Time has come to the end of 2024, and we are about to enter a brand new year. Recently, The Guardian and the British Film Institute have invited many well-known filmmakers to recommend some films that they will watch repeatedly during the holidays and talk about why they like them. If you prefer to welcome the new year in a warm home rather than on the crowded winter streets, you might as well choose one or more of these films to accompany you.
【List】
Diya Kulumbegashvili (director, representative work "April")
Recommended work: Fanny and Alexander
For me, the theme of Fanny and Alexander is childhood and imagination. The last time I spent Christmas with my family was two years ago, and we watched this movie together over two days. It reminded me of my own childhood, which was also a big family, but during the Georgian Civil War, there were always power outages, so I never dreamed of making movies as a child - the only things we had access to were theater and literature.
Stills from Fanny and Alexander
Every Christmas, my sister and I would perform for our family. We had a big family, many cousins, and we all lived in the same town, so we could make any props. It was like a traveling show, performing in different houses, and it was a big event for us kids every year.
The grandmother in the movie also reminded me of my own grandmother. She raised us and was the head of the family. Of course, our life was not as comfortable as in the movie, after all, it was a difficult time. But I think the beauty of childhood lies in the attitude of the family in the face of adversity, which will also shape your future world view and outlook on life.
Fanny and Alexander is almost perfect because it encompasses everything and because it is so light; it has the weight of a masterpiece but is so unpretentious that it resonates with everyone instinctively. Because everyone has a childhood like this, like the first taste of authority in their lives. This movie is about the beauty of childhood and how it is taken away. For me, it was taken away by the school I went to, which was a very rigid school and very religious. Georgia is still very religious today, but not as religious as it was when I was a child. At that time, it was at its peak and everyone had to learn the Orthodox doctrine, which was the overwhelming main subject.
This movie made me think about how human imagination is formed. Fantasy is almost an instinct that each of us is born with. But as we grow older, imagination may gradually disappear. I am lucky to grow up in a big family that allows me to fantasize. This movie always reminds me of these, the most precious fragments of my childhood. I hope that one day I can also shoot a movie about childhood. This is my movie dream.
Luca Guadagnino (director, representative works include "Call Me by Your Name" and "The Challenger")
Recommended work: The Godfather 3
I watch The Godfather Part III during the holidays, and for me, it's the best of the trilogy. The Godfather Part II was so perfect, and The Godfather is so epic. The third part is about the ambition of a man who can do everything, but also about the fragility of a man who is at the end of his life and career. There's this melancholy element to the whole movie. Think about the scene where Diane Keaton is listening to her son sing at the house party, and she's so lost, and the scene cuts back to the past and connects her with Pacino and their lost love, which is amazing. It's similar to another movie I love, John Huston's The Dead (1987).
Stills from The Godfather 3
The Godfather: Part III is a wonderful film. My favorite Coppola films are this, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Jack in the House. In my opinion, the strength of a great director lies in his ability to control everything without leaving any traces. Jack in the House is like this. You can feel that he is telling a very common story, but he cleverly integrates the light of humanity. It is amazing.
That being said, at this time of year, I still have to watch The Godfather: Part III, because I usually have a quiet holiday. We don't have a big family, so it's wonderful to be able to immerse myself in a movie like this in the quiet winter. At this time, I have personal time, no phone calls, no work. This movie is long, 2 hours and 42 minutes, and I can immerse myself in it. However, don't watch the version that Coppola re-edited, watch the original version in 1990, remember.
Lucille Hazihalilovich (screenwriter and director, representative works include "Innocence" and "Into the Void")
Recommended works: Silent Night series
Silent Night poster
My "Christmas" movie is the Quay Brothers' (Stephen and Demorai Quay) Stille Nacht series, because it's the combination of poetry, mystery, wonder and fear that I associate most with this time of year. It's a culmination of surreal creativity, a unique combination of the sacred and the profane, and a wonderful gift for this special night.
Wes Anderson (director, representative works include "Moonrise Kingdom", "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and "Isle of Dogs")
Recommended work: Fireworks
Back in 1944, when this movie was released, Meet Me in St. Louis must have brought back many wonderful memories for Americans at that time. Today, for contemporary American audiences, the things shown in this movie may have become a fantasy. Or perhaps the America shown in Meet Me in St. Louis only existed in the studio of MGM from the beginning.
Stills from Fireworks
But to me, the characters and the world it depicts are so real, it's as if those people live next door to me. And all their mortal desires and troubles don't feel outdated to me, not to mention that they all sing and dance! This is my favorite musical movie.
