Drawn From Still Waters Favourite Films for 2005

Honorable Mentions: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

10: In Her Shoes (just a lovely story)
9: Shopgirl (quite liked the story, about how people change, and change each other. Danes was great)
8: Goodnight and Goodluck (set in the period of McCarthy, and sheds a very interesting light on the events of the past three years)
7: Little Fish (The best Australian film for years).
6: Howl’s Moving Castle (stunning visuals, and a great story).

5: Turtles Can Fly

Set in a refugee camp in the north Iraq, the film is a story of four kids in the refugee camp, and the impact and legacy of war on children. The film is a provoking and somewhat distressing film reminding us of the innocent victims of wars.

4: The Motorcycle Diaries

As I wrote earlier in the year, I don’t actually know a lot of about Che Guerava, and this film gives you an insight into his nature has he grew up. The visuals were particularly fantastic.

3: Crash

The film looks at the issue of race in LA, perhaps a film that we should all look at now in Sydney. Fantastic script, the stories and characters intersect beautifully. For this reason alone it is worth having a look at.

2: Downfall

Pages of history, transported to the screen. It enabled you to see both the downfall of the Third Reich and the mental collapse of Hitler. In some ways was distressing to watch as you saw the extent to which some followers took there devotion to Nazism.

1: Hotel Rwanda

"If people see this footage they'll say, 'Oh my God, that's terrible,' and they'll go on eating their dinners.

Hands down the most powerful and confronting film I have seen this year. It is a much needed stern rebuke to me, and to the West. Never again, we said after the Holocaust, never again we said after Bosnia. Yet the West betrayed these claims as they sat idly by while this occurred in Rwanda – and still sits idly by while similar events take place in Sudan. Hotel Rwanda was the must-see film of 2005.

We are witnesses, take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen. [Deut 4:9, perhaps a little (re)interpreted]

To see: Memoirs of a Geisha, Joyueax Noel, and The New World.