Stuff I Like: Über Poignant Films

I don’t know about you, but I am something of a film buff. When it comes to my favorite film genre, however, unfortunately it doesn’t really have a convenient label, so I’ll have to describe it and give examples. I absolutely love those films that lean heavily on dialogue and conversation, that are character-driven, that are often quirky and off-beat, and that have a kind of coming-of-age feel to them. You know, those films that never come out in summer, that often do really poorly at the box office, and would never be considered candidates for the whole 3D treatment.

For example, I cannot even explain how much I love Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight. Separated by nine years each, both literally and in the story, these films chronicle the relationship of an American guy and a Parisian girl who meet on a train in Vienna. These films contain no explosions or CGI (or any action whatsoever), but consist almost entirely of a long and rambling conversation between Jesse and Celine (Before Sunset  actually takes place in real time). I revisit these a couple times a year and never fail to have my heart torn out of my chest. What can I say, I’m a complete masochist.

Moreover, if an already great story is set in some beautiful place, I’m more likely to enjoy it. Before Sunrise  is set in Vienna and Before Sunset  takes place in Paris (the third films is shot in Greece). Other favorites include Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona  and Midnight in Paris  (I’ll let you guess where those were shot). Oh, and the former has a narrator which, for some reason, always makes me like a film than I otherwise might (I really dug The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,  partially because of its narration).

And as for the whole coming-of-age element, films like Juno, The Breakfast Club, Good Will Hunting, Reality Bites,  and The Perks of Being a Wallflower  just kill me. Even movies like Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist  or Donnie Darko  have their moments. One of the threads connecting all these is their amazing soundtracks. The opening riff of Simple Minds’ “Don’t You Forget About Me,” the voice of Elliot Smith, Echo and the Bunnymen’s “The Killing Moon” — these are all huge reasons why these films are so good. And don’t even get me started on the use of The Smith’s “Asleep” in Wallflower,  it’s so moving and poignant. And although I loved Adventureland, Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus” had little to do with it. . . .

And if there’s an element of sadness and melancholy involved, all the better. American Beauty  is just tragic; Garden State  is incredibly moving; and there’s something gloomy and somber about Up in the Air, In Bruges, Elegy, Barney’s Version, Blue Valentine, and Closer.

So anyway, those are the kinds of films I like. You may now proceed to mock me for being such a gay. . . .