama and he does it with grace, not for a second losing film's rhythm and holding viewer's breath till the last scene. This whodunit / love story / psychological drama simply works. A great movie from Argentina!
At Five in the Afternoon (7)
A honest picture about an Afgan woman with a dream to become the president. Raw cinematography with pictures of destroyed Afganistan and the people with incredible amounts of hope. Very touching.
Los Muertos (8)
This is a film about an assasin(?) in a canoe. He drinks mate, travels to an island, kills a goat and finds out about.. well let's save the spoilers. But it;s not the story but the way of telling it that counts. And Alonso builds his own unique cinema. Silent, raw and simply fascinating. Very niche as well. It will either work for you or you'll turn it off after 15 minutes of total confusion.
Brand Upon the Brain! (8)
A truly unique and very honest journey back to Maddin's childhood with all its mysterious unknowns that become witches, wild weirdos... and the biggest of them is obviously The Mother. Turn your brain off and simply absorb this movie.
Tender Son – The Frankenstein Project (6)
A surprisingly faithful adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic, only without the fireworks and the sci-fi stuff. Doctor Frankenstein as a director, the monster as his actor and son at the same time - quite an innovative approach that prompts discussions about the responsibility of the artist. All nicely played and execued, but lacking some spark of genius - that's why I cannot rate it higher.
Putty Hill (5)
A very naturalistic film. Made for 20 thousand dollars in 12 days. Practically lacks a plot (the director wrote 5 pages of a script and let the actors improvise). And it shows.. There are some good innovative ideas, like the documentary intermissions when the director interviews his actors. It works well as a picture from Baltimore. But it doesn't work well as a film. Recommended only for those interested in the subject.
