Must Watch: Drama
I hope you all got a chance to check out Rob’s post yesterday. It’s a great perspective on filmmaking and the love of it and how those two things interact. Great read!
Anyway, as you know, I have the nasty habit of starting things (series) without ever finishing them. While I’m certainly not quite to the point where I can just magically conclude all of them, this is at least a step in the right direction.
Today I’d like to take my next step in the “must watch” series. If I’m not mistaken the last post I composed for this series was the, “Must Watch: Screenwriting.” I’d like to eventually do my Must Watch: Directing bit, but I think it’s best to save that one for last as it encapsulates the other fields, and that should help you appreciate the director even more than if I just went ahead and outlined it for you straight out.
So, tonight I enter with the must watch serie’s, “Must Watch: Drama.” This entry will hopefully guide you to what I believe to be the films that absolutely define the genre. It is certainly broad, more broad than any other category. But it is this challenge that makes these films stand out so much from the others. These films remain as objective standards by which the others must gauge their characters, plots, and circumstances.
So without further pontification….the list. (skip to the end if you wish to see the annotated version…don’t worry, I would if I were you too 
)
1. American Beauty
Surely a film of great controversy, both for it’s content and mysterious message…perhaps mysterious isn’t the right term, maybe i should say instead pluralistic. Not that you couldn’t pick out one message mind you, but that you can pick out from a plethora and still receive impact is what makes it great. If you look back into the archives you’ll find Rob’s initial piece on the film and I think you’ll find it rather enlightening. The film addresses parenthood, marriage, angst, love, fidelity, infidelity, insanity, adolescence, mid-life-crisis, the american dream, the american lie, politics, spirituality, drugs, peer pressure, and just…life. Certainly not a mirror of the ideal world and not a reflection of the way the world ought to be (with the proper influence of Christendom), but it is one of the most accurate, unashamed, and frank assessments of the human soul and condition. This is key in how we are to relate to people. Films like these don’t show the world for what people want it to be, but for what it is. Now, the nice thing about being a Christian is that the message of hope we ocnvey is true and will actually work, rather than the romanticized idea of a life completed, that even this film falls victim to. However, I can’t expect them to convey a message they don’t fully understand and barely, if at all, believe. This film should most definitely be in your repertoire of drama’s and in your repertoire of just…cinema for that matter.
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Wow…what a great film. Never has a film so quirky been so touching and transcendent. The film takes a look at human regret and it’s purpose in our lives. Some would say it’s a film about love which it certainly uses at it’s driving force, but I would say it’s theme is much deeper. Love often leads humans to do things which they regret; good or bad. But what if we could erase those times, people, relationships or even love from our memories. What if they could be erased as easily as a pencil mark? What would they be worth then? This film is very very cool, both visually and aesthetically. I promise you , you will not see another film like it, and the ending will make you smile faintly with it’s sublime conclusion.
3. Kramer vs. Kramer
This was one of the first movies to nearly bring me to tears. The script is so honest and unforgiving yet still manages to squeeze out a constant and powerful charm and potence that isn’t easily forgotten or shrugged. Dustin Hoffman is the driving force behind this beautifully directed and perfectly written film that shows the development of a relationship between father and son amidst a divorce. I think this prob speaks for itself, but the conflict here is great and very interpersonal and very quickly and easily places you into the shoes of a tormented and torn parent, wether you’ve had a child or not. For those of you who have children, I can only imagine how this film will resonate
4. 12 Angry Men (1957 Version)
I’ve never been a huge fan of classic movies. I mean sure I like the occasional one that was just out of this world for it’s time, films such as Casablanca, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Anatomy of a Murder. But of those, only one has really stood out to me as being a timeless film, and that’s the 1957 version of, “12 Angry Men.” One of the first films, if not the first, to attempt to put 95% of its action in one room with 12 characters for nearly 2 hours. And not only was it the first film to try this, it was one of the only, if not the only, film of this nature to succeed. The entire film is TAUGHT with conflict, character, and story and will leave you on edge and doubting until the very end. Just…enjoy this one.
5. The Prestige
Truly one the greatest films of all time and one that regularly circulates in my top 5 films of all time, The Prestige is an optimal display of the art of filmmaking. Some would classify it more as a thriller/suspense/even science fiction film more than a drama, and while I see the point, I would argue that those elements are driven by human conflict, not the other way around. It deals mostly with the idea of obsession and the need for humans to get the last word. This certainly seems like a glib little theme, but it is more serious than I think people give it credit for and is indeed responsible for a good majority of the conflicts we all face everyday. But even at the end of all this, this film is just a joy and pleasure to watch every time. I think i may have seen this one more than just about any other.
6. Glengarry Glen Ross
I was first shown this film by my father when I was fairly young…a bit too young to truly understand it. It’s ideas and subtlety and objective, detatched perspective was something my young, idealist brain couldn’t deal with or fully grasp and engage. Then I pulled it out several years later and it became one of my favorite films. It explores the idea of desperation and men’s corruption and need to feel success or purpose whether you’re sleezy salesman or a aging father. Part of what makes the concoction so potent is the script written by David Mamet (who also wrote the original play, upon which, this film was founded). THe dialogue is just fun to listen to and challenging. It’s very much like the script for the Social Network in this regard, but I’d call it the Social Network for grown ups if I can say that without sounding condescending to the film, “The Social Network,” seeing as I think IT is the superior film. But this film is just pure objectivism driven by a group of characters all representing one theme: greed.
7. Requiem for a Dream
I don’t think i could better outline the film or it’s impact than what Rob already has in the previous post, so, take a gander, it’s worth your read..trust me.
8. Doubt
This film just comes out and states it’s theme in the title. What is the consequence of doubt? What is the blessing? What is the definition? Where does doubt end and surety begin? To that end, where does doubt end and regret begin? This film is one that will keep you engrossed and conflicted from beginning to end, but does so so successfully that you can’t help but be magnetized to it. The driving force here, again, is performances (from Phillip Seymour Hoffmand and Merril Streep), much as it always is in the best dramas.
You will find yourself questioning your surety at the end of the film, and that’s just what they want you to do. This is a great film
9. Crash
I realize I’m amongst a mixed crowd on this one. Some people love this, come people i hated it. I fall into the former catergory and have yet to be told why it isn’t worthy of the Best Picture award it received. It is truly a work of masterpiece when you can have an ensemble piece that seems to have barely any weak spots. Those that seem like they might be end up playing a huge role in the end. The film is one that addresses very plainly the issue of racism, and, more deeply, human connection and interaction. Very much worth your time.
10. Revolutionary Road
Directed by the same man who directed the first movie on this list (American Beauty), Revolutionary Road feels almost like a sequel/prequel/remake of the same film while being seperate in the sense that it zeroes in one one of the many themes of American Beauty and fleshes it out more fully: marriage and the complex relationship between a husband and a wife. Not only does it focus on this more clearly, but it expounds upon with a brutality and honesty that you just don’t see out of major Hollywood productions normally. It is so heart wrenching and conflicting that it will leave you worn and emotionally raw by it’s end, but I tell you, is this not the mark of a great film? Honestly, I don’t know which I like better, american beauty or this one. The former definitely has lighter moments which alleviate it’s weight, while the latter is just a constant barrage of conviction. And i mean that. But, which one is the better film? Hard to say. What is to say is that Sam Mendes is an amazing director and one that very rarely shoots a misfire (with the exception of Away We Go, which was basically the antithesis to his usual work).
So there you havee it. The top 10, must watch of drama films. Here’s the annotated list for you. I genuinely hope you watch and learn from and enjoy these films. They WILL make you better filmmakers if taken in properly.
1. American Beauty
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. Kramer vs. Kramer
4. 12 Angry Men (1957 Version)
5. The Prestige
6. Glengarry Glen Ross
7. Requiem for a Dream
8. Doubt
9. Crash
10. Revolutionary Road
-Brennan
Wow great list. I watched Revolutionary Road again the other day and was actually more impressed by the cinematography this time than any other. It really is beautiful to look at and I love every little glance that Leo and Kate give. This was a great reminder of Kramer vs. Kramer and 12 Angry Men, two films I haven’t seen in a long time.
I also love how you call American Beauty pluralistic. That’s a really appropriate way to put it.
thank you sir! I love how you write everything, so…touche lol