graceful films that breath


People who love "Spirit", what other films fall into this realm of film-making? I'd love to see more works like this. Nothing spelled out, room to meditate.

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I liked this one, yet it reminded me of a directors whose works I've never enjoyed, Tarkovsky. Perhaps, Stalker is the one that comes to mind. Another movie that came to my head, although it's very different, is Le Mepris by Godard. I guess because they both depict a marriage collapsing/collapsed, juxtaposed with other themes.

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Try these:

Five Easy Pieces
La Belle Noiseuse
Au Revoir Les Enfants
Days of Heaven
Y Tu Mamá También
Badlands


TSOTB is my favourite film.

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Hello Giles. It's always tough when someone wants recommendations for films that are "like/similar" to works that are somewhat singular/poetic/idiosyncratic. But your specifying that you're looking for films that have "Nothing spelled out, room to meditate," made me think you may enjoy these two films: La Jetee and Meek's Cutoff. IMO, these are both masterpieces and worth owning if you have a collection. Of course, it's very possibly you've already seen them. If you haven't seen them, let me know what you think after viewing. Peace...






"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

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I'm not usually a great fan of Tarkovsky - but his film Andrey Rublev fits the bill of having extraordinary cinematography, nothing being too obviously spelled out, etc, though the setting and characters are completely different. For films also about children and war that more or less fit the bill, I recommend Au revoir les enfants. Another one about children and war, though not as understated, would be Jeux Interdits. Another one also with superb cinematography and about children, but in a completely different setting, would be Let the Right One In.

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I would say a good one would be Lucile Hadzonalilovic's "Innocense". It has a similar muted tone, told from the point of view of young girls, and a similar just out of reach symbolism and narrative.

Tarkovsky has also been mentioned in almost every post. I too would draw some parallels, my choice would be "The Mirror". It seemed to deal with some similar themes as well...and like Beehive...is uncompromising.

Interesting to state, like many of the above posters, Tarkovsky is a rough pill for me to swallow as well. But something about "The Mirror" has always fascinated me, and I can't quite put my finger on it.

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El Sur, the film Erice made next, is on an even higher plane of poetry. If you haven't seen it, do so ASAP.

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