Besides my own company, I work at the marketing & communication department of Concordia Film | Theater | Visual arts in Enschede. I am mainly involved in projects, such as exhibitions, and with a bit of film.
Sometimes I need to be reminded – it’s so easy to lose yourself in a series for hours these days – but I really love movies. It’s also magical to be in a (possibly different) world for two hours, where everything is allowed and possible, and that it’s over after those two hours. Sometimes an open ending, or a sequel (and then another one and then another one), but that’s manageable. I think.
At Concordia you can find beautiful, nice, sometimes small, arthouse films. And that is a genre that you have to (learn to) love. My husband often finds it a bit boring, because nothing noteworthy happens. And it is true that there are few big explosions, wild chases and intense fights in the films that I like to watch. Of course that does not mean that nothing happens! The action is more in the relationships that people enter into with each other and in what goes on in the minds of the characters. And they are really not necessarily difficult films.
I have been a fan of some directors for years and can't wait for the next one to hit the big screen.
Do you know Wes Anderson for example? I think his work is pretty fantastic. Especially the remarkable characters and the sets. It looks fantastic; lots of (pastel) colours, decors that seem to come straight out of the forties or fifties and it's all very symmetrical. I would like to live in (almost) every one of those sets. He also often uses the same great actors, such as Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton (who also often play in films by other directors on this list). I don't think I really have a favourite film. The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom, The life aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Grand Budapest Hotel, just watch them all. If you like the style, follow the Instagram account Accidental Wes Anderson , real places that look like they came straight out of a Wes Anderson movie.
Jim Jarmush is a director of a completely different order. His films often take place on the edge of life – stories that you see passing by in the corner of your eye. For example Paterson – about a bus driver called Paterson (Adam Driver – I’m not kidding) who lives in the town of Paterson. Or Broken Flowers – about a man (Bill Murray) who visits his exes in search of the mother of his child. Small stories on the scale of the world, but beautifully filmed and acted. Oh and definitely watch Only lovers left alive.
Then there is Sofia Coppola. She directed Lost in translation (again with Bill Murray), The Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette (both with Kirsten Dunst). I have seen the latter very often. What appeals to me in this film is that it is a costume drama, but different. A sweet but also challenging version of the life of Marie Antoinette, with over the top clothing and hair, piles of pastel-coloured cakes and guitar music.
And to complete the list of 'favorite directors' – in no particular order:
- Noah Baumbach: Marriage Story – The Meyerowitz Stories
- Greta Gerwig (also as an actress!): Lady Bird – Little Women
- Woody Allen: A rainy day in New York – Café Society – Magic in the moonlight – Midnight in Paris
So it seems like the weather won't be so nice this weekend and some movies are also on Netflix or can be rented. Have fun!