We started shocking cinema about 4 weeks ago. Nuit et Brouillard made the difference because it is actually a documentary, around 50 minutes long, and you can see how the real camps were, not an american historical 20th Century Fox crap with loads of lies. Tis film tells the story of selfishness, of prejudice, of what actually happened to the jews. The non-diegetic sound used along with the V.O builds a sense of shockness and the audience ends uo being horrified by it.

Martin started after a while to teach us German cinema of the 20's. Obviously the first film had to be the very first version of Nosferatu. I usually hate horror films because they scare me. Yes, call me a simpleton or a p**** but the minimal thing scares me and it's unconfortable to sit next to me because I could scream at any point. So, the great thing about this film is how even in silence it becomes terrifying. I guess that's because of the srong physicality that the actors take and their way of work is extremely based on physical action. It is a great example of how important the still frames were at that time and how all cinematography was used. The music added in the 90's gives it more emphasis and it connects more to the story, even if it's all the time non-diegetic.

Gus Van Sant's Elephant was part of the Independent Cinema section that we started 2 weeks ago. The characteristic long shots (POT) that Van Sant uses in this film, along with the classical music used to emphasize the tension in the calmness, the homosexual relationship told in a tranquile way, and the unchanging rhythm through the whole movie make this film one of the best films I've ever seen. It is quite extreme, based in the Columbia attacks in 1999 the story is told to the spectator from another point of view, combinating darkness and agressivness with a sunny calmed day in High School, so the beauty of the story of a terrible masacre made me fall in love with a movie through the eyes of one of the bombers.

Dancer in the Dark was as well part of the Shocking Cinema section. It tells us the story of a tragedy through the eyes of a blind beauty, innocent as a rose, pure yet a fighter. A touching film that made me go through all my emotions in those 90 minutes. A rough story with a shocking ending, a story about injustice, war, unhappiness, happiness, corruption, prejudices, but about all, a story about a dream, music, dancing. Something that has truly touched my heart deep down.

As part of Brazilian Cinema we watched several films, but my favourite above all is Ciudade Deus. A story about dreams, hopes, how winners become losers and loser become winners, a story about fight, about life, about survival, about war, corruption, injustice...all seen through the eyes of a young photographer who fights to get out of the slum and become a professional photographer. The pace, colours and surely sound used in this movie help the spectator to get a very concrete idea about the background, a true vision of Brazil, but above all, a different point of view. It is where the spectator sees how the worst part of the slum is capable of loving and being as happy as someone like them. The narration is excellent and at no point gets boring because the focus on their different lives is so exaggerated that the clearness is brilliant.