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Top Shelf, No Dust:
Happenstance (2001) -- Another magical and endearing French film starring the "new Audrey Hepburn," Audrey Tautou, who is characteristically winsome as a young French girl who manages to lose her job, get locked out on a terrace, move out of her apartment and meet her soulmate twice, all on the same day. As in "Amalie," her story is interwoven with other eccentric characters, all of whose fates seem to hang by a delicate chain of causal circumstances. Written and directed by Laurent Firode.
In the Bedroom (2001) -- Todd Field's exquisite film turns New England writer Andre Dubus' short story "Killings" into a masterpiece film in its own right. Set in Camden, Maine, the film recounts the tragic relationship between a promising young architect and his girlfriend, who is older, has two young sons, and is separated from her abusive husband. It is also the tale of small town lives and the complex fabric of history interwoven with society. The promising architect is torn between college and settling down as a lobster fishermen with the woman he loves. His well-educated parents are in stark contrast to his girlfriend's lack of education and nasty ex. Beyond the fascinating level of detail, fine acting and stellar direction, this movie is a difficult tale that explores suffering and moral issues in the tradition of Dostoevsky. The one major faux pas in this film was in trying to get Marisa Tomei and others sound like they have "authentic" Maine accents. But even that annoyance can't destroy the fine nuances of emotion and ambiguity that make this clearly one of the best films of 2001.
Happy Accidents (2000) -- Though not as great as "Next Stop Wonderland," Brad Anderson's latest is a finely acted, entertaining tale of a single Manhattan dweller's (played by Marisa Tomei) search for a "normal" guy. She find's one, but the only problem is he thinks he's from the future. Is this the result of grand mal seizures, or a sign of true love? The fun, romantic ride is filled with riddles.
Ghost World (2001) -- Terry Zwigoff, of "Crumb" fame, directed this hilariously poignant film, written by Daniel Clowes, and based on his comic book. Thora Birch plays Enid, an appealingly eccentric loner who is too smart for her own good, and Enid is the centrifigal force behind this coming-of-age depiction of the clash between real life and romantic delusions. Steve Buscemi knocks himself out as Seymour, a self-admittedly nerdy loser-type who has worked for the same burger joint for a ridiculous number of years and obsessively collects vintage vinyl. And Illeana Douglas plays a pompous, socially correct art teacher to the hilt. This is a poignantly wrought film, with great attention played to all levels of production and detail, effectively summoning up "the ghost world" of a youthful misfit.
Amelie (2001) -- aka "Amelie of Montmartre," this quirky, charming, fantastic tale of a cherubic Parisian named Amelie, by Jean-Pierre Jeunet ("Delicatessen"; "City of Lost Children") is pure entertaining fun, with imaginative characters (i.e. Bretodeau, The Box Man), inspired cinematography, and otherwordly glee. Audrey Tautou, as Amelie, breezes through her role, enchanting us in the process.
Together (2000) -- Lukas Moodysson's tale of commune life set in mid-'70s Sweden has all the makings of a fine parody, but fortunately rises above the richly comedic material to probe deeply into the characters' lives. We learn to genuinely care about Goran, the peacekeeper, his sister Elisabeth, her abusive husband Rolf, the would-be feminist Lena, and all the other colorful characters, as they come to terms with their own expectations, flaws and strengths, while trying to build a better world the only way its ever going to happen, from the inside-out.
Bread and Tulips (2000) -- Silvio Soldini's film turned out to be pretty good, though I almost left at the beginning, due to the extremely bad fashion taste on the part of Rosalba Barletta (Licia Maglietta), an Italian housewife who takes advantage of a freak occurence during her family's vacation to make an impromptu trip to Venice and start a whole new life away from her unappreciative husband and sons. A highly unrealistic, magical romp, the film is witty and pleasurable and features the eternal charms of Bruno Ganz as a tragically comic suicidal waiter.
The Princess and the Warrior (2000) -- Der Kriege and die Kaiserin, written and directed by Tom Tykwer, stars Franka Potenta as Sissy, an introverted attractive young nurse who works in the mental hospital she grew up in where her mother was also a nurse. A mysterious stranger saves her life after a freak accident (prepare yourself for a gruesome close-up tracheotomy procedure) and she hunts down her haunted, guilt-ridden hero, creating a chain of events that becomes a spiral of graceful coincidence and Shattenfreude. Far superior to Tykwer's "Run Lola Run" (which also starred Potenta), this is a spell-binding, miraculous film.
Requiem for a Dream (2000) -- The second movie by Darren Aronofsky ("Pi") is riveting, although difficult to watch. The material is fairly bleak. Ellen Burstyn (!) plays Sara Goldfarb, a middle-aged TV-holic who becomes addicted to diet pills that eventually lead her into a full-blown psychosis. Meanwhile, her son Harry (Jared Leto), his pal Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) and his girlfriend Marion (played chillingly by Jennifer Connelly) are getting hooked on heroin during an endless Coney Island summer. Things turn nasty, the heroin runs out, and the wracking evils of addiction are spared no censure in Aronofsky's scary portrait. His direction goes over the top in revealing his characters' inner moods and the pall of addiction through shaky cameras and wildly vacillating shots. Brutally effective and unforgettable.
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