MOST INSPIRING FILMS 2009!

This list is compiled of films that have been promoted through our reviews on Reel Inspiration's blogs. Diverse films with entertaining, powerful stories that uplift, challenge, give hope or inspire. Some weight has been given to films with themes that are particularly relevant to the issues of our time.

Due to time restraints, I must limit the kind of films I review. For instance, I don't review documentaries and I rarely review animated films. I am less likely to review a Hollywood blockbuster unless I am EXTREMELY moved as with last year's MICHAEL CLAYTON. In fact, I mostly review films that move me emotionally or intellectually.

I would like to make an exception about documentaries by recommending two of the most inspiring films of the year: "THE HORSE BOY" and "AFGHAN STAR." In both of these docs, the heroes take great risks to follow their "unreasonable" paths. In THE HORSE BOY, an autistic boy speaks clearly when put on a horse. His family travels across Mongolia in search of a horse Shaman to heal the boy. http://www.horseboymovie.com/Film.php
In AFGHAN STAR, an Afghani woman risks her life to express herself in song and dance on the national talent show. www.afghanstardocumentary.com/

If you do not see your favorite inspiring films represented here, please, share them in the COMMENT section.

After reviewing this list, I found a trend in the many of the films: the theme of the importance of human connections. Perhaps in this time of war and financial hardships, our connections with others are even more important.

It is my pleasure to present...
Reel Inspiration's MOST INSPIRING FILMS 2009.

1) "Up in the Air"
Ryan Bigham, an elite frequent flyer, enjoys riding high above the clueless employees he fires as a corporate hatchet man. He discovers that despite the hassles, it's our connections with others that make our lives rewarding. This film stands out as one of the few recent adult comedies that is truly witty.

2) "Paris"
In a city bustling with people and their busy lives, it's time to start living by connecting with others. This touching film brims with hope and life. (subtitles)

3) "Invictus"
Newly elected President Mandela sets an example for his country by forgiving and working along side of his vicious suppressors. He uses the universal language of sports to present a unified Africa to the world. Truly inspiring.

4) "Departures"
When his dream of being a cellist is destroyed, Diago finds his true path in the most unlikely of professions - preparing the recently departed with the traditional Japanese cleansing rituals of Nokanshi. DEPARTURES has humorous scenes reminiscent of SUNSHINE CLEANING, but it takes us on a deeper spiritual journey. (subtitles) "Departures" won best Foreign Language Film.

5) "Precious"
This powerful, acclaimed film with heart achingly honest performances, demonstrates the strength of the human spirit to survive extreme abuse and find hope. It shows the transforming power of having one person - a teacher - who believes in you. "Precious" won best Supporting Actress for Mo'Nique and Best Adapted Screenplay for Geoffrey Fletcher. 

6) "Tulpan"
Cinematic magic. This "fictional" film follows the daily life of a nomad family, but it feels more real and less intrusive than a documentary. Spontaneous acts of nature are caught on film and seamlessly incorporated into the story. It ruminates on how modern civilization encroaches on the happiness of a simple life. (subtitles)

7) "Rachel Getting Married"
Troubled Kim is released from rehab to attend her sister's wedding. Desperate to reconnect, she makes clumsy attempts to get her family's attention. But the hardest part is coming home to the people you hurt. Despite it's flaws, Kim learns that being a part of the family is worth the effort. This film is full of the painful truth, but there is also the hope of forgiveness.

8) "Sugar"
Sugar becomes a local hero in his small town in the Dominican Republic when he is recruited to play minor league baseball in the United States. But his pursuit of the American Dream is hampered by his struggles with the language and the cultural barriers of acclimating. More than just a sports film, Sugar deals with the issues of being true to yourself in a foreign country and the struggles facing illegal immigrants. (subtitles)

9) "Moon"
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY lite. This mostly two set, two actor production was one of the best Indie films of the year. Sam Bell has been stationed at the mostly automated lunar base for three years with his robotic assistant Gerty. His only human contact are recorded transmissions from his family back on earth. MOON illuminates what it is to be human: the necessity of hope and our need to connect with other people.

10) "The Messenger"
War "hero" Will Montgomery returns from Iraq and is assigned to the Army's casualty notification service. He has not gotten any grief counseling since receiving his own battle wounds - just a quick lesson in protocol from his jaded partner Tony who instructs the soldier to avoid physical contact with the next of kin. But their grief hits close to home. When he finds himself drawn to a widow with a brave facade, he questions his ability to be good for anything but war. THE MESSENGER shows the resiliency of the human spirit to move through grief to hope.

11) "Wendy and Lucy"
The antithesis of Disney talking animal films, WENDY AND LUCY shows the realistic bond between a young woman and her dog. Wendy relies on her dog Lucy for a sense of security and companionship as she travels to a fish cannery job in Alaska and sleeps in her car at night. When her car won't start in the morning, it is towed away leaving Wendy stranded in a town with no job opportunities and a hungry dog to feed. Wendy must deal with the hard responsibilities of having a pet.

Movie Blessings!
Jana Segal
Reel Inspiration

CHECK OUT COMPLETE REVIEWS BELOW.

"Tulpan" and "Moon."

Business has been bustling lately at the Loft Cinema (http://www.loftcinema.com/) with so many great movies to see such as "Food Inc.," "Moon," "Unmistaken Child," and "The Lemon Tree."  I recommend all of these movies highly. I'm sorry I have been too busy organizing a directing workshop to write them up.

Reflecting back on, "Moon." This mostly two set, two actor production (by director Duncan Jones and screenwriter Nathan Parker) was one of the best indie films of the year. Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is completing his job of extracting helium-3 from the moon's soil. He has been stationed at the mostly automated lunar base for three years with his robotic assistant Gerty (Kevin Spacey). His only human contact are recorded transmissions from his wife and young daughter back on earth. With just weeks left of his assignment, Sam has started to hallucinate about other people on board and their motives.

"Moon," illuminates what it is to be human: the necessity of having hope and our need to connect with other people.

"Tulpan" was just so special that I was inspired to write the following review. (See below.) Enjoy!

"Tulpan"

Long shot of the desolate, dusty Kazakhstan terrain with a scraggly herd of sheep, two donkeys, a honking camel, and a round sheep skin yurt.

Snug in the yurt is a family. A lovely young mother enjoys her three playful children. The kids get on their tired father's nerves. Uncle Asa (Askhat Kuchinchirekov) has just arrived home after a stint in the navy.

It feels like the filmmaker just happened onto this little nomad family and captured a glimpse of their lives on film. There is a naturalism and ease you won't find in documentaries. The conflict is subtle - like the tension when the baby climbs out of a trap door near a herd of scampering sheep. The father demands that the mother not spoil the child by calling him back inside. The father (Ondasyn Besikbasov) is intent on toughening up his young ones to be herdsmen.

But the mother (Samal Yeslyamova) is intent on keeping her loved ones close and safe. She cherishes her family as her source of happiness in this isolated, harsh land.

At first their lives seem bleak by modern standards. Their only connection with the outside world is the scratchy news broadcast on the older boy's portable radio and occasional visits from Asa's friend to deliver water. Even this little bit of civilization seems to encroach on their way of life. The portable radio distracts the boy from his chores and the irrelevant news reports compete with traditional folk songs his sister sings for entertainment. The water carrier with his truck decorated in nudie pictures, beckons Asa to leave the family cocoon to find a wife or a job in the city.

But Asa longs for a family of his own and a herd - of camels. This guy has big dreams. Unfortunately the only eligible girl in the regain, Tulpan, isn't interested in marrying Asa because he has big ears. And Asa has yet to gain his brother-in-laws respect as a herdsman.

"Tulpan," is full of cinematic miracles. Cinematographer Jola Dylewska uses long shots to catch actual acts of nature (often in a single take) such as the dust devil that threatens the herd. This is all integrated beautifully into the story. Director Sergy Dvortsevoy shepherds a herd of scruffy animals, non-actors and young children into unbelievably real performances with quirky humor and touching moments in this meaningful story.

Movie blessings!
Jana Segal
www.reelinspiration.blogspot.com