The 100 Films Of The Decade: 10 – 6

Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet
A picturesque postcard of Paris from the imagination of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Amélie is a romantic comedy in which the word whimsical could almost have been invented. But that’s not to say it isn’t also extremely clever, witty, poignant and absolutley gorgeous to look at. Audrey Tatou plays the waitress Amélie Poulain, who goes to great lengths to surreptitiously alter the lives of those around her for the better, the role of guardian angel giving her lonely existence a purpose. The film is filled with the most wonderful comic touches (and conversely, touching comedy) such as when Amélie is mistakenly assumed to have a heart defect since the only time her heartbeat raced was during her medical inspections – the only physical contact with her father. The whole film has a glorious and unique colour scheme of glowing greens and yellows, giving it the quality of an eccentric fairytale. Endlessly inventive and engaging, Amélie is a total delight from start to finish.

9    Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Dir. Guillermo Del Toro
Disturbing and enchanting in equal measures, Pan’s Labyrinth is a tour-de-force of allegorical adult fantasy from Guillermo Del Toro, restoring the traditional fairy tale back to it’s dark and twisted roots. In Spain 1944 at the close of the Civil War, the viscous Captain Videl hunts out anti-Franco guerilla fighters whilst his stepdaughter Ofelia discovers a fantastical world in an ancient labyrinth. The horrific and graphic realities of war are mirrored by an underground world of scary yet compelling creatures, with the film presenting a delicate balance between the brutal and the beautiful. The seamless mix of CGI, make-up and animatronic effects is quite incredible, making huge strides in this area. Pan’s Labyrinth perhaps overreaches itself with its overwhelming flow of ideas and conceptual levels, but there’s no denying the film’s incredible bewitching aesthetic and stunning cinematic vigour, which alone make it worthy of the top ten.
8    No Country For Old Men (2007)
Dir. Joel & Ethan Coen
After over twenty years of brilliant and fiercely individualistic filmmaking, The Coen Brothers made possibly their greatest film with this adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s meditative crime thriller novel. Whilst sharing similar themes of chance, free-will and fate, as well as the corruptible effect of crime, with landmark Coen thrillers Blood Simple and Fargo, this study of nihilistic violence presents us with characters whose routes along the path of greed and violence is never assured or controllable. The whole film is neatly summed up by a quirk of psychopath Chigurh (a chilling Javier Bardem), who flips a coin to decide the fate of his victims and his decisions – every character’s actions and consequences in the film are equally haphazard. As well as its rich characterisations and evocative landscapes, No Country For Old Men is also a masterclass in taut suspense. A staggering achievement.
7    Children Of Men (2006)
Dir. Alfonso Cuarón
In a dystopian Britain of 2027, reporter Theo Faron (Clive Owen) becomes involved with an underground group of rebels who are fighting to save mankind from a mysterious global infertility epidemic. Like all great science-fiction, Children Of Men is a thrilling (and here, grimly terrifying) vision of the future, as well as exploration of contemporary anxieties (immigration, homeland security, social cohesion). The film is notable for several remarkable one-camera tracking shots, particularly the seemingly real birth of a child and an exhilarating action sequence of a car being attacked by a guerilla army. Also worth mentioning is Michael Caine, giving one of his best performances in years as an ageing hippie activist. Children Of Men is best British film of the decade and one of the greatest works of speculative science fiction.
6    The Lives Of Others (2006)
Dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
A powerful and moving tale of humanity and self-sacrifice within the oppressive regime of 1980′s East Germany, Stasi surveillance officer Gerd Wiesler (a wonderful performance from Ulrich Mühe, who died shortly after the film’s release) is assigned to listen in on playwright and suspected spy Georg Dreyman in his apartment. But as Wiesler develops an increasing emotional attachment to the life of Dreyman and his wife, the tragic Christa-Maria, he becomes compromised between his duties to the state and his compassion for the artistic ideals of his target. The film met with criticism for its controversial depiction of the Stasi, especially the idea of a Stasi officer being the hero. With compelling plot turns, subtle characterisations and outstanding cinematography (capturing the grim setting of the GDR with dour greens and greys), I can’t recommend The Lives Of Others enough – watch it and let its poignant beauty overwhelm you.