Editor's note: This article summarizes the 2024 movie-watching notes of the editorial department and contributors of the Youxi column of The Paper. It is a list of films that tends to be based on personal preferences. Everyone is welcome to leave comments to supplement it.
Note: The movies are sorted by release date, in no particular order.
【Annual Recommendation】
《The annual meeting cannot stop! 》
Release date: 2023-12-29 (Mainland China)
It criticizes various strange current situations in the contemporary workplace in a humorous and satirical way, such as relationships and rules, workplace jargon and shitty jobs, welfare and blessings, people and screws, etc., which arouses strong resonance among workers and is an excellent satirical comedy. by Zeng Yuli
→ Exclusive interview｜“The King of Curls” Dapeng
→ "The annual meeting cannot stop!": Drink a bowl of workplace chicken soup and soothe your heart
Let’s sing karaoke!
Release date: 2024-01-12 (Japan)
Although the school is a "small society", the campus has a "boundary". It is a place outside the law, a place of innocence, freedom, passion, youth... all the beautiful words are created by students who have not yet entered the society. by Ha Da Ba
Two souls with their own barriers collided in this way .
Article 20
Release date: 2024-02-10 (Mainland China)
Focusing on the hot topic of legitimate defense, the film uses artistic methods to show the complexity and controversy of legal provisions in specific judicial practices, reflecting the power of excellent realist films to see through reality and promote social reflection and progress .
→ Article 20: The Power of Realism
→ Article 20: Criticism in Compromise
Let's Shake the Sun Together
Release date: 2024-02-10 (Mainland China)
The final chapter of director Han Yan's "Life Trilogy" is also the most mature one. Terminal illness is a dilemma that the characters in the film have to face, and it also carries a metaphor for modern civilization diseases. The calmness in facing the pain of illness, and the utilitarianism, selfishness, sincerity and dedication revealed in this situation, deeply explain what love is, and how valuable this emotion, which is increasingly devalued by success studies, is to individuals and even civilization. by Liu Chun
→ "Let's Shake the Sun Together": When you are alive, you must try to find some hope.
Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils
Release date: 2024-03-01 (Mainland China)
The most phenomenal Chinese film of the year. The last quarter of an hour is Julien's last journey in "The Red and the Black", which elevates the theme to a life of a low-class youth who wants to be seen by the world. by Zhang Yue
This proves once again that good movies are not afraid of having no attention or audience, and proves how important a good story is, and that good movies can be made without relying on short video thinking. by Liu Chun
→ Several details of "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils"
→ "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" is so popular that these supporting roles can no longer be hidden
Dune 2 (USA)
Release date: 2024-03-08 (Mainland China)
Most Hollywood films imported this year have failed in the Chinese market, but this one is still a good candidate, and it is a typical example of a mature film industry system, its standards, norms, strengths and weaknesses. by Liu Chun
Just from the two movies and one TV series, I have been tempted to start reading the original Dune series, which has millions of words. I can sense that another Dune universe that can rival the Marvel Universe may be born.
→ "Dune 2": A heroic epic about history
→ Exclusive Interview｜Film Composer Hans Zimmer: I Want to Stay in the World of Dune
Old Fox
Release date: 2024-03-29 (streaming)
In a wonderful way that is both allegorical and straightforward, it reveals some of the operating rules of capitalist society, as well as the price that ordinary people pay for their own self-change or even swallowing up. The ending of the film is like the wreath on the grave in Lu Xun's novel "Medicine", but perhaps more people will choose this path. by Liu Chun
"snow leopard"
Release date: 2024-04-03 (Mainland China)
The theme and style of the film are similar to those of Wangma Caidan's previous works, but it is not a repetition of the director. The film reflects on the difficulty of balancing emotion, reason and law from different aspects such as ecological balance, complex human nature and cultural beliefs, but it is not in a hurry to give a solution. Instead, it provides almost pure humanistic care outside of secular ways. by Liu Chun
→ "Snow Leopard": The sharpness and compassion that Wangma Caidan left to the world
Under the Sun
Release date: 2024-04-12 (Mainland China)
From the perspective of journalists , it reveals the tension between social justice and the sense of powerlessness in reality, shows the challenges and difficulties faced by the news industry, and demonstrates the spiritual power of upholding justice and taking responsibility.
→ "Under the Sun": Don't feel guilty about doing the right thing
Teenage Diary
Release date: 2024-04-19 (Mainland China)
"Become the adult you want to be", such chicken soup is warm, but in the adult world, some scars are okay to keep. It will make people grow vigilant and remind themselves not to go back to the lost path. by Hadley
It criticizes the great harm that meritocracy has done to individuals, especially children, and calls on society to reflect on the single success evaluation system. It also conveys warmth and hope, encouraging us to provide gentle acceptance and help to injured children.
→ "Diary of a Young Man": It's okay to keep some scars
→ "Diary of a Young Man" Director Zhuo Yiqian: Heavy topics, the problem is not talking about them
Kowloon Walled City: The Siege
Release date: 2024-05-01 (Mainland China)
The film's action scenes are exciting and thrilling, and it finds a balance between gang culture and nostalgia, showing the charm, influence and cultural spirit of Hong Kong films.
→ "Kowloon Walled City: The Siege": Gangs, action and nostalgia
Some Kind of Substance (USA)
Release date: 2024-05-19 (Cannes Film Festival)
Demi Moore's new film combines her personal experience of being trapped in appearance anxiety for many years. The film and reality complement each other to make a profound reflection on the spiritual shackles of women. The monster born at the end seems powerful, but it is actually a failure, which is too vulgar and lowers the level of the film. by Liu Chun
Light of Imagination (India)
Release date: 2024-05-23 (Cannes Film Festival)
Three women: one is trapped in a propertyless hut left by her late husband, one is trapped in an arranged marriage in name only, and one is trapped in a love that can only go underground due to different religions. Mumbai, where the movie takes place, seems modern and tolerant, but it is also a cage that shackles them. The pre-modern countryside retains the beauty of utopia, but the background is the cold feudal patriarchal society. The three weak women can neither advance nor retreat, so the movie is a "good thing". by Hataba
Goodbye Yangtze River
Release date: 2024-05-24 (Mainland China)
The film uses a lot of footage shot in 2011. The comparison between today and the past makes one sigh not only at the passage of time, but also at the various changes that have taken place in the torrent of the times that rolls forward like the waves of the Yangtze River. Keeping a distance but still being moved, feeling without being hurt, looking back at the past and looking forward to the future is the unique tone of "Goodbye Yangtze River". by Liu Chun
The emotional shock brings the fun of watching the movie, the fairyland-like matriarchal culture of Lugu Lake area is fascinating, and the story of Tsim shows the meaning of seeing the world and the sigh of once-in-a-lifetime encounter. by Zhang Yue
→ Interview with Takeuchi Ryo & Tsumu: The power of documentary lies in truth
Tent with colored balls
Release date: 2024-05-25 (Mainland China)
In the limited words and interactions between them, the inexplicable feelings are silently nurtured like flowers, slowly blooming, spreading like the fragrance of flowers, and leaving no trace like fallen flowers. Rather than saying that this is a timeless and moving love story between the two, it is better to say that it is a tribute to life itself. by Liu Chun
→ "Tent with colored balls": a love story in "Altai" in Ningxia
Swimmer's Heart (USA)
Release date: 2024-05-31 (Mainland China)
Thanks to this movie, I learned the true story of the first female swimmer to cross the English Channel! Facing the sea where her heart is, Trudy devotes herself to it. Every time she raises her arm and moves forward, she fights back against the systematic oppression of the patriarchal society. This is another synonym for female power this year, in addition to "When Flowers Bloom". by Tianxia Diyi Guo
"Ryuichi Sakamoto: Masterpiece" (Japan)
Release date: 2024-05-31 (Mainland China)
Loneliness and sadness are the themes of life, and joy is a small happiness. "Masterpiece" is not about perfection, but about accepting all possibilities. Ryuichi Sakamoto teaches us to overcome the fear of aging. by Zhang Yue
Stop and Go
Release date: 2024-06-08 (Mainland China)
With light and profound brushstrokes, he captures the most essential rhythm of life - showing the resilience and indomitable spirit of life in the process of stopping and starting, and smiling at every congestion and turning point in the journey of life, no matter how the wind and rain change. by Zeng Yuli
Oh my god, just because Chinese films finally allow "loser" to be the protagonist, I also want to recommend this movie. by Tianxia Diyi Guo
This is a "meta-movie" that imitates Japanese-style sad movies and reveals the truth about the exploitation of young people. Hu Ge is Ryuhei Matsuda and Gao Yuanyuan is Masami Nagasawa. The narrative blank is quite wonderful. No matter how sad you are, you must finish the project to be worthy of yourself and the people you work with. by Zhang Yue
→ "Stop and Go": Reaching the essence of life in lightness
Dog Array
Release date: 2024-06-15 (Mainland China)
While pursuing rapid economic growth and comprehensive social progress, the film reminds us that we should not neglect individual care, nor should we neglect understanding and helping those who have been left behind in the tide of the times .
→ "Dog Formation": People who fall behind in the times
《French Fondue》（France）
Release date: 2024-06 (Shanghai International Film Festival)
The pace of the times is getting faster and faster, so fast that we don’t have time to enjoy a meal or find our own shadow in the pupils of the person we love. Director Chen Yingxiong’s French hot pot, which seems to have the taste of green papaya, is plain, mellow and extremely gorgeous. by Liu Chun
The secret to keeping both love and career fresh is that two people engage in a creative activity that involves both body and spirit for a long time. Death cannot defeat the true passion that is close to belief. Master Chen Yingxiong's handwriting is hidden in the audio-visual language. by Zhang Yue
→ "French Hot Pot": The gorgeous poetry behind the various flavors
Close Your Eyes (Spain)
Release date: 2024-06 (Shanghai International Film Festival)
Can movies preserve memories? Can our memories be preserved intact? If memories can be preserved, will emotions still be there? Victor Erice, an eighty-year-old Spanish director, wrote a seemingly suspenseful "play within a play" in "Close Your Eyes". If your connection with the world is just a photo and a chess piece, will anyone still look for you? This is a movie that will linger in your mind for a long time after watching it. The end of obsession, the end of time, and the exploration of self, perhaps forgetting everything can return to the starting point. by Bairou
Dry Grass (Türkiye)
Release date: 2024-06 (Shanghai International Film Festival)
The temperament is like the old work "Hibernation", and Ceylon's portrayal of literature and art has always been ranked first in the world. Women are wild and unyielding yellow dead grass in the bitter cold land of Anatolia, and men are a pile of dead leaves that are difficult to possess and destroy. by Zhang Yue
Small Garden
Release date: 2024-06-27 (Mainland China)
The film's structure and techniques are as exquisite as a garden, and its connotation is also like a garden that encompasses mountains and rivers. It is meaningful and moving, and worth watching again and again. by Liu Chun
"Set off"
Release date: 2024-07-01 (Mainland China)
The new mainstream movies with red themes can also be very good. The passion for life, the broad mind, and the deep feelings contained in the vigorous youth can be felt and seen under the poetic expression of the lens, which makes people yearn for the era when scholars were full of vigor and ambition. by Liu Chun
I like the documentary-style shots in feature films, the unhurried follow-up feeling, even a sense of stealing, not because mainstream films are devoted to close-ups. The stories in middle school textbooks can be filmed with a sense of strangeness and substitution. In fact, its narrative is worth learning from many mainstream films. Do you tell the story of a person first, or the story of a leader? by Bai Rou
→ A poor trip in 1917, the transformation of a mainstream film
Catch the Doll
Release date: 2024-07-16 (Mainland China)
This is a terrifying movie.
With lighthearted and humorous laughter as the introduction, the film gradually unfolds a cruel picture of parent-child relationship, exploring the complex entanglement of power, desire and human nature behind it, making the audience feel a chill in the laughter. by Zeng Yuli
→ "Catch the Doll": This is a cruel movie
Regions of Interest (UK)
Release date: 2024-08 (British Film Masters Exhibition)
With a calm and restrained brushstroke, the relationship between "peaceful years" and "exquisite selfishness" in major human events is vividly displayed, making the massacre that is not directly shown even more horrifying. by Zhang Yue
Safe Evacuation from the 21st Century
Release date: 2024-08-02 (Mainland China)
The difficult-to-define style, the dramatic special effects, and the unknown plot all add the label of "special". Often , what we want from a story is just a little bit of unexpected surprise.
→ The untimely "Safe Evacuation from the 21st Century"
→ Exclusive Interview｜Zhang Ruoyun: We can all ask our 18-year-old selves for help
Alien: Taken Flight (USA)
Release date: 2024-08-16 (Mainland China)
Its strong box office performance shows that horror movies are still in high demand in the market. I hope that Chinese horror movies can have a place in the world in the future (seriously). by 尔了了
→ "Alien: Taken" : A breath-taking space battle royale
"hedgehog"
Release date: 2024-08-23 (Mainland China)
Ge You's best screen performance in recent years, delicate and affectionate, with clear layers, Wang Junkai also completed the transformation of a powerful actor with this film. The stuttering, hedgehog, and distance in the film are full of metaphors. The rebellious "son generation" can not forgive the "father generation", but can also identify with them, until he recognizes that they are on the same track. by Liu Chun
In my opinion, this is the most underrated Chinese-language film of 2024. Gu Changwei, who has been dormant for a long time, seems to have returned to the state of creation close to "Peacock", but unfortunately the larger environment and the period when the fifth generation of talents shine are different. The depth, thickness, delicacy, concentration and grandeur of the film make it different from the "art films" of young creators. The old and the young are stuck, and the epic of the times is hidden in their individual experiences. Ge Da Ye's acting skills are the biggest regret of the Shanghai Film Festival. by Hao Qing
Zheng Zhi is definitely the first author of the film, but Gu Changwei gave "Xian Syndrome" power, turning a literary character "killed" by society into a rebellious movie idol.
→ "Hedgehog": May our lives not be stuck
Grandma's Grandson (Thailand)
Release date: 2024-08-23 (Mainland China)
The biggest mistake of this film is the Chinese title. It is a "pure" Chaoshan story, but the grandmother is called "Laolao" instead of "A-ma" in Chaoshan dialect. Well, it is obviously a problem with the Beijing Language and Culture University's Chinese as a Foreign Language textbook, which always puts Beijing dialect words in modern Mandarin textbooks. Of course, for Chinese filmmakers, what needs to be studied more is how Thai filmmakers can learn and use the language of short videos to shoot vivid feature films. by Hataba
It's good enough, but almost every key detail has to be echoed or explained, which is too neat. The carefully designed structure dilutes the film's narrative potential and emotional power. by Liu Chun
It's strange that this is a very "Chinese" movie no matter how you look at it. But why isn't it? I'm still wondering, if it were a real Chinese movie, what kind of box office would it get? But no matter what, please don't remake it and let this touching story go, okay? by Yu Xiaoyu
Thais filmed a story about local Teochew people. The harmony of Chinese multi-child families is based on the tacit consent to sacrifice women's rights, which is a "cancer" for women. The vague moral ethics make the cold and warm of human nature clear and convincing. by Zhang Yue
→ "Grandma's Grandson": How Thai youth tell a pure-blooded Chaoshan story
"Turning Warehouse"
Release date: 2024-08-24 (Mainland China)
Each of the excerpts in the film is an important key to unlocking the film. Therefore, if you are not an amateur, the film will be half as interesting, and you may even find it incomprehensible. by Hataba
→ Interview｜Director Zhang Yudi: The warehouse is also the confusion in everyone's youth
Love, So Far (USA)
Release date: 2024-08-30 (Mainland China)
Mary Sue's boss actually commits domestic violence? So Cinderella becomes Freud. It turns out that everyone has their own psychological trauma, and only oneself is the best therapist. The film shows the emotional demands and self-cognition of women at different stages in an intimate relationship in a very layered way. by Liu Chun
→ "Love, So Far": A Carefully Designed Mary Sue Variation
The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru
Release date: 2024-09-06 (Mainland China)
The younger brother's descendants kept a note with a few words written by his brother, which roughly meant that this family will depend on you, and your parents will depend on you. At that moment, director Fang Li rushed out to smoke a cigarette. I couldn't help but rush out of the theater and light a cigarette. by Ha Da Ba
An interview with just a few words can make people cry. Truth is the best weapon to move people. by Hadley
Leading the audience back to that little-known history, allowing people to remember the suffering and sacrifices of the past, and inspiring them to cherish peace and yearn for the brilliance of human nature, it becomes an important bridge connecting the past and the future and promoting love and peace. by Zeng Yuli
The stories inside and outside the film are equally shocking! by Tianxia Diyi Guo
→ Exclusive Interview | Fang Li, Director of "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru": I stole history
→ "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru": A Glimmer of Memory, a Note on History
"Determination to Leave"
Release date: 2024-09-15 (Mainland China)
With a keen and unique perspective, it reveals the structural dilemma faced by women in modern society. It does not simply blame the problem on a certain gender, but delicately analyzes how multiple factors such as environment, culture, and social expectations are interwoven into a complex web that affects women's choices and fate.
Adapted from a true story, although it is a case, the topic is very representative, exploring why middle-aged housewives run away, how they run away, and what happens after they run away. Yongmei's performance is deep and convincing. by Liu Chun
A very sincere, simple, and heartfelt realistic film. Not only does it show the life epitome of many female elders around me, but it also allows me to fully empathize with the dryness and paleness that is drowned in the daily life. In fact, "escaping and taking a breath" is not only something that housewives can understand, but also urban people yearn for. by Er Le Le
Those "common sense" are not unchangeable, and "many people do this" may just be a trick. Life is not a happy story. The answer is not to go or not to go, but your life, you can decide for yourself. And facing and thinking is the beginning of control. by Hao Qing
Biopics about ordinary Chinese women are extremely rare, but in order to create this character well, the director invites the audience to break the cage with her and breathe freely, sacrificing the film time to tell the stories of all the other characters.
→ Interview｜Yin Lichuan, director of "Determination to Run Away": Women's dilemma, hidden and everyday
→ "The Decision to Leave": It's just the decision to be myself, why is it so difficult?
→ "The Decision to Run Away": What limits women's decision to run away?
Secret Meeting
Release date: 2024-10-25 (USA)
In recent years, there have been many TV dramas and movies about the election of a new pope. This film is the most interesting one among them because it features a cardinal with the strongest sense of class.
Enemy (Japan)
Release date: 2024-10-31 (Tokyo International Film Festival)
There is no cold wonderland at the end of the world, only my broken army.
Shanghai Girl
Release date: 2024-11-08 (Mainland China)
It has been several years since I shed tears in a movie theater. Shanghai Girls is so sincere that it is rare to see it. A group of middle-aged women who have gone through different times, once gathered together because of music when they were young, and indulged in youth. You are happy for them that the years have wasted their bodies, but have not extinguished the light of life itself. by Bai Rou
Perfect Days
Release date: 2024-11-15 (Mainland China)
A diary about a toilet cleaner. It is hard to explain why it is so good, but for the current impetuous times, it is as open, sincere and warm as the sun. by 阿树树
→ "Perfect Days": Life is neither cruel nor beautiful
→ Wenders on "A Perfect Day": How wonderful it is to live in the present moment
The Romantic Generation
Release date: 2024-11-22 (Mainland China)
Art experimental films rarely appear in theaters. If you only watch them with the standards of feature films, you may find them boring. But for a deep fan of Jia Zhangke's films like me, I will only burst into tears in the empty theater and be reluctant to leave for a long time. The fragments of images accumulated across the millennium on the screen bring together ordinary people, objects, and scenes, like a time shuttle, bringing the forgotten past to the front. This is a love poem dedicated to the times, and it is also a "new angel" in Benjamin's sense. by Liu Chun
→ "The Romantic Generation": We need some real and profound retrospection
"nice one"
Release date: 2024-11-22 (Mainland China)
Even though it is full of golden sentences, like a two-hour female talk show, it is a "good thing" in the Chinese film industry.
My dream home: A home where I can be a drummer or an audience member at will. by Hadley
"Good Things" is both "good things" and "new things". The film breaks through the traditional framework in the discussion and expression of multiple topics, introduces novel perspectives and elements, and is a bright spot in domestic female films in recent years. by Zeng Yuli
Chinese films today need more films like this that are fresh, smart, courageous, opinionated and expressive. by Liu Chun
Despite many controversies, I still think this film is the best domestic film of the year. Some people say it is too "delicate", some say it is too "fragmented", and some say it is too "pleasing", but at a certain moment in the theater, you have been moved. That is the most real feeling, and it is also a feeling that has not been seen for a long time this year. In this case, why should we be disappointed by the review after returning home? by Yu Xiaoyu
Thanks to their "exposure", we are told that "being honest, brave and well-read" can make us stand up straight. When more and more people say that today's audiences are difficult to "please", "Good Things" tells us that the core of "emotional value" is respect and understanding. by Hao Qing
→ "Good Things": Everyone can sincerely be a "child"
→ "Good Things" talks about "New Things"
Karma (India)
Release date: 2024-11-29 (Mainland China)
The beauty of this film lies in the fact that it relies entirely on editing to trick the audience into entering a time maze in order to achieve a suspenseful reversal. The revenge core of this film is suspected to be a thrilling film, but the victim's declaration of contempt for the abuser provides a way out of sexual trauma.
→ "Karma": An Indian epic film that explores human justice
Queen Live in Montreal (UK)
Release date: 2024-12-06 (Mainland China)
It is magical enough to see the IMAX version of Queen live. In addition to lead singer Freddie Mercury, the other three members also showed their talents, especially Roger Taylor's passionate drum dance. The strongest partners make the most exciting music. by Zhang Yue
Maria Callas (USA)
Release date: 2024-12-11 (streaming)
Who can interpret the legendary singer Maria Callas? It must be Angelina Jolie, who also lived a brilliant first half of her life. At the end of the film, when the aged Jolie sang the well-known song "For Art, For Love" again, she has already secured a nomination for the Best Actress at the Oscars next year. After missing out on the role in "Changeling" in 2009, can the 50-year-old Jolie win the title with this tailor-made female biopic? This is the first time. by Wang Zheng
Breaking Hell
Release date: 2024-12-14 (Mainland China)
With the funeral industry as the background, the film explores the issues of life and death while revealing the distorted parent-child relationship in East Asia, inspiring the audience to bravely break the "hell" in their hearts, overcome the barriers of family affection, and achieve reconciliation and redemption. by Zeng Yuli
It not only has a distinct Hong Kong regional flavor, but also opens up a broader spiritual world between life and death. It uses delicate expressions that face reality without losing warmth to sincerely explore why people trapped in self-imprisonment have come to this point, and how to untie their knots and achieve redemption. by Liu Chun
In terms of artistic quality, this film is better than "Good Things" because it has a bigger pattern, deeper thoughts, warmer emotions, and even more of a female film flavor. The differences in cultural traditions and life backgrounds may make us less resonant, but no one will deny that Hong Kong films are not only "not dead", but have found the right path to "break the hell". by Yu Xiaoyu
The most sincere Chinese film of the year. Although the storyline of Tsz-wah is weak, the storyline of Michelle Wai is full of realistic concerns. Real change and real offense start from asking the male group to say "I'm sorry". The former comedian Sam Hui returns in style, and Tsz-wah's stand-up comedy is once again the highlight. by Zhang Yue
→ "Breaking Hell", what exactly is being broken
→ Before “Breaking Hell” “saved” the audience, it first “saved” the director
Little Me
Release date: 2024-12-27 (Mainland China)
There are 6 million people with cerebral palsy in China, but we rarely see them. "Little Me" looks at their lives and faces the needs and dignity of "Liu Chunhe". In other words, the movie is not just about people with cerebral palsy, but about all vulnerable groups - the old, the weak, the sick, the disabled and the poor. "The definition of happiness should include each of us." Only when every individual, regardless of age, gender, and ability, can pursue and achieve happiness in his own way, such a society is truly civilized. Finally, Yi Yang Qianxi's performance is impeccable! by Zeng Yuli
→ "Little Me": They are also us
【Classic old film】
It's a Wonderful Life (USA, 1946)
The best Christmas movie, bar none. The meaning of life lies in what we have done for the people around us, especially the kindness we have done unintentionally. Before we die, we can ask ourselves whether we have persisted in true love and principled original intentions at the critical moment. by Zhang Yue
Dial M for Murder (USA, 1954)
Hitchcock designed a suspense story with only a one-room apartment of 40 square meters. The dramatic stage scene is exactly the theme: the perfect murder on paper cannot beat the actual operation. by Zhang Yue
The Innocent Man (UK, 1961)
From the perspective of claustrophobia, this film is the same story as the movie "The Shining". The most mysterious thing about this text is that it can be interpreted in two ways. Behind it is the long-term sexual repression of children of clergy. by Zhang Yue
Andrei Rublev (USSR, 1966)
The best Christian film and artist biopic, facing the inner doubts of true Christians and true artists. In addition to worshipping God, completing the work wholeheartedly and stubbornly is another right path for art pointed out by Tarkovsky. by Zhang Yue
The Second Moon (Soviet Union, 1970)
The more detailed the post-war reality of cities and villages in the former Soviet Union and Italy, the more humble but long-lasting the love between lovers separated by fate appears .
Love in the Afternoon (France, 1972)
Rohmer analyzes the truth about the relationship between middle-class couples who are "suitable" for each other without moral judgment: a man who is emotionally alienated and unable to find fun in life/self can only return to his wife who is also afraid of true intimacy. by Zhang Yue
The Day of the Jackal (UK, 1973)
Because I like the latest British TV series of the same name, I also found the original movie to revisit, and I can still enjoy the old spy war suspense atmosphere. Such works were successful in the past because they were closely linked to geopolitics and ideology, and they were also linked to major historical events. After that, the establishment of various credibility and authenticity and various rationality judgments would come naturally. by Wang Zheng
Mother and the Whore (France, 1973)
After the ideal is shattered, there is only a huge void left, which cannot be filled by "mother" or "prostitute". Jean Eustache reveals the spiritual scars of a generation through the love entanglement between three young men and women. by Tuo Yanzhen
The World at Twilight (Germany, 1973)
Compared with a number of later works with similar intentions, Fassbinder's previous work focuses more on depicting the state of the "world" and the NPCs in it. It is not a science fiction work, but a death knell for reality. by Tuo Yanzhen
Fear Eats the Soul (Germany, 1974)
Their union is a process of lonely traumatized people seeing each other, a process of stepping into a familiar pattern that outsiders do not understand. It requires strong tolerance to protect feelings. Men always mature more slowly. There is no need to spend a lot of money on filming to clarify love issues. by Zhang Yue
The Gourmet (France, 1976)
The conflict between gourmet tradition and industrialized pre-prepared food was foreseen half a century ago.
Revenge Is Mine (Japan, 1979)
The power and ugliness of antisocial personality. by A Shui
A Chinese Ghost Story (Hong Kong, China, 1987)
The Ghost version of Romeo and Juliet has the unique "end of the century" aesthetic of Hong Kong films in the 1980s and 1990s. The glitz fades away, the truth comes out, and the sincerity is more evident in the urgency. by Liu Chun
→ Thinking back to the past｜"A Chinese Ghost Story": Looking back, where is the beauty?
Moving (Japan, 1993)
Regardless of age, we are all trying to reconcile with the world. Watching Shinji Somi's works on the big screen is full of emotion and enjoyment. by Tuo Yanzhen
Liang Zhu (Hong Kong, China, 1994)
The destructive power of society and the times is too strong. Liang Zhu has a deeper emotional foundation than Luo Zhu, is more fatalistic, and has stronger energy. Tsui Hark suggested that in addition to turning into butterflies, those who want to survive should stand outside the door and watch the people inside fighting. by Zhang Yue
The Postman (Italy, 1994)
Italians understand art best/how artists influence ordinary individuals to take extraordinary paths. The last "sound poem" of the postman belongs to the future after Neruda. His life and even the life of the actor are a poem. by Zhang Yue
Faust (Czech Republic, 1994)
Power relations and greed are themes that Svankmajer often shoots. The surreal dream that smoothly jumps between the reality of the time and the story of Faust's theater is a work of genius .
"The Moon and the Flowers" (Hong Kong, China, 1995)
The ghost stories in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio are funny because of the impact of the "high technology" of the Republic of China. Western machines travel through time to restart the story and graft it onto Chinese branches. The core is how love can make two people with many shortcomings become better people. by Zhang Yue
"Cold Rite" (France, 1995)
Horrible Huppert, the rootless hatred that is as crisp as a torn cloth. by Ah Shui
Deep Scarlet (Mexico, 1996)
Director Oturo Lipstein uses the human instinct of longing for love to dispel the inhuman brutality in popular crime plots, so that all the madness, abnormal emotions and immorality seem understandable - for the audience, it is nothing less than a special viewing experience. by Tuo Yanzhen
Good works bring overwhelming shock. When people's desire to be loved and seen is satisfied, how terrible the negative consequences of distorting human nature may be. From the male and female thieves and the victims, we can see the entire era. by Zhang Yue
Durian Piao Piao (Hong Kong, China, 2000)
Like it or hate it, the smell of durian will eventually drift over... by Tuo Yanzhen
"Beyond the Blues" (UK, 2000)
The male version of "Swan Lake" "prequel", the best dance life-changing film. Ken Loach-style class narrative combined with queer narrative, "Hope of the Village" uses all its strength to fight its way out of the troubled life. T.Rex's songs support the whole process! by Zhang Yue
The Devil’s Backbone (Mexico, 2001)
The evil and pity of human beings are combined into one, forming a group portrait of adults with complex human nature. The terror of the Nazis penetrates into the trembling of tiny individuals. "Ghosts are insects trapped in amber", this is the most accurate poem. by Zhang Yue
"Little Kids" (France, 2003)
A classic romance. Two people who unfortunately depended on each other in childhood developed the same "abnormal" psychology, loved and hated each other, and the ending was shocking. The ultimate romance in the eyes of men, exciting and dangerous. by Zhang Yue
"Election: The Last Airbender" (Hong Kong, China, 2005)
The "snatching the dragon head stick" is a wonderful and enjoyable "saving the cat" plot. The distinct personalities of the characters make all the accidents reasonable. It witnesses the friendship and faith in Johnnie To's heart. by Zhang Yue
Eat, Pray, Love (USA, 2010)
The title is a bit long and a bit strange, but it is one of the best love movies I have ever seen. It talks about love but is not limited to love. It is actually a soul journey of a woman discovering herself. by Liu Chun
Blind Detective (Hong Kong, China, 2013)
The "method" detective work accidentally led to a pair of interesting people playing role-playing love, and finally became the Condor Heroes. The food and geographical details of Hong Kong and Macau made the bold and alternative ideas come true. by Zhang Yue
