What makes a good film? Drugs, death and Emma Watson

This is my version of the many "best movies to watch before you die" type lists on the internet. It's an orderless compilation of independent films that have each offered a whole new perspective on the world and kind of etched themselves into my brain. As you will see, I have a bit a of bias for movies about messed up teens and their antics. There is a kind of rawness and purity about adolescence that isn't really seen with adults, and the likes of Larry Clark and Sofia Coppola know how to portray it damn well.


1-Kids// Larry Clark (1995)



This movie is brutal- not for the faint-hearted. It's so blunt it makes you feel like it's real, which makes you angry, shocked and confused and then in awe at the fact that someone had the ability to so accurately and honestly portray a slice of life that is usually sprinkled with idealism and happy endings. This film follows the daily lives of a group of kids in the city during the early nineties. Several scenes (in fact every scene) unapologetically shove the not so pretty reality of adolescence right in your face as the guys and girls try to figure out life and stuff. Kids is the definition of lit and that is why I love it. You have to see it for your self because that's all I'm going to say.



2-Requiem For a Dream// Darren Aronofsky (2000)


If anyone asks me for a movie recommendation, Requiem for a Dream is my automatic response. I think it should be compulsory to watch Requiem for a Dream. If you still have not seen it as you are reading this, you know exactly what you are supposed to do immediately when you're done. Stunningly dark. Gloriously morbid. This film is art, man. The tragic lives of four people are interlaced in the best best best movie about drugs ever. You'll be thinking about that last scene for at least a week.



3-The Bling Ring// Sofia Coppola (2013)



The highlight of this film is its consistently haunting vibe (and Emma Watson). It kind of feels like a documentary, then it doesn't. It's not particularly dramatic or anything. It just sits there, in the back of your mind for a while after you watch it. Coppola creates her own kind of creepy/interesting/wtf genre (also seen in Spring Breakers) that's paired with perfectly relevant music and odd shots and scenes. Oh uhm, The Bling Ring is based on true events. A group of teenagers from Cali decided to rob celebrity homes. Like, for real.


4-The Perks of Being a Wallflower// Stephen Chbosky (2012)




This is my favourite movie. It's difficult to explain why. I've watched it maybe 20 times and it still makes me feel some typa way. Maybe it's the soundtrack. Maybe it's the story. I'm pretty sure it just might actually be the characters. Every one of them. They all have their dimensions and stuff they deal with, and they all make,what's supposed to be a cookie cutter film about high school... different. (also Emma Watson)


5-Girl Interrupted// James Mangold (1999)























This movie made me fall in love with Angelina Jolie. Also I think it's very difficult to make a terrible movie about a mental asylum (much like pizza). Girl Interrupted is obviously very far from being terrible. Again a film proves how characters can literally shift a story from being good to being worthy of a 'Fifi's Five...' accolade (lol). Brittany Murphy, Winona Ryder and Whoopi Goldberg all contribute to this darkly beautiful film about a girl diagnosed with 'Borderline Personality Disorder'. This female filled depiction of  mental illness kind of reminds me of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.
(side note- I don't think this is actually an independent film but can we all pretend that it is, okthanks)


Happy watching.

I like to make lists so this 'Fifi's Five...' thing is officially a regular fixture on All Zuri.