10 (Kiarostami [plus Mission Impossible III])

Kiarostami from Iran takes his enthusiasm for car journeys ('A Taste of Cherries' in 1997 was similarly auto-bound) to a new level. It is an exploration of social identity and pressures on women in particular, the family and society in general. The story is made up of ten different journeys with the same person driving and her
passengers. It is shot simply with one or two digital cameras fixed to the dashboard of the vehicle. I have finished watching it through for a second time with friends who were taken with the authentic feel that is created through the simplicity of its making.

I found the quality of the acting, the nature of the arguments between mother and son and the process of exploring love, spirituality and personal freedom very moving. It was worth a second watch and the ninth scene is beautifully constructed, anticipated and tender. I loved 'A Taste of Cherries' and there was more action in that, in terms of traditional cinematic style and convention. This though, through being paired down to the bare essentials allowed the child and adult acting to shine for what it was.

Such a far cry from the appaling experience tonight of watching Mission Impossible the 3rd ... which gets less than a 1 from me for peddling the myth that violence is a redemptive force when put in the hands of an undemocratic, undercover U.S. security system. (The torture scenes were particularly ironic considering the current track-record on 'rendition' [what a disgusting term -- it comes from the slaughter house]).

'10' though, that gets as close to a 10 as I can dare ... 9 and a half.

Crash (Paul Haggis)

The depression that I was left with after this film was a merit of the movie's quality. The explicit racisms, the repeating pattern of coincidental plot twists felt like several Hardy and Dickens texts all rolled into one. I would say both that it is a 'must see' and also that I feel reluctant to rate it. This is because, to quote a dear friend, this is a 'harrowing' watch. So when I say eight and a half I would be using the score less to mark it for entertainment value and more for the challenge this work posits to a wide range of taboos and prejudices.