Eli – Låt den rätte komma (2008)
Let the Right One In (Swedish title Låt den rätte komma in) still stands as an inspirational diversion of not just the vampire flick, but the romance too. 12-year-old boy Oskar is bullied by idiotic classmates, and privately wants revenge. He starts to come out of his shell when he meets the pale girl who appears to be his age, Eli, having just moved into the next apartment.
Eli, who we soon realise is a vampire child, not only inspires Oskar to defend himself, but also resists the urge to feed off him given a couple of opportunities. Instead they form a warm, loyal relationship. The final sequence as Oskar is held under the swimming pool water by bullies is astonishing, as Eli off-screen rescues him, killing and dismantling the boys – in its violence it is still a triumphant moment.
Atafeh Hakimi – Circumstance (2011)
Written and directed with such seductive realism by Maryam Keshavarz, Circumstance, (شرایط Šar’ayet in Persian) touches the skin and rumbles steadily with the social and political landscape of Tehran. Two teenagers, Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri) from a wealthy family, and Shireen (Sarah Kazemy), an orphan, gradually take their friendship to a physical relationship, but discretely given how homosexuality is viewed in modern Iran. Not to mention their late-night party scene, and dipping into drink, drugs, and sex.
Atafeh’s brother Mehran is a former drug addict, also taking an obsessive shine to Shireen, damaging his relationship with Atafeh. Their parents are nostalgic about their past, but seem to not want to change the present. As Shireen succumbs to cultural ritual, the defiant, forthright Atafeh continues to represnt a brighter future in these restrictive times and goes her own way.
Lale – Mustang (2015)
Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s remarkable Mustang may be about five girls, but it is Lale at the heart of this gem, played by Güneş Nezihe Şensoy. Who we witness from start to finish, a little terrier and a wild horse all in one. Set in a remote Turkish village, the five sisters face all manner of challenges, as their strict grandmother and uncle take away their simple means of a young life – be it phones, what they wear, boys etc.
Not allowed to leave the house, Lale, the youngest, has the childlike innocence to pursue an escape to a better life. But also the vigor and strength to follow it through, while sisters are married off or deprived of a free adolescence. Lale’s love for football provides the film with it’s funniest sequence, as the older generation of the family go to great lengths to pave the way so the girls can see their team play. Her mischief and rebellious streak continues later when Lale again sneaks out, or attempts to spit into guests tea.
When her sister Nur is due to marry against her will, Lale helps them both escape. Mustang bookends with Lale sadly saying goodbye to school teacher, and them being reunited. It feels like a long, long journey, and we are delighted she made it no matter the circumstances that carried her along the way.
Karen Sisco – Out of Sight (1998)
Jennifer Lopez’s Karen Sisco would never have been cancelled after seven episodes (sorry Carla Gugino). No, in Steven Soderbergh’s super-slick crime flick Out of Sight, the Elmore Leonard character is brought to the screen with a sexy, ice-cool, and unflinching aura by Lopez. Sisco, a U.S. Marshal, is not so arrogant that she can’t pick the brains of her retired police officer father (Dennis Farina). And not so unbreakable that she can’t hold off the attraction to a certain Jack Foley (George Clooney).
On the surface, though, Karen is a smart cat, with her head screwed on right, and her law-abiding brain at the forefront of her intentions, she brings Foley down against her affectionate judgement. Bold and brilliant, Karen Sisco more than holds her own amidst the male cops, crooks, and creepos of the movie.
Aurora Greenway – Terms of Endearment (1983)
I saw Terms of Endearment at a young age, turned out to be one of the most emotional film experiences of my young life. Adultery, raising a family, cancer, a turbulent relationship between a mother and a daughter. Sounds bleak, sure, but the smart execution by James L. Brooks adds a depth of comedy to the melodrama.
Firing on all cylinders is Shirley MacLaine as Aurora, who watches her daughter Emma (a devastatingly good Debra Winger) grow up, build an adult life, only for it to somewhat capitulate when her husband cheats, and then she suffers from a fatal illness. Aurora appears to stand in the shoes of a haphazard mother, trailing her parental mistakes behind her, but we know that is not the case. A powerhouse of a woman, her bond with Emma never frays, no matter how far, how sick, how angry.
She meddles, she stamps her feet, she is never shy about her dislike of Emma’s husband Flap. Eccentric retired astronaut Garrett (Jack Nicholson) soon forms a loving relationship with Aurora, he too has his work cut out, but succumbs to the woman’s ultimate charm and determination. In Emma’s final weeks in hospital, her super-supportive mother is an explosive rock, staying bedside, taming the troubled kids, and of course screaming for that shot for the pain.
Mathilda Lando – Léon: The Professional (1994)
Natalie Portman broke into the movie world in some style. One of Luc Besson’s finest, has slick hitman Léon (Jean Reno) cornered into offering a diverse form of guardianship towards the 12-year-old Mathilda, following the murders of her family. As their partnership develops, Mathilda tames the reclusive killer, turning the dedicated, methodical Léon inside out, revealing a heart and soul.
Learning the tools of the trade, you might say, how to kill, how to survive, Mathilda proves herself a stubborn but smart cookie. Their innocent affections run both ways, she teaches him to read, and I guess in turn how to interact with the outside world. The final gesture from Léon as he takes his victory from the enemy is to say that it was “from Mathilda”. Boom.
Nikita – La Femme Nikita (1991)
Jean Reno’s hitman “cleaner” first appeared in Besson’s earlier La Femme Nikita (the original French title), this time the kick-ass-defining woman is the main event. Part of a gang that robs a pharmacy, Nikita (Anne Parillaud) kills a police officer and is sentenced to life in prison. After her death is faked, she finds herself n the hands of government officials were she is given a choice: die, or become an assassin.
Nikita is trained in computers, martial arts, and weaponry – also gets a boyfriend and dabbles in ravioli. Nikita proves to be a ruthless killer, her final test before “graduating” is her first official kill, which takes place in a busy restuarant. Not only completing the task in hand, but somehow shooting her way out of an almost impossible ambush.
Rey – Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
Friends of mine have shown a certain disappointment that Star Wars: The Force Awakens allowed itself to follow A New Hope’s blueprint. But they might forget what they truly want from a Star Wars movie, making me suspect their fan rating of the franchise. Perhaps modelled a little on Luke from Episode IV (and for very good reason), the introduction of Rey (a remarkably assured breakthrough from Daisy Ridley) is so effective, and so truly fitting within the Star Wars mold, we could almost forgive the first three episodes.
Let’s see: Living a poverty-stricken, but hard-working existence, Rey befriends the droid BB-8. She is soon accompanied by Finn, pilots the Millennium Falcon, meets Han Solo and Chewbacca, discovers Luke’s lightsaber, and later out-matches the rookie evil one Kylo Ren both in physical combat and through the power of the mind. You know, she has the force.
Princess Leia Organa – Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Well, what can’t we say about the great Princess Leia? In Star Wars Episode IV she is rescued, but hardly requires heroes, she is a tough cookie with a mouth to match. In The Return of the Jedi Leia puts those men (Han and Luke) in their place once and for all, kicks some Biker Scout ass speeding through the forests of Endor, and is injured by a blaster in battle.
Years and years later she returns in The Force Awakens, in command, and having to live with the fact her now grown-up son has fallen to the dark side. Leia’s truly defining and most dominant chapter comes in The Empire Strikes Back. Still having the upper hand in spite of her repressed rage, Leia’s loving yet turbulent relationship with Hans Solo continues to, can we say, blossom.
Amidst the AT-AT battle, the fatherly revelation, Yoda’s training, The Empire Strikes Back is integral to Leia’s character too. The very moment she feels Luke’s cry for help is an unforgettable projection of her role within the franchise. And humongous credit goes to Carrie Fisher for nailing every nuance of Leia’s essential presence.
Amélie Poulain – Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (2001)
Paris’ very own Emma Woodhouse is a diamond in a modern French fairy-tale, through the visionary brilliance of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Amélie is a whimsical child with a vivid imagination, but grows up somewhat lonely, a waitress in Montmartre set on fixing everyone else’s lives. Audrey Tautou lights Amélie up on screen, a character who although isolated, has a noble, unselfish way about her, and wears her heart of gold on her sleeve.
A determined, emotional young woman, taking on and doing what it takes to complete her missions of love and loss. She also has a mischievous side, playing a clever prank on the bully greengrocer. Her ultimate task though is to find love, and the moment it strikes her she goes to extreme lengths to fulfill her own happiness. Finally.
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