Greek directorYorgos Lanthimosis one of the reigning masters of weird cinema. All of his movies delve into dark and surreal narratives, perhaps none more so thanDogtooth,one of the best psychological dramasof the 2000s. Other gems in his filmography includeThe Lobster, in which people unable to find a partner are turned into animals, andThe Favourite, one of the most irreverent period movies ever made. His most recent project isPoor ThingswithEmma StoneandMark Ruffalo, which has generated significant Oscar buzz.
Unsurprisingly for a director of Lanthimos’s powers, he is an avid cinephile who has heaped praise on a number of movies over the years. In interviews, top ten lists, and during his visit to the Criterion closet, Lanthimos provides a glimpse into the works that shaped his artistic sensibility. These are some of his most intriguing recommendations, which ought to appeal to fans of his own intense, offbeat work.
10’Heli' (2013)
Director: Amat Escalante
This Mexican crime drama centers on Heli (Armando Espitia), a young auto-plant worker living in a small town with his wife (Linda González), young sister Estela (Andrea Vergara), and their newborn baby. Estela is in a relationship with a teenager named Beto (Juan Eduardo Palacios) who steals several packages of cocaine and stashes them in Heli’s house. This draws the attention of corrupt cops who work for a cartel, who turn up at the house one fateful day.
Heli and his family soon find themselves caught in the crossfire of a brutal drug war. Heli, traumatized by these experiences, grows increasingly unstable. Through him, the movie examines the psychological toll of violence. The film’s harsh subject-matter polarized critics, but its visual style was widely praised, winning the Best Director award at Cannes. Lanthimospraised the way the film used violence, particularly how it elicits contrasting reactions from the audience when showing acts perpetrated against humans versus animals.
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9’Possession' (1981)
Director: Andrzej Żuławski
Mark (Sam Neill), a spy, returns from a mission to his home in West Berlin to find that his wife, Anna (Isabelle Adjani) wants a divorce. She claims she has met someone else, but behaves strangely, and Mark grows concerned. Soon, eerie occurrences begin to take place. Mark meets his son’s teacher, Helen, who looks exactly like Anna but with green eyes. A private investigator following Anna discovers a tentacled creature in their apartment.
The plot escalates even more from there, morphing from breakup drama to a psychological thriller to body horror. Critics dismissedPossessionon release, perhaps finding it all too bizarre, but it quickly gained a cult following. It has since been ranked by some publications asone of the best horror movies of the 1980s, even making an appearance on Sight & Sound’s greatest films list. Lanthimos said that the visual style ofPossession, particularly its use of wide-angle lenses and camera moves,was an influence onThe Favourite.
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8’The Cremator' (1969)
Director: Juraj Herz
Set against the rise of fascism in 1930s Europe, this Czechoslovakian horror tells the story of Karel Kopfrkingl (Rudolf Hrušínský), a mild-mannered crematorium operator who starts losing his mind. As the specter of World War II looms, Kopfrkingl’s seemingly harmless eccentricities transform into a dangerous obsession with the idea of purification through cremation. He begins murdering people, seeing this as a means of “liberating” their souls.
The Crematorwas controversial on release and was banned for some time. Although definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, it received praise for its atmosphere, engagement with challenging themes, and bleak sense of humor.Lanthimos citedThe Cremator, too, as an inspiration forThe Favourite’s aesthetics. The film makes use of fisheye lenses and a ton of close-ups to create a disorienting, distorted effect. The editing is also rapid-fire and experimental, for example, splicing shots of dead people in the middle of conversations.
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7’The Draughtsman’s Contract' (1982)
Director: Peter Greenaway
“You sound as impotent by day as you perform by night.“The Draughtsman’s Contractis a period mystery by directorPeter Greenaway, known for his visual style drawing on Renaissance and Baroque painting. It’s set in 17th-century England and revolves around Mr. Neville (Anthony Higgins), a talented and arrogant young artist who is commissioned by Mrs. Herbert (Janet Suzman) to create a series of drawings of her estate. However, their contract also requires that Mrs. Herbert submits to Neville’s sexual demands.
Things grow increasingly convoluted as Mrs. Herbert’s daughter starts blackmailing Neville as well, and Mr. Herbert is found dead in a moat. Suspicion soon falls on the artist and the estate’s residents turn against him. The characters bicker and fight, trading deliciously verbose insults and put-downs. It makes fora unique period piece, complemented by stylish cinematography.The Draughtsman’s Contractwas another inspirationforThe Favourite, which is clear to see.
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6’Naked' (1993)
Director: Mike Leigh
David Thewlisstars here as Johnny, an intellectually sharp but misanthropic drifter who flees Manchester after committing a violent crime. He seeks refuge in London, where he crosses paths with a series of characters, including Louise (Lesley Sharp), a former girlfriend who is not pleased to see him. Johnny chases various women and expounds about his worldview to anyone who will listen until another act of violence shakes up his life once again. He’s an intriguing and contradictory protagonist. Although he’s smart, this becomes a detriment to him, leading only to cynicism and insecurity.
This isMike Leighathis very best. His trademarks are all here: realism, naturalistic dialogue, and a confident exploration of thorny issues. The themes of depression and violence are complemented by monochromatic, claustrophobic visuals, paying homage to film noir. “My favorite Mike Leigh film. David Thewlis is just unbelievable In it,“Lanthimos said. Viewers who only know Thewlis fromHarry PotterandBig Mouthare in for a treat.
5’Ali: Fear Eats the Soul' (1974)
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
West Germany, 1972: Emmi (Brigitte Mira), a 60-year-old German cleaner, goes to a bar where she meets Ali (El Hedi ben Salem), a Moroccan migrant in his late thirties. They share a dance, which serves as the start of an unexpected friendship which soon becomes a romance. However, those around them look down upon their relationship. Emmi’s friends and colleagues shun her, and her family members think she’s lost her mind.
Ali: Fear Eats the Soulis a warmhearted and poignant movie that dives deep into these two characters and the society they live in. It’s confidently filmed and constructed, with directorRainer Werner Fassbinderincorporatingelements from a range of films, most notably the melodramas ofDouglas Sirk. It is widely considered to be his defining film, andMartin Scorseseincluded iton his list of foreign filmsthat he thinks all young filmmakers should see. “It’s a good Fassbinder [film] to start with,“Lanthimos said.
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4’Man Bites Dog' (1992)
Director: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, and Benoît Poelvoorde
This darkly comic mockumentaryfocuses on a documentary crew who film Ben (Benoît Poelvoorde), a charming but sociopathic serial killer. They listen to his thoughts on life and film him as he goes about his bloody business. The filmmakers start out as detached observers, but soon the line between viewer and participant becomes blurred. In the process, the film questions the media’s role in glorifying violence.
Man Bites Dogwas arguably ahead of its time and some have suggested that it inspiredTarantino’sNatural Born Killers, which deals with many similar ideas. “I remember watching that when I was young,“Lanthimos said. “It was ’92. I just had finished school and I saw this film, and it was just unlike anything I had seen before. Like a documentary. I didn’t know if they were doing these things for real or what was going on. And [it was] so funny and violent and dark.”
3’Viridiana' (1961)
Director: Luis Buñuel
Viridiana (Silvia Pinal) is a young novice about to take her final vows as a nun. Her uncle (Fernando Rey) requests that she visit him before committing herself to religious devotion. She does so, only to find that he hopes to exploit her resemblance to his deceased wife. She rebuffs him, and he later commits suicide, splitting his wealth between Viridiana and his illegitimate son Jorge (Francisco Rabal). Viridiana decides not to enter the convent after all and instead resolves to use her inheritance to help the needy, inviting a group of beggars to move into the estate. This soon leads to all manner of mayhem.
Viridianais one of the most acclaimed films byLuis Buñuel, a master of surrealism and social critique. It’s filled to the brim with subtext and symbolism, not only charting the protagonist’s fall from grace but questioning how good she ever was to start with. Buñuel’s anti-Catholic worldview is also on full display, most of all in the controversial scene where the characters reenact The Last Supper. Lanthimos selected this asone of his Criterion closet picks,adding, “I love all of Buñuel’s films.”
2’Five Easy Pieces' (1970)
Director: Bob Rafelson
“The best that I can do, is apologize.“Jack Nicholsonleads this New Hollywood gem as Bobby Dupea, a disillusioned oil field worker who wiles away his hours with his girlfriend Rayette (Karen Black) and his pal Elton (Bill Green Bush). Although he hides it, Dupea is actually a talented piano player who was trained from a young age by his father. His life is shaken up when Rayette tells him that she is pregnant, and he learns that his father is dying.
Nicholson carries much of the movie on his own, turning in an intense and heartbreaking performance. Dupea is a tragic figure, alienated from those around him, from his world, and from himself. He is captured fantastically by cinematographerLászló Kovács, who shoots him against desolate backdrops of grim buildings, towering machinery, and wide open skies. “It’s a great Jack Nicholson film [and] it’s a little likeChekhov,“Lanthimos said.
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1’Branded to Kill' (1967)
Director: Seijun Suzuki
This Japanese yakuza film is the magnum opus ofSeijun Suzuki, a prominent director of B-movies. Goro Hanada (Jo Shishido), is ranked third among Japan’s contract killers. However, after he botches a job, a bounty is placed on his head. He becomes the target of the legendary Number One Killer (Koji Nanbara), setting out on a madcap journey through the criminal underworld, marked by double-crossing, existential dilemmas, and a ton of bloodshed.
Branded to Killishighly stylized, even surreal, and visually striking. It takes cues from James Bond, film noir, and avant-garde cinema. The film went on to become highly influential, being cited as an inspiration by directors likeJohn Woo,Park Chan-wook,Jim Jarmusch, and Quentin Tarantino. “I watch this film every time just before making a film,“Lanthimos said. “Just how [Suzuki has] structured those scenes and how it’s filmed […] It looks like it’s not narrative but it is. It’s just the way he’s editing and he’s filming. It’s just one of a kind.”
