'take me to maximum altitude..'
(Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man)

40. Away from Her
(2006, Sarah Polley)

Being there. For her. Even if Alzheimer's disease slowly starts asking for goodbyes and the heart can't be taken for granted anymore. This arresting feature debut is close to a painting called 'unconditional', without losing sight of harsh everyday reality: no matter how gentle hospital staff, a walk in the snow is always warmer than in a corridor. Julie Christie's performance here is unforgettable, but if memory has any kind of decency, Gordon Pinsent won't fade Away from Her.
 

39. Darwin's Nightmare
(2004, Hubert Sauper)

Long live the free market: fish out, weapons in, apocalypse now. Still, despite already very present knowledge that earth is better off without us, human activity as shown in Darwin's Nightmare is the toughest thing to watch. Criminal trade, prostitution, children sniffing glue and we're all responsible in a way, this documentary explains the hopeless stranglehold, silence is the only option. It's the rotting heart of our existence, a new world order, Real Gore.
 

38. Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain
(2001, Jean-Pierre Jeunet)

Today, just as this text was being written, a friend told me he had observed a young lady in the train, who took some wine and cheese out of her bag and then watched Amélie on her laptop. It wouldn't surprise me if she happens to read this website, that's just the kind of magic this visually amazing film instigates. Warm colored, selfless Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain has proven to be a classic, the chosen one for introducing beginners to energetic arthouse cinema.
 

37. Before Sunset
(2004, Richard Linklater)

When news got out that Richard Linklater would indeed direct a followup to his 1995 open-ended masterpiece, scepsis and trust started twisting. The reunion of Jesse en Celine turned out to be a intelligently written, perfect sequel: scintillating conversation like there is no tomorrow, in a beautiful city, again. After barely seventy minutes Before Sunset leaves us starving for more. Who knows, maybe in another nine years.
 

36. Vibrator
(2003, Ryuichi Hiroki)

How to handle scarred, incomprehensible people with care. Very moving redemption road movie Vibrator sounds hard, but several encounters with sex and vomit are relatively soft. The breakdown scenes are chilling, darkest thoughts written on a black screen very effective. Slowly learning to take charge of your steering wheel again, while being comforted incredibly gently: if only we could all travel together like this. Start by shifting those gears.
 

35. Mozart and the Whale
(2005, Petter Næss)

Mozart and the Whale requires the understanding or acceptance that it's the exact opposite of a documentary. A romantic soul will do fine as well. Unlearning to label people is what makes disorderly feelgood so dear: everyone is crazy, craving to be normal is what keeps us in our costume. Radha Mitchell and Josh Hartnett twinkle through all those tumultuous emotions regular people have as well, showing how autism is extraordinarily normal. And we're all actors.
 

34. Mary and Max
(2009, Adam Elliot)

A little lonely Australian girl who would love to marry Earl Grey someday, writes letters with an overweight lonely American man who loves chocolate hot dogs. Not much more information is necessary to understand why grey with a little red here and there Mary and Max is simply wonderful. The friends for life share little things back and forth, causing relief as well as neurosis. Laughing out loud is not a main goal here, cute constant smiling is inevitable.
 

33. Little Manhattan
(2005, Mark Levin)

Girls grow up faster than boys, right? One of the oldest myths in the book is being busted by kind of Woody Allen's little nephew, haunted by a girl who's actually way too old for him, the age gap is at least a couple of weeks! Sharing karate lessons and Häagen-Dazs guarantee cooties and other love-sickness. Little Manhattan perfectly captures memories of first love, the rollercoaster of feelings attaced to it and ageless differences between the sexes. Such a silly game we play.
 

32. Forbidden Fruit
(Kielletty hedelmä, 2009, Dome Karukoski)

Protected and trapped in a strict Lutheran upbringing, two girls discover the big city, far away from the community. Storywise Forbidden Fruit is nothing really new, but execution is splendid. Two magical scenes with blonde Marjut Maristo lift this Finnish gem to untamed heights: cinema for the very first time and a request to be close to someone without touching. The lovely advice is to find your own way, flee if necessary, small steps.
 

31. 9 Songs
(2004, Michael Winterbottom)

Relationship the way it is in real life: playful, adventurous, sensual, dangerous. Matt and Lisa visit concerts and make love often, which doesn't necessarily connect them mentally. She totally loses herself in hot satisfaction, he liked the cold anyway, balance is fading fast. Two intense experiences are intertwined yet separated, that's what makes this seemingly experimental film so fundamentally vulnerable.
Warning: 9 Songs contains extremely explicit images of rock music.
 

(Menni, untamed.nl 2009)