The Quarantine Film List: Week 2 | Zafira

Hey, I hope you’re all well!

So as promised, I’m back this week with another round of some amazing films to watch whilst in quarantine. I’ve tried to mix it up a bit more and put a wide range of films in here and I’ve quite badly attempted to illustrate my own version of the film posters so I hope you enjoy those (pls enjoy them i spent too long doing them).

1. American Beauty

I feel like a few people won’t be happy that I’ve put this here considering Kevin Spacey is quite the disgusting person however, his character meets a bit of an unfortunate but well deserved ending in this so in my eyes, I feel like it’s justified a little.

A timeless classic, that’s what American Beauty is. I know that one day I’ll be old and grey and still feel like watching this. It’s about Lester, a middle aged man who has a bit of mid life crisis. He hates his wife, has a daughter he barely knows and hates his job. He ends up becoming infatuated with his teenage daughter’s best friend which causes Lester to completely change his life.

I think you have to at least watch this film once in your life. It’s definitely an experience and will make you think plastic carrier bags are pretty.

2. the killing of a sacred deer

Starring the lovely Nicole Kidman and Collin Farrell, The Killing of Sacred Deer fits into that whole weird psychological horror/thriller genre like Midsommar and Hereditary. It’s one of those films that makes you feel not scared but incredibly uncomfortable afterwards.

Steven, a successful surgeon with a perfect life and family, takes a 16 year old boy named Martin under his wing after his father dies on his operating table. They form a bond and Martin is treated almost like Steven’s adopted son. However, as their bond grows, Martin’s malicious intent becomes clear as he seeks a very messed up sense of justice by punishing Steven and his family. He believes a ‘pure soul’ must be sacrificed in order to set some sort of balance.

Visually, this is stunning. Each frame feels so clean and well structured. It’s easy on the eyes.

3. penelope

I remember the first time I had watched this was during wet play in primary school and even then at like 8 years old, I knew this would be a film I’d think about for the rest of my life.

Christina Ricci stars as a aristocratic heiress named Penelope who was born affected by the Wilhern spell which was put on her family many years ago and gives her the misfortune of being born with the nose of a pig. The only way to break the spell is quite unique and unbelievable. It’s … true love.

Her family bring countless suitors to the house since she’s hidden away at her family’s estate at their attempt to try and break the spell. A tabloid reporter however is eager to get a photograph of the mysterious Penelope and enlists the help of Max (played by the dreamy James McAvoy) who poses as a prospective suitor and ends up slowly falling in love with her.

It’s a great early 00’s rom com. One of the best in my opinion.

4. Queen

After going to Asian wedding event to Asian wedding event, there’s one song that’s always playing at a Mehndi and that is London Thumakda. A few months ago, I saw that this was on Netflix so I ended up watching it and was quite thoroughly surprised at how much I liked it.

Rani, a girl from Dehli is about to marry who she thinks is the perfect man, Vijay. It’s beautiful watching the scenes leading up to her wedding day, seeing her family so happy, seeing all the traditional wedding stuff play out and it’s so colourful and pretty. This all changes when Vijay calls the wedding off the day before leaving her heart broken.

Rani decides to venture out and go on their honeymoon alone to Paris where she makes new friends, meets new people, tries out new experiences and most importantly, discovers herself.

This is so different than most Bollywood movies that I’ve seen, it’s really refreshing actually and I loved every moment of this film.

5. Perfect Blue

Now we’re all suffering from a bit of headache from being inside too long and Perfect Blue will extenuate that headache and leave you feeling quite confused. But in a good way of course. I don’t think even after watching this a handful of times, I’m still exactly sure what happened in this.

I haven’t ventured into the world of anime at all but from what I’ve heard, Satoshi Kon (director of Perfect Blue) is wonderful. So wonderful in fact that his films have inspired films such as Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan. These are both films that are so so so amazing.

Perfect Blue is about a retired pop singer who decides to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. Her sense of reality however becomes a little disturbing when a fan from her past begins stalking her and Mima finds it difficult to separate what is real and what isn’t.

This is animated beautifully, every little detail is done perfectly whether that’s little objects in Mima’s room or what she’s wearing.

6. Frank

I actually watched this a few days ago and shared this on my Instagram stories because I absolutely loved this.

Jon, a young man who is an aspiring musician with a bit of boring life, decides to take the plunge and join an eccentric pop band led by Frank. Frank is a very mysterious and strange man who always wears this freakish fake head that he never takes off (as illustrated above).

I think this film is a bit of everything. It explores mental illness but at the same time, it’s also a very bittersweet comedy about friendship and identity. It’s one of the most unpredictable films you could ever watch. Everything I anticipated didn’t happen, the film had a life of its own.

I also love all the songs they sing in this, as strange as they are, they’re pretty good.

7. the darjeeling limited

I had to try and restrain myself from filling these lists with Wes Anderson films because I adore them so much but the Darjeeling Limited is something I think everyone will truly like.

Three brothers come together after a year of not seeing or speaking to each other since their father’s funeral decide to set off on a train voyage across Indian to try and reconnect with each other.

All three of them of so different, one of them is obnoxiously wealthy, the other is heartbroken over a break up (watch Hotel Chevalier please this is who it’s about and most importantly Natalie Portman is in it!) and the last, who enjoys taking things from his family without asking and is about to become a father.

It’s a story about family and grief, it’s hilarious and obviously, aesthetically the most beautiful thing I’ll see. Even the train itself is set up in the most visually stunning way and hello? They’re in India. The most colourful and wonderful place you could possibly be.

8. i lost my body

This felt like what I can only describe as a fever dream. It was so weird and dark and just so incredibly sad but with hints of upliftingness?

The story focuses on the character Naoufel, or rather Naoufel’s hand who is roaming the streets of Paris trying to find the rest of it’s body and we through Naoufel’s memories slowly unravel how his hand became severed from it’s body. It’s about self exploration but it’s also about love and life and death. It’s a strange watch but a good watch.

I hope you enjoyed this second round of films! I’ll post my third series sometime next week so make sure you follow me on my socials to know when that’s up.

Thanks for reading,

The Quarantine Film List: Week 1 | Zafira

Hi,

So, a lot of things have changed since I last posted. It feels like the world has completely flipped and it’s been a roller coaster of a month trying to adjust to all these changes. I hope we’re all staying inside, keeping not only ourselves safe and healthy but others too.

On the brighter side, a lot of us have plenty of spare time on our hands now and I’ve spending mine finally getting through my big fat hefty film list. I thought what better way to stay occupied than with some great cinematic masterpieces so every week for the next month or so, I’ll be sharing a few of my personal fave films with you!

1. Her

I feel like I’ve already talked about this so much on here and you’re all probably bored of me talking about this but I literally could not care because this film is so embedded into my life, my DNA and a good 30% of my entire personality at this point.

This is the perfect film for this current state of everyone’s life because it screams loneliness. Like the entire 126 minutes will make you feel so alone but in the most aesthetically pleasing and well -written way.

Her focuses on the character of Theodore who’s in a not so distant weird future and as you can guess, is very lonely. He gets his hands on a new operating system that’s pretty similar to Siri but so much more lifelike and human and they fall in love. It’s very bittersweet and every frame in the film is done so beautifully.

Also Joaquin Phoenix is this is actually the prettiest human of all time.

2. A Death in the Gunj

I haven’t really ventured out in the South Asian world of films yet but I found this gem on Prime a few months back because my dad was actually watching it. He’ll watch anything on Prime but this is the first Indian movie I’ve watched that falls into the whole weird eerie indie thriller genre. It feels incredibly Western compared to a lot of Indian films that I’m used to.

A Death in the Gunj is about a young man called Shutu, a failing student who is on a family trip away. The entire film focuses mainly on him. He’s a really lonely and grief stricken character (i promise all the films in this list won’t make you feel like you’re going to die alone) and as the film progresses, Shutu learns what’s accepted in society, his family and questions his place in the world. I think it’s such a realistic and blunt take on the whole ‘coming of age’ genre of films.

I read in a review somewhere that this film echos “emotional violence” and the way “society inflicts it upon others and causes destruction” and the film illustrates this so well.

It’s set in 70s in a place called McCluskieganj, Bihar which is a small hilly town in India that was once known for it’s vast Anglo-Indian population. The scenery really brings out the overall theme of loneliness but it’s also just so incredibly stunning.

I also read this amazing review on IMDB that sounds like it’s excerpt of the greatest novel of all time that summarises this film the best way possible.

3. The Emperors New Groove

Amazing. Stunning. A classic piece of cinematic gloriousness honestly.

This is top tier Disney stuff. Like forget Frozen or Moana (ok this was actually pretty good), this is what we 90/00s kids thrived off back in the day and what essentially shaped us into the people that we are today.

If you haven’t already seen this then please get a move on and do so. The Emperors New Groove is about Kuzco, a self centred, bratty Emperor who is mean and cruel to everyone. His adviser Yzma, our long eye lashed evil wannabe queen, attempts to try and kill him off but in the process, her and her dummy but oh so hilarious side kick, Kronk, end up turning the Emperor into a llama.

I’m sorry but if that doesn’t immediately take you off my website and onto watching this then there’s something totally wrong with you.

This was easily one of the best things Disney has ever done.

4. Before Sunrise

When I think about love and what it is, I always think of this film.

Staring everyone’s heartthrob Ethan Hawke and Julie Deply, our 90s French crush, Before Sunrise is possibly the purest form of young love I think you’ll ever see. The shocking thing is that this is all set in the space of the day and accumulates more love than most of us will get in a lifetime.

Jesse, an American on his way to Vienna meets Celine who is a student returning to Paris. They end up talking and Jesse convinces Celine to get off the train in Vienna with him where they spend the rest of their day wandering the heavenly city of Vienna before Jesse has to fly back home to the US.

It’s probably one of the most romantic films you’ll ever watch. Everything from their subtle glances at each other to the way their conversations feel so effortless and authentic will make your heart skip a beat.

You’ll be very glad to know there’s trilogy of the whole ‘Before’ films. So when you’re done with this one you can watch Before Sunset and Before Midnight which should keep you occupied and all loved up for half a day.

5. The Silences of the Palace

I can’t exactly remember how I found this film but I do remember vividly seeing screen grabs somewhere of some scenes and was immediately sold.

Alia, a 25 year old singer, returns to her childhood home which is a palace where her mother Khedjia worked as not only a house servant but a mistress of Prince Sid’ Ali. Sid’ Ali’s death brings her back and as she goes to pay her respects, she roams through the palace remembering her childhood. Her childhood was riddled with sexism, exploitation and spent questioning her father’s identity as well as the French conquest of Tunisia going on in the background.

It’s definitely not an easy watch but it covers a lot of issues still relevant to this day.

6. The Lobster

This entire film was completely ???

This was so weird. Good weird. It’s set in the strangest dystopian future where by law, it’s compulsory to have a romantic partner. Singles are taken to this place literally called The Hotel where they have 45 days to either find themselves a partner or be turned into an animal and set off into the woods.

Despite making me feel a little uncomfortable, I loved every minute of this. It has Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz who surprisingly work together better than butter on toast.

It’s got a lot of dark humour which personally I love accompanied by so much awkward silence and just general awkwardness. It’s great.

7. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

I had no choice but to throw a cringey Bollywood hit in here. The best thing about this is not only was it made in the 90s but it features everyone’s favourite duo, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.

Simran who by the way has a * chef’s kiss * sense of style all throughout this, persuades her father to let her go on a one month inter-rail holiday all over Europe where she ends up meeting the one and only Raj. Now Raj is a complete douche but as the days pass, their love blossoms and when Simran goes back to India for her arranged marriage, Raj decides to go after her and win her back.

It’s like your typical Bollywood film story line but it’s so good and is one of my all time favourites.

8. The Florida Project

I don’t think I’ll ever watch anything that will capture the true essence of being a carefree kid more than this film.

Set in a rundown garish pink motel filled with people who can’t afford proper homes, the Florida Project focuses on the life of a 6 year old called Moonee who is the most mischievous and wild kid you’ll ever see. The whole film is pretty much about her and her life with her mum Halley and her little group of friends who get up to no good in and around the motel.

It’s aesthetically one of the prettiest films I’ve watched. The entire thing was shot on 35mm film which as a fellow film lover, I obviously couldn’t help but adore.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this first list! I’ll post another one around the same time next week so follow me on my socials to know when that’s up.

The Best Rainy Day Movies | Zafira

So as summer is slowly coming to end and we face nothing but endless days of torrential rain, there’s nothing better to do than cosy up inside and watch a great movie.

Not to brag, but I’d say I’ve slowly become quite the movie connoisseur (mainly because I’ve spent my entire summer watching movies) and I’d love nothing more but to share some of my faves that I love to watch on a rainy day.

1. Ever After: A Cinderella Story

Two words. Drew. Barrymore.

In Ever After, she plays the role of the one and only Cinderella who is forced to become the servant of her evil stepmother. We all know the story. What I adore about this version the period it’s set in. It’s in the 16th century and the outfits and settings are so good. Drew Barrymore is a little different from the Cinderella we all know so well. I’m not going to completely bash on the OG Cinderella but she wasn’t an independent woman, she was ditsy and had the typical ‘I need a Prince to save me’ thing going on. Barrymore is sucha strong character which makes me love this movie even more.

This is a great family movie, it’s a movie I think everyone will like in someway or other.

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I think I first watched this when I was around 11/12 and I remember being like completely wtf but also absolutely smitten with this movie even at that age.

It’s the best comfort movie, I love watching this when I’m having a bit of poopey day.

The movie is all about the life of Benjamin Button. A man who is born old and starts ageing backwards as time goes on. Benjamin Button is played by Brad Pitt (drools) and he’s plays Benjamin beautifully. It’s a mix of romance, drama and it’s also kinda sad. This is almost 3 hours long but there’s never a moment in the movie where you feel like it drags. I’m not a massive romance drama kind of girl but this is my favourite romantic movie that I’ve ever watched.

3. Lost in Translation

I was debating whether to throw this in or not because it’s a very popular indie movie but it really is a wonderful movie.

There’s no way to really describe the tone of this movie other than quiet and calm. It’s my favourite thing to watch if I’ve had a busy week or when it rains purely because it makes me feel relaxed. The visuals are beautiful, you’ve most likely seen screen grabs from moments in the movie if you’ve ever owned a tumblr account. And it’s directed by Sofia Coppola who is one of my favourite directors of all time.

It’s all about a movie star and a woman neglected by her husband who become who get to know each other whilst both being in Tokyo. The scenery and settings are stunning. It’s amazing rainy day watch.

4. HERCULES

In my opinion, this is the best Disney movie ever made. The songs, the characters, the plot, it’s all just so good. I love it.

Hercules, the son of Zeus and Athena is stolen from Olympus as a baby by Hades, God of the Underworld. He is raised on Earth by mortal parents but one day discovers the truth about his heritage and the only way he can get back to Olympus is by coming a true hero.

Out of all the movies on here, I think this is the most heart warming one. Best. Movie, Ever.

5.The Darjeeling Limited

I don’t think it’s possible to truly enjoy a rainy day without throwing on a Wes Anderson movie. One of my favourites to watch when the weather is a little gloomy is the Darjeeling Limited.

The story focuses on 3 brothers come together a year after their father’s funeral to travel to India to try and reconnect with each other. I love the train that they travel in. It has to be one of the prettiest trains I’ve ever seen. Every scene is like a painting and the colour themes used throughout are just perfect.

This is such a good family movie, filled with humour and most importantly, a lot of love. Owen Wilson, Adrien Borody and Jason Scwartzman play the role of brothers so well. If you have any siblings, you know what it’s like. You argue, you fight but at the end of the day, you love them.

6. MULAN

Pretty much every time it rains really heavily, I think of the scene in Mulan when she decides to go fight in the war and rides off on her horse in the lashing rain.

If you haven’t seen Mulan, then you should be embarrassed because she is the best Disney princess. Mulan disguises herself as a man to go fight in the war instead of her father due to him being very ill and old and ends up becoming one of China’s greatest heroines.

My favourite character has always been Mushu, he’s hilarious and will instantly cheer you up on a gloomy day.

6. High School Musical

Before you laugh at me, you have to understand that this is a classic in my generation. Not a single day passes where I don’t think about High School Musical.

Since it’s a 2000’s movie, it is indeed very cringey but it’s like good cringey. Its’s about Troy and Gabriella, two teens from very different social backgrounds who end karokeing together one New Year’s eve. Gabriella later transfers to Troy’s school and they’re both like wow omg we go to the same school let’s join the school musical. And they do so, secretly. It’s cute and very corny but an amazing thing to waste your time on a rainy day.

7. AMELIE

This is another pretty popular movie but I love it nonetheless. I looooove watching this when it gets a little chillier or when the weather is looking a bit miserable.

Amelie is a very quirky movie, it’s about about a shy waitress in Paris who takes comfort in helping others find happiness in the most unexpected ways as well Amelie’s own journey to finding happiness. I think it might be the most whimsical movie I’ve ever watched. It also has one of the best soundtracks ever. Beautiful movie.

8. HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE

In my opinion, this is easily one of the top 3 Studio Ghibli movies ever made. Me and my brother have loved watching this for years now, it’s definitely a family favourite in our household.

A young woman is cursed by a witch into an old woman and the only way she can break the spell is by finding a young wizard by the name of Howl. It really is a perfect family movie. The animations are stunning, especially inside Howl’s walking castle.

Did I mention Christian Bale voices Howl??

9. Good Will Hunting

I can’t believe I put off watching this until this year. I’m completely disappointed at myself because this is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.

It’s about a guy called Will who is really clever, he particularly has gift for mathematics (can’t relate) but is struggling to find direction in his life which where he gets some help from a psychologist who is played by everyone’s fave, Robin Williams.

I feel like this is the perfect thing to watch when you’re having an existential crisis or something, it really inspires you to get a move on with your life.

10. CLOSER

A movie that not only stars Julia Roberts but Natalie Portman and Jude Law? Yes please.

I don’t think I picked my jaw up from the floor once when watching this. Everything runs smooth for a bit, then something happens and this cycle repeats for 1 hour and 44 minutes. It’s great.

It’s focuses on the complicated relationship of two intertwined couples and is basically a massive tale of deceit. A man from one couple meets the woman from the other and thus starts literally the most dramatic thing I’ve ever sat through.

Thanks for reading! If you want to see more movie/ TV series based posts then let me know!

Lots of love,

Underrated Movies #1 | Zafira

Hello!

I'm a big movie person. Especially recently since I've had a lot of work to do and it seems like my favorite procrastinating activity is watching a good movie (or 2).

January is gloomy and literally, the most boring month I have ever come into contact with. I wish I felt overwhelmingly motivated but there's just something about the atmosphere of this month that makes me want to melt into my Ikea rug.

So, this month, me and procrastination have become extremely good friends. Better than we need to be but it's given me a chance to really explore the movie world. I'm not someone who loves a generic movie. I like the weird stuff, the stuff that really makes you rethink your life and everything you've ever done. That's when you know it's a pretty amazing movie.

This led to the birth of this post. I've been binge watching movies left, right and center and I'm so surprised that some of the stuff I've watched isn't more widely talked about.

Here's a list of some the best-underrated movies:

I want this music box more than I want a degree from uni.

Maybe one day I'll have to do an entire list of neglected children's movies because they are so so so many of them. I remember one day my dad bought me one of those double-sided CDs that had a movie on either side. I put it into our portable movie players (I'm sure this was actually from the 90s it had the tiniest screen) and discovered Anastasia. One of the best Disney princess (but not really) movies to date.

It's very loosely based on the story and legend of the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia. There was a big theory about how she escaped the tragic execution of her family and thus began this incredible movie. The animation is beautiful, the songs are beautiful and so is the character of Anastasia. I always wanted to be her, there was just something very relatable and quirky about the character that made her so much better than your typical Disney princess.

As I've gotten older, this movie is more of tragedy, turns out Anastasia didn't escape the execution of her family. It just took a lot longer to find not only her body.

I had seen a few movie stills and quotes from this movie on Instagram and it was enough to compel me to watch this.

This has the basic gist of the classic novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens but has a more modern twist. The movie is about the pursuit of a childhood love which sounds cute but this movie goes in so many different directions. It's not straightforward which I like but sometimes it was very frustrating. Estella (played by Gwenyth Paltrow) is probably a pretty good example of this.

She is the most annoying but amazing character in the entire thing (alongside her erratic aunt).

ALSO, a very big big big also, the settings of the movie are so outstanding. Every scene filmed in 'Paradiso Perduto' had my creative juices flowing like crazy. The most beautifully decorated home I've ever seen in my life. A sort of forgotten, hidden gem of a house. It's just somewhere I can totally imagine myself shooting some stunning pictures.

I can't tell if this is a happy or sad movie. I know that I learned a lot from it. It's a pretty good watch for a lazy Sunday.

This is one of those Amazon movies and I was not expecting it to be anywhere near as good as it was. If you loved Her starring Joaquin Phoenix then you will also adore this.

I'd say this is a good mix of I Robot (without the violence) mixed with Her (2013) and Lars and the Real Girl (2007) and maybe like a splash of I Origins (2014). It's about a company that makes synthetic humans and all about the way that a synthetic human interacts with humans and the way that they feel. It stars Ewan McGregor which was kind of a weird cast in my view because the only movies I've seen him in are Trainspotting 1&2. It's strange to watch him go from a crazy druggie to a somewhat crazy scientist falling in love with his creations.

It also stars Lea Seydoux who I haven't really heard of but she was really good at her role in this. This has really pushed me to watch more Amazon Studio movies. 

I'm not going to lie. The only thing that drew me to watch this movie were all the movie stills I saw floating around Instagram where Meena has like crazy beautiful hair. The hair was enough for me to be sold into watching this tbh.

The movie is all about an Indian family that is forced to leave Uganda due to Idi Amin being in power (the entire history of the expulsion of Asians in Uganda in the 70s is actually really interesting to read about you should look it up). The family then move to Mississippi where the daughter, Meena, falls in love with a young black man named Demetrius. 

It's heartbreaking to watch a cycle of racism and prejudice repeated over and over again especially when so many of us face it. You'd think that you'd try and better yourself than the people that hurt you.

One night, I was searching for something similar to the Virgin Suicides and fell upon this masterpiece. The Virgin Suicides (book & movie) had a massive impact on my life, it changed the way I looked at so many things.

Mustang is kind of like the Turkish equivalent to the Virgin Suicides. It has a lot more to do with a culture which I think personally resonated a lot with me since my family is very culture and tradition based. Unlike the girls in this movie, I am fortunate to say that my family is a lot more open and modern about things which is great.

It's all about 5 sisters that are caught innocently playing with boys on their way home from school. Everyone in their little village/town sees the event as immoral and takes it the wrong which eventually leads the family of the girls basically imprisoning them in their home. It's sad seeing them forced into such a shitty life. They're trained to be housewives and eventually married off one by one.

This is definitely more of an eye-opening watch. Sometimes, culture and tradition really do suck.

Out of all the movies I've mentioned in this post, I have to admit that this is more of a popular one but not popular enough.

I love period movies. It's my biggest guilty pleasures. Something about a fancy frock in the 1800s just really excites me so when I found Marie Antoinette, I was more than overjoyed. Marie Antoinette is more of quirky take on your usual period movie. A lot more vibrant and kind of more 'Wes Anderson-y'. It's filmed beautifully and all the scenes set in Versailles are just stunning. The outfits and shopping scenes are also just impeccable. A fashionista's dream come true.

It's the perfect watch for when you feel like watching a typical chick flick but with a bit more maturity.

Also, Kirsten Dunst is amazing in this.

If you want to see more posts like this please let me know, this was a really fun post to do!

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO STAY UPDATED: