Apur Sansar (1959)

This final installment in Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy follows Apu's life as an orphaned adult aspiring to be a writer.

This is the conclusion of the Apu trilogy depicting Apu's life as a young man. As to be expected this part centers on the topic of love, but the movie took me fully by surprise. It's a love story (and horrific tragedy) unlike any other you will find in cinema, and for a while I was sceptical that it would turn into love in any form at all. I won't mention too much, since I can only recommend to see it for yourself.

Halliwell****: "An emotional and satisfyingly moving conclusion a great artist experience."

Maltin***1/2: "Sadly poetic tale...Magnificently acted..."

Pather Panchali (1955)

Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work.

I must admit I had grown sceptic suspecting the movie to be meanwhile outdated or maybe a bit schmaltzy. But I was completely wrong! Yes, the movie is slowly paced, but has a rhythm all of its own, a simple epic perfectly depicting the ups and downs of life. The movie is meticulously composed in single sequences, many of sheer breathtaking beauty, and step by step you grow more acquainted with the characters and their fates. This would be a perfect example for film studies, you could learn immensely from this movie, and so much more astounding that all participants (except some actors) were complete amateurs when making this movie!

Halliwell****: "A remarkable first film of a director now famous, showing that people are much the same though the details of their daily lives may be different. The pace may be slow but the content is mainly absorbing."

Maltin***1/2: "Unrelenting study...Grippingly realistic..."