20. Nosferatu (1922, Germany)
AKA: Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens So you think you know horror do you? Well if you haven't sat alone in a dark room and watched Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens then you have no idea what real horror is all about. Nosferatu is the original vampire movie that to this day - almost 100 years later - out scares, out creeps and even out sells any other vampire movie that has ever been made. If you think Vampires are supposed to sparkle in the day light then this is not a film for you. It is the classic, terrifying German retelling of Bram Stoker's classic yarn in which a Vampire who falls in love with a woman who resembles his long dead wife when he relocates from his Transylvanian castle to the cities of Germany. Unlike many portrayals of the Dracula character Max Schreck's Count Orlock is a hideous looking figure who only gets creepier and creepier as the film goes along. There is no handsome playboy here. Orlock has more in common with Mr Burns than he does a Transylvanian aristocrat and the image of his shadow as he approaches his victims will haunt you for days.
19. Lilya 4-Ever (2002, Sweden)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqrQBJNDMgo
AKA: Lilja 4-Ever You can always rely on Sweden to bring the good vibes crashing down it seems and Lukas Moodysson's Lilya 4-Ever is no exception. Set in the former Soviet Republic Lilya 4-Ever follows the s**tty life of the titular Lilja as she does what is needed to survive after being abandoned by her mother years previously. With money not easy to come by and times being so tough the teenage Lilja turns to prostitution to make ends meat and later becomes embroiled in a sex slavery ring in Sweden. Sadly - as we are told is so often the case -there seems no way out of this life for the young woman and tragically the film concludes with her committing suicide by jumping from a bridge. At times her former friend from the Soviet appears to her as a Guardian Angel having killed himself also but even he is unable to save her from herself or her tragic fate. Moodysson received a ton of praise for his film as critics believed the story and in fact witnessed similar lives being lived right outside the very movie theatre they were sitting in watching the film. Sadly Lilya 4-Ever is a sad, morose tale but it is an important tale that must be told and unlike many other stories of self destruction Lilya 4-Ever will haunt you for years to come.
18. The Edukators (2004, Austria and Germany)
AKA: Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei Fantastic German comedy drama about 3 anti capitalist teenagers who go around well to do German houses breaking in, moving furniture around and spray painting slogans on walls. After failing to cause the kind of anarchy they had hoped for the friends decide the next step is to kidnap a rich businessman that they find inside one of the supposedly empty houses and hold him hostage in an abandoned cabin. But when the businessman reveals a few facts about himself it soon becomes clear that sooner or later the group will be forced to put their ideals aside one day just like so many rebels before them. Shot on Digital rather than 35mm standard this is a much richer, deeper production than the Hollywood 're-imaginings' that follow the same tone. Although you may at first find the approach difficult to swallow by the films end you'll wonder what you ever worried about. To quote one IMDB user: This is what film making should be like.
17. Tsotsi (South Africa, 2005)
Set in an Alexandra slum, in Johannesburg, South Africa, the film tells the story of Tsotsi, a young street thug whose life of crime and disorder comes to a screeching halt when he discovers a baby in the back seat of the car he's stolen. Immediately trying to offload the brat onto any one he can find he eventually begins to bond with the youngster and finds his world turned on its head as a result. Not unlike City of God Tsotsi isn't a film about gang bangers in the slums it is a film about living life - and whatever it brings - while surviving in one of the world's poorest places. Tsotsi is an emotional and moving look at a relationship born out of inconvenience that becomes so much more. A beautiful film with a great heart Tsotsi went on to win an Academy Award as well as countless other awards across the world.
16. The Cat Returns (2002, Japan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq7NQ0qs7N0
AKA: Neko no Ongaeshi Classic Studio Ghibli excellence about a young, detached girl who finds herself entering a magical Cat Kingdom after starting up a conversation with a feline by the name of Lune, who turns out to be the Prince of the Cat Kingdom. The Prince falls in love with the girl in true Ghibli fashion and before she knows what's hit her she is engaged to be married. But things in the Cat Kingdom aren't all what they seem and before too long the many cracks begin to show in the fabric of this feline utopia. With only a fat cat named Muta and a shadow come to life for help the girl must make it back to her own world or be spend the rest of her life trapped in the body of a cat. Typically bonkers but compulsive viewing from the masters of Japanese animation.