'A Single Rider' (2017)
Korean drama. A man decides to visit his wife and child in Australia. There are some really good bits to this film. Especially the emotional third act. The trouble is, there are some terrible segments and some woeful acting (mostly from bit part Australian actors). The premise is actually quite easy to guess if you pay attention too. Nevertheless, the ending is done very well, like so many Korean dramas are
'L'Humanite' (1999)
Where to start with this. It's a drama that is brutal at times and quite sensitive at others. Very difficult to talk about without spoilers as the ending is really the crucial part. A fairly incompetent police super-intendent in a small town France is dragged into a nasty murder case that starts to affect his monotonous life. It's challenging at times but the film-making is never average....the little eye movements of characters and editing to reflect their thoughts is brilliantly done.
Emmanuel Schotté won the best actor award at Cannes for this. And never acted in a film before or since. He seems as odd in real life as he is in this film.
'Songs from the second Floor' (2000)
This is like a Radiohead song crossed with a Bergman film and a Monty Python sketch. Beautiful doom laden prophecies, the place of humans in the world, the role of religion are all explored, as is the paranoia and trepidation of the new millennium and how modern society will cope with it. A unique film.
'The Wild Pear Tree' (2018)
Over 3 hours long, very dialogue driven, philosophical musings on literature, religion, individuality and belonging. It is not for everyone, but the way the film falls into place in the final third is astonishing. Ceylan has this knack of tying everything together beautifully. And the way this film is shot is absorbing. There are a couple of shocks too that are masterfully directed. And of course there's not a bad performance in it, as with most of his films. Stunning.
'In a Lonely Place' (1950)
Bogart is brilliant in this Nicholas Ray film, and it's a solid piece of film noir, especially as it strays somewhat from the typical noir of the time, with fewer tropes than your average noir fare.
'The Mole Agent' (2020)
Another docu-drama that seems scripted and staged at first (like so many recently) but evolves into something very touching. An elderly gentleman is sent on a mission by a private investigator to an old folks home to see if his clients elderly relative is being treated ok. What he discovers is the harsh reality of old age and family but at the same time makes beautiful friendships and forges connections.