'Ugetsu' (1953)

A superb Mizoguchi. Been on my list for ages. Perhaps a film that symbolises the identity crisis of japan and society that feudal japan created, with men stopping fighting and realizing their responsibilities. Or is it more of a pseudo ghostly guilt / temptation story about the highs and lows (and importance) of family. Some eerily beautiful shots of lakes and fog. Great film.
'The Tin Drum' (1979)

What a film. The delusion of facism and the facilitation / enabling ignorance of the Nazi party as seen through a child's eyes. Not dissimilar to the White Ribbon in this respect, infact there are quite a few that came after that MUST have been inspired by this film - Come and See, Underground, The Painted Bird etc. Young David Bennent's performance is incredible - at that age! Wow.
A country in complete disarray is portrayed so well - people so confused by change, chaos, war. The dilemma of Oskar's 2 'fathers' could perhaps symbolise world war 2 for that area, as one is German and one is a Pole.
The film is surreal, brutal and disturbing and is filled with magical realism at times. Maybe the notion of Oskar remaining as a child is an analogy for how people and societies should stay less civilized for the better so we can forget about how terrible humans are. Maybe it's saying we need horribleness to complete the cycle and return to normality. But that's a grim thought.
It deserves to be spoken about in the same breath as Elem Klimov's 'Come and See' as it's that good - war seen through a child's eyes. But with magical twists. A masterpiece.
Fearless and extraordinary filmmaking.
'The Woman Who Ran' (2020)

A typical Sang Soo Hong film with quiet low key tone. It's a series of 3 conversations that a woman has, while she seemingly makes decisions about her relationship. It has very subtle ideas throughout the film (I don't think there is 1 man's face shown, only their backs), and some very unsubtle camera movements during scenes like sharp zooms, as if to signal an inner thought that the main character. Slightly odd, but the film managed to captivate me for some reason.