I'll take this opportunity to try and call your attention to some movies that I'm sure will go unnoticed anyway, but at least I'll feel good about trying to give them a chance.
Soooo, I know this is probably going to be in vain, but considering it was this year's Portugal entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, it should be available for Xixax Consideration.
Blood of My Blood or, in portuguese,
Sangue do Meu Sangue is a fantastic ensemble drama about a family living in a poor Lisbon slum directed by Joćo Canijo and it should be considered in many categories, especially the acting ones (Rita Blanco, who has a small part in Amour is absolutely fantastic, but all the cast is worthy). If you get the chance, you should consider it very seriously. You can watch the trailer
here, but honestly I think it's very stupidly put together and you should just watch the movie instead. There's a 140min version and a longer 180min director's cut that goes deeper into some of the character's lives, but any version is good enough.
Also, you should consider any of these movies that came out in the US in 2012 if you haven't already:
- From Portugal,
Tabu, directed by Miguel Gomes, a much more original, excentric and rich homage to silent movies than The Artist ever was, directed by Miguel Gomes.
Here's the trailer. It's slow, it's really weird, but it's being fairly acclaimed by many people as one of the best movies of last year.
- From Austria,
Michael, the first movie directed by Markus Schleinzer, a former casting director for Michael Haneke. It's reeeeally tough to watch, it's a very slow paced movie about one of the most disturbing themes you can think of, and I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach after watching it. If you think Haneke is cold and brutal, wait until you see this. You'll want to punch actor Michael Fuith in the face.
Here's the trailer.
- From Norway comes
Oslo, August 31st, another slow paced movie about a tough subject. A man trying to overcome his drug addiction, a great performance from Anders Danielsen Lie in what's was probably 2012's most heartbreaking movie to me.
Here is the trailer.