The Directors Diet: Chris Sisarich reviews three great new films
So many things make a great movie for me.
I come from a photographic background so am naturally drawn to beautiful or arresting cinematography.
The camera and light are such powerful tools in storytelling. The Revenant, filmed by Emmanuel Lubezki and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu is a really great recent example. In a couple of scenes, the camera is so close to Leonardo’s face the lens fogs up with his breath. I loved that.
I appreciate interesting characters like those in films directed by Wes Anderson or the Coen brothers. A strong narrative and a great soundtrack. Then, of course, there’s the costume design, art department, actors and the locations.
It's quite a matrix and I’m constantly blown away by the genius of film.
I recently watched Wild Tales, Force Majeure and It’s Kind of a Funny Story . Wild Tales and Force Majeure have made my top ten list of all time favourites.
WILD TALES - directed by Damian Szifron
This is a fantastic collection of six short films that explore the extremities of human behaviour involving people in distress.
Beautifully shot and crafted with a strong colour palette of creamy whites, blues and gold accents.
It’s a black comedy brilliantly written and performed. It makes you laugh and cringe all at the sea time”.
FORCE MAJEURE - written and directed by Ruben Ostlund
Loved this film.
Beautifully shot and art directed. Maybe a little over dramatically acted but that feels more like a stylistic approach than a mistake and adds to the drama and style.
This is a classic life story and so relevant in today’s world of the glossy selfie where everything looks rosy and fantastic on the outside.
The film is about a model Swedish family that go on a ski holiday in the French Alps.
An event triggers a response that unravels a whole series of issues and misunderstandings in a seemingly happy marriage.
IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY – co-directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden
This is an easy, cool, beautiful human story with a great soundtrack.
It's a film about a 16-year-old boy who checks himself into a psychiatric ward – it’s honest, good-fun and made me laugh.”
Chris Sisarich is a Director for Film Construction and award-winning Photographer.
