A Escondidas [en: Hidden Away fr: Fronteras] (2014) - Mikel Rueda

A escondidas did a really good job in conveying one single feeling and it succeeded in making us on edge, deliberately denying what we want to happen or see. Somewhat somehow we have all been there, right?

The last scene, it’s simple but extremely emotional. It contains hope but we could have guessed what happened. It’s not personal, the director uses that scene on propose and there isn’t a hundred ways to interpret it. I like it, because it represents life. Life is unpredictable and the only thing we could do is to be prepared and hope for the best.

Lilting - Hong Khaou

"Coming out" seems like so 1999, and there are thousand and thousand LGBT-themed movies about that. Lilting is really a simple story, I can't really say much without giving anything away. It's about coming out and it's not about coming out. The choice of focusing the story on the mother (Cheng Pei Pei) and her deceased son's secret lover (Ben Whishaw) is some what weirdly captivating. It's also interesting because they don't have a common tongue, they couldn't understand each other, they couldn't communicate. So how this relationship works? (I guess you have to find it out yourself.)

It is a really slow paced movie, nothing much happened visibly. Khaou brought something fresh and not often seen on the table, the prospective of a mother in a gay movie, it's not about accepting. It's more about self-realisation. The struggles within the 2 characters. Things are in the tip of your lips but you do not date to let them slip. Things that you never admit to yourself or even dare to think about it.

I am trying to compare it with other similar movies, but I couldn't think of any, despite the fact the amount of gay movies I have seen. I genuinely think there isn't anything like this in the market or even something close that has a similar approach.

Lilting is a touching debut from Hong Khaou, with brilliant actors that move us all.

My Pick 2014

I watched 168 movies in this year, about 50 of them I watched at home. Still pretty impressive by the number of times I'm at the cinema per month.

They are not in order since it is super hard for me to pick the top 10 already, it's even harder to rate them from 1 to 10. The list here is based on both my memories and my ratings out of 10. And below there are only 2 movies got a 10/10 and the others are 9/10, of couse there are more then 8 movies got 9/10 on my rating list since I'm only picking 10 which means I have to give up some. So the other part of putting this list together is how these movies had impacted me.

Interstellar - Christopher Nolan

Lucy - Luc Besson

Une Novelle amie (The new girlfriend) - François Ozon (french)

The way he looks - Daniel Ribeiro (Portuguese)

Coldwater - Vincent Grashaw

Gone girl - David Fincher

Boyhood - Richard Linklater

The Lego Movie - Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Under the Skin - Jonathan Glazer

Men, Women & Children - Jason Reitman

If I have to really pick one out and really recommend it, it would be Coldwater, since it is not really mainstream and not a lot of people have heard about it. It's about a teenager went to this correctional camp for troubled adolescents which runs by ex-militaries. It is questionable of how the boys are being treated. It was super intense with excellent cast members especially the lead.

There are 2 gays movies on my list (if you count LGBT theme also), The way he looks and The New Girlfriend. I am quite surprised there are 2 made it on my list, first a good gay movie it's like clean air which means RARE! And there are 2 this year, I am super excited and happy. They are very different movies and both of them managed to challenge whatever prejudice out there towards LGBT community. (PS if you've never heard of The New Girlfriend, that's good, I would highly recommend you not to read anything nor watch the trailer for this movies just watch it and you would understand why and thank me later.)

Men, Women & Children is a surprise for me, it is a honest depiction of this generation. How technologies or to be precise, social networks + the accessibility of information, how media imposes body images. Insecurity is nothing new, however, when it is added to how people react to things it got out of hands.

Interstellar and Lucy took me to places, they opened my mind when it needed it. Love them both at first but when I spent more time thinking about them, there are some little details I'm not a fan of. Idea wise they are absolutely unbeatable.

Everything is awesome! The Lego Movie, for me this is way more than just an animated movie for kids, it questioned the existence of god, what we are living for and trying to break the norm. And of course it's funny, it's cute and it's awesome!

The idea of growing up with a movie, literally! And integrating what you were experiencing in life in the movie. The whole concept of Boyhood is fascinating, because it shows how cruel life is, how time changes people, how "life must go on". It's a super realistic reminder of how me cope with life not just being a child but also being the parent.

I have no words for Under the Skin, I am still in the progress of digesting the movie. One thing for sure it took alien movies to a whole different level.

One day if I was dead and my love was being changed with my murder you will know where the idea comes from. Gone Girl, for me, this movie is like a couple therapy. I have no idea how I could say what I want without giving too much away. um... it is more than just a mysterious case of a missing person. It's more about how relationship should work. (I am not saying you should frame your love for killing you.) If you think a little deeper, what's more than someone who knows you 100%.

Of course I have some other movies I would love to share with you guys which I adore and sadly couldn't make on the list. I am not sure whether I should write something on these movies, if I do, wouldn't it be my extended top 10 And top 10 it's top 10. Life is rough man!

About Alex - Jesse Zwick
Pride - Matthew Warchus

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Wes Anderson

Short Term 12 - Destin Daniel Cretton
Eastern Boy - Robin Campillo (french)

Repisre - Mélanie Laurent (french)