everything everywhere all at once (2022)
this movie is genuinely perfect, aside from the cruelty we cannot forgive. it's a movie about a lot of things, but one of those things is an abuser learning the meaning of life and not letting her victim escape. evelyn does not deserve to have joy in her life. it is plain and simple to us.
the boy and the heron (2023)
we liked this movie! it was dreamlike, and though some details were derivative of earlier miyazaki works, we can't help but think it's on purpose because we interpreted it as a story about coping with grief and trauma by becoming an artist. it is pretty long and confusing though.
headshot (2016)
what if you wanted to watch a silat movie but it was secretly full of powerful messages about trauma, recovery, and the reclamation of the self? this movie is perfect, except for one detail: the protagonist (named ishmael) never utters the words "call me ishmael".
raw (2016)
this is the most typically french movie ever: everyone keeps smoking cigarettes at all times, and a sweet girl develops a ridiculous craving for human flesh. the relationship between her and her equally cannibalistic sister is the most interesting thing about this movie.
the nettle dress (2023)
this documentary about grief and healing is slow and meditative and magical. it focuses on craftsmanship and labour and the beauty of nature, and it is just a very inspirational watch! we recommend watching it in the company of others, so you can discuss the feelings it brings out.
mulholland drive (2001)
mulholland drive is weird and creepy and we love that! it also makes no sense, and we love that! the most boring interpretation is that it was all a dream, but it's more interesting to rewatch it with a red string corkboard at the ready and hypothesize about all of the connections. which we should do.
pacific rim (2013)
ah, the sweet smell (let's be real, it probably smells terrible) of huge mechs fighting big monsters in the ocean. this rules. everything about this rules. this movie should've been longer to give mako more development and screen time though.
warrior king (2006)
this is like if ong bak had more stunts and also was weirder. when we say it's like ong bak, we mean that tony jaa plays the lead, and the supporting comedy character is also played by mum jokmok. when we say that it's weirder, it has elephants and jet set radio future.
man of tai chi (2013)
this is more of a comedy than an action, to us. we just can't really see keanu reeves as the kind of guy who'd set up a murder livestream entertainment empire. also, the flute that plays whenever tiger chen does anything cool is just... funny.
us (2019)
we love clones and clone horror and fucked up versions of people where they are exactly the same but wrong somehow. and this is a movie that plays with those concepts very well! it is more thought-provoking than scary, we think. but that's excellent in its own way.
killers (2014)
this movie would be better if there was more blood and less attempts to philosophise about how murdering people is the same as trying to survive. it is literally not the same. we don't know what the mo brothers were on when they made this.
the night comes for us (2018)
we once showed this movie to the steampunk society at university and made friends with a masochist who had to hide under the table because the violence was flustering them. if you want to introduce someone to silat movies, this is the bloodiest way to do it.
parasite (2019)
what makes this movie so scary is that it absolutely could happen. really, the types of things that scare us in films are things of the mundane sort that highlight the cruelty of oppressive systems many people live under. and this movie does that perfectly!
castle in the sky (1986)
this is probably the most important movie on this list, to us, because therry is an introject of its protagonist. watching this as baby manyface was formative and special and kept us alive. like most ghibli movies, it is full of kindness and an earnest sort of justice.
the raid (2011)
this is the movie that started our obsession with silat films. the fight scenes are so fucking good!! but also, there is basically no plot and a lot of what happens is a cop killing people. a lot of cops get killed by other people, too. the sequel is dramatically better.
the raid 2 (2014)
okay, so this movie has some of the best fight scenes ever recorded. we are particularly fond of rama vs the assassin, in the kitchen of bejo's restaurant. this is like if the first raid movie had a plot, and so it is just... a fantastic film that we greatly adore. also, rama/uco/bejo yaoi real.
crimes of the future (2022)
this is a really interesting commentary on how laws will not be able to accomodate the progression of society and the evolution of humanity. but it is also a sickos movie where people keep saying stuff like "surgery is the new sex". both are reasons for watching, we think!
grotesque (2009)
if you are watching this movie, you are a real piece of work. we say this fondly, because it's efir's favourite movie, and we've seen it twice. the first time we watched it, it was because we got bored of watching the phantom of the opera. and it was certainly more entertaining than phantom. haha!
audition (1999)
the scariest parts of this film are the flashbacks to asami's trauma, but you may disagree if gore and torture are things that freak you out. our parents called us one time and told us to watch audition because it is "a movie for sadists". no comment.
nausicaä of the valley of the wind (1984)
it's about bug jesus. and it was very formative in the sort of art we liked to draw when we were eleven? the iconography in this movie is unbeatable and the story makes us cry, as does the music... it's moving and comforting and beautiful.
ong-bak (2003)
do you like extremely cool fight scenes and ridiculous stunts and action where people's bones break? if you said yes to any of those, you will probably like ong-bak. it is a really iconic muay thai action movie and necessary viewing for martial arts film fans.
princess mononoke (1997)
watching this as a wee baby 10-year-old manyface was very formative and impactful. we like to joke that it's why we have a fascination with gore, but that's probably not true. anyway, it's an incredibly cool movie about the relationship between humans and the environment all around us.
get out (2017)
this is one of the scariest movies we've ever seen, period. the concept that drives the plot is terrifying because there are definitely people who are horrible enough to think it should be realised. the main character manages to escape in the end, but that escape is so narrow, and it's so fucked up.
revue starlight: the movie (2021)
you should definitely watch the revue starlight anime before watching the movie, but once you do, get ready for something really profound, captivating, and yuriful. after watching revstar, you may think "i know how gay theatre kids fighting can get". think again!
nope (2022)
this movie is excellent. seeing the events of nope for what they are (horror/sci-fi) is satisfying enough, but scratching the surface and seeing how it comments on the entertainment industry is even more interesting.
chocolate (2008)
we like this movie. some people might not like this movie because it frames autism as a superpower that makes the protagonist fight extremely well. but we truly believe it's done in good faith, and the autistic protagonist is treated with respect by her family and even her opponents.
howl's moving castle (2004)
this film is charming, romantic, and very nostalgic for us. we watched it a lot when we were just a baby manyface, and will probably never grow tired of it. we also think that the audio in the scene where suliman attacks with a ring of star people should be ripped and sampled in a dnb track.
american psycho (2000)
the absolute funniest thing about american psycho is that patrick bateman has the exact same music taste as therry. american psycho is a cautionary tale about what overexposure to prog rock will do to a motherfucker. and it's also a fun, iconic movie. we had a blast watching this.
smile (2022)
a rare horror movie that actually scared us. but hey, that's just what it's like to be traumatised by your mother!
the fifth element (1997)
everybody knows that the best song ever made is the one that plays when leeloo beats up those random grunts while diva plavalaguna is on stage. yeah, the fifth element was very formative for baby manyface. it impacted a lot of what we find cool...
martyrs (2008)
this movie is about how utterly horrifying trauma can be, but also it is a movie for sick freaks who like seeing people be in pain. if you fit this description, come watch martyrs with us. it will only be a little bit harrowing and bloodcurdling. [lying]
the matrix (1999)
we are pretty sure that everyone has seen the original matrix. it was very formative for baby manyface, and now adult manyface is trans and loves breakbeat, trip hop, and industrial. we also believe in the powers of neo and morpheus being gay together.
heaven's feel: presage flower (2017)
this shit will fuck you up.
heaven's feel: lost butterfly (2019)
this shit will ruin your life!!! okay but seriously, the heaven's feel trilogy is one of the most validating, raw, and real pieces of media about survivorship and the effects of trauma ever made. watching this after leaving home was brutally healing. a completely devastating film.
heaven's feel: spring song (2020)
we do not remember half of this movie because we were crying THAT hard. watch the heaven's feel trilogy to feel like your soul is being ripped out of your chest and put in the goddamn pear wiggler. unbelievably powerful experience. rise up sakuranators!!!
merantau (2009)
the question one must ask when watching merantau is "how on earth was iko uwais defeated by the blowjob brothers?". we think the other silat movies on this page are better, but if you care about silat movies, you should probably watch this one as an educational experience.
the princess bride (1987)
believe it or not, baby manyface used to be scared of the torture scenes in the princess bride. this is funny because you have already seen the contents of this webpage. torture aside, the princess bride is fucking hilarious. essential viewing for people who like to have a good time.
my neighbour totoro (1988)
a lot of our happiest early memories have to do with this film. our dad would constantly rent it at blockbuster, and we watched it just about every day when we were four. calling this movie cute is an understatement: it has this perfect sense of childlike wonder and whimsy and it is very kind.