Tetsuo The Iron Man (1988)

Holy Shit! Shinya Tsukamoto's cult classic Tetsuo the iron man (1988) simply is beyond words! Cinema takes an obnoxious, bizarre and graphic form and results in the creation of one of the most scariest and shocking film experiences. It's hard to believe that this film had a very low budget and was shot with a 16 mm. All the elements such as the jaw-dropping stop motion effect, the incredible metallic soundtrack, the smart sound mixing, the extreme film editing, the black and white cinematography and an highly innovative story come together beautifully and prove that cinema, indeed, is limitless and low budget can never suppress a man's vision.

At times, the film takes a (deliciously) surreal form but we never lose our grasp on understanding Tetsuo's story-line. This film is not, even for a millisecond, afraid of throwing the most bizarre and gut-wrenching images at it's audiences (Which are hardly pretentious, for the record). There is, supposedly, a metaphor hidden in Tetsuo that man has developed a 'fetish' for machines and has been consumed by it. The film graphically shows people transforming into hybrids of metal and flesh which was quite brilliantly filmed. The idea of recycling metallic scrap as props was a smart move!

This film is, obviously, not for everyone. And whether you hate it or love it, Tetsuo still manages to rape your senses (I loved it!), giving you an experience that is totally new. I warn you again that this film is extremely bizarre and experimental so enter at your own will. A nightmarish near-masterpiece that easily beats David Lynch's Eraserhead, a film which had originally inspired Tetsuo.

Rating: 4.7/5

Revanche (2008)

How often have you been emotionally moved after watching a crime-thriller? Yeah, you heard it right. It is quite rare that we watch films like Revanche that instead of crafting a contrived crime thriller to amuse audiences gives more attention to the emotional experience. This film gives more attention to the characters involved in the situation, how they react and how it changes them.

Revanche never tries hard to create any excitement. Rather, it makes a significant use of silence. This silence makes the film more unpredictable, unexpected and I found myself biting my nails in frustration as to what is gonna happen next. Usually, movies control the characters. In this case, it's the other way round. Director Götz Spielmann proved that you don't always need Hitchcock-ian techniques to create a tense film.

The cast is incredible. They are ordinary looking folk, completely unknown to the audience. Revanche uses this as an advantage and the final result is so effective and appealing, even if it's a slow-burner. A flawless screenplay surprisingly adds a thought-provoking and humane elements to what first looked like a standard revenge film. This is a character-driven film, not plot-driven (For Example: The Sixth Sense, The Vanishing, The Silence of The Lambs).

You expect the silence to be broken. You expect a gunshot, a death. But it isn't. Through this minimalist approach, the film successfully achieves in bringing the audience more closer to the characters. Once we come closer, the silence is sometimes suddenly broken. And surprisingly, it's subtle. This film is simple yet thoughtful, thrilling but never forced, incredibly natural but never self-indulgent. The ending will trouble many. It did trouble me too but it was acceptable from my side as the film had clearly stated what it had intended to.

What. A. Movie!!

4.7/5