Fear not! I have not forgotten about my plan to conquer the world through it’s movies. Actually, I have, but a funny coincidence reminded me that I still had this half started blog entry hidden in the depths of my notes. So finally, five months after the last international cinema, I can now proudly present a new hope.

Denmark

De grønne slagtere De grønne slagtere / The Green Butchers (2003)
The Danish are flat-out, bug-shaggin’ crazy! When it comes to making movies, their humor is nowhere near as flat as their country. This movie is the best of proof of that. It’s an extremely dark comedy about two butchers who open a new butcher shop. By accident, an electrician is killed when repairing a light in the refrigerated room. One of the butchers (Mads Mikkelsen) freaks out and disposes of the body in an uncommon way…

Adams æbler Adams æbler / Adam’s Apples (2005)
Mads Mikkelsen strikes again, this time as reverend who lets people live in his church/convent/thingy to do their community service. When a convicted neonazi arrives, things get crazy. I didn’t like this movie as much as “Den grønne slagtere”, but it’s definetely… interesting. Very unusual, lots of dark humor and very cynical.

Japan

46-okunen no koi Tokyo Eyes (1998)
Made by a French director, Tokyo Eyes is about K, a young programmer who shoots at wrong-doers without actually ever hurting anyone. He’s a riddle to the police, but Hinano, the sister of a police officer, manages to track K down and they become friends. She withholds this information from her brother and even begins to protect K, as their strange relationship develops.

Kôhî jikô Kôhî jikô / Café Lumière (2003)
There is no plot in this movie. It’s just random shots of a Japanese woman doing research on Taiwanese composer Jiang Wen-Ye. We see her in the library, in a café, visiting her parents or taking videos of trains. Art film fans love this film.

46-okunen no koi 46-okunen no koi / 4.6 Billion Years of Love (2006)
Here comes an explosive visual feast by director Takashi Miike, who, according to various sources, is known for his explosive visual feasts. 46-okunen no koi tells the story of a murder in a juvenile detention center set in an unknown future, chock full of sexual tension. The story isn’t what makes this a great movie, it’s the stunning cinematography. It’s full of slow, contemplative eye candy shots and quite fascinating to watch.

Lebanon

Sukkar Banat Sukkar Banat / Caramel (2007)
When you think Lebanon, you probably think civil war. But this movie is surprisingly war-less, instead, it’s very much a “girl movie”. The plot is about a group of women who work in a hairdressing salon, and their conflicts in everyday life in Beirut. There’s Layale, a christian in love with a married Muslim, Rima, who is attracted to women, Nisrine, who is engaged to a muslim but not a virgin anymore, and Jamale, who is worried about aging.

Scotland

Trainspotting Trainspotting (1996)
I tried to like this movie. Three times. But I just can’t seem to like it, most of it is not very captivating and the whole rehab scene is way too excruciating to enjoy or like or find funny or whatever. Ewan McGregor is an extraordinary actor, as he’s proven again and again in movies like Big Fish, The Island or Moulin Rouge!, but this one just doesn’t count as a personal favorite of mine.

Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself (2002)
Calling this a sole Scottish movie would be wrong, as it’s very much a Danish movie made by Danes, even starring Mads Mikkelsen in a supporting role. Instead of being as depressing as the title would indicate, this is actually a love story with a lot of that typical weird dark Danish humor. But maybe the Scots have the same kind of humor? Who knows 😉

Serbia

Crna macka, beli macor Črna mačka, beli mačor / Black Cat, White Cat (1998)
The Balkans as we like to stereotype them! This is a wild gypsy crime comedy, complete with lots of accordions, people living with their pets (including pigs and chicken) in the same house and fat old women with lots of jewelery and scarfs. The plot is about a family of gypsy gangsters living at the Danube, who arrange a wedding for their reluctant relatives. Sounds questionable, but the whole movie is actually quite a ride and I can highly recommend it!

Klopka Klopka / The Trap (2007)
If you expect more gypsys, I have to disappoint you. Klopka is a neo-noir film set in present-day Belgrade, where the main character Mladen lives with his wife and kid in a small apartment. Mladen can provide for his family, but when his son needs surgery, he accepts an offer to kill someone in exchange for the large amount of money he needs for the surgery. It’s a serious story no doubt, but with beautiful cinematography.

Sweden (Special Guest Star)

Låt den rätte komma in Låt den rätte komma in / Let the right one in (2008)
Ah yes, Sweden. I’ve blabbered about that in an entire blog entry and you’d think that’d be enough. Oh no, there’s more. Låt den rätte komma in is all the new thing, everyone’s talking about it, even everyone in Hollywood! Hollywood apparently likes it so much, they want to butcher this poor movie by doing a remake of it. The horror! I absolutely can’t imagine this as a Hollywood flick, because it’s Swedish. Very Swedish. It’s a quiet, contemplative movie, much like Ingmar Bergman’s early works (without the bore factor). Set in Sweden, this is Sweden’s second vampire movie, but SO completely different from Frostbiten. Frostbiten was a teen comedy, but Låt den rätte komma in is, despite the main characters being 11 years old, a grown-up character study. With vampires. Well, watch it yourself 😉

That’s all folks! Episode V will probably take a while, as I don’t have a lot of international stuff waiting in my ever growing to-watch list. But I’m planning to include Australia in the next one, so throw all your favorite Australian movies at me please! Thanks, mates!