1) Snowtown
[youtube]https://youtu.be/fvu_tBQgZyI[/youtube]
This list is not in any particular order with the exception to this film. This is by and far the most underrated movie I have ever seen. It has my absolute highest level of recommendation. Where do I begin? It takes you to a world you’re not used to seeing on screen – much like Harmony Korine’sGummo. The backyards are full of trash, there are purposeless musical instruments lying around, and everything just feels filthy. Themes and plot points include child molestation, incest, heroin addiction, animal abuse… yeah, it’s dark, but not in an exhibitionist kind of way. Most horror films (not that this is necessarily one) portray victims as their main character. Some offbeat ones portray the killer as such. The genius of Snowtown is that the main character is both a victim and killer, whom we watch controlled and manipulated by the charisma of Australia’s most notorious serial killer, John Bunting. More impressively, you can’t help but feel empathy for him. Snowtown is the poster child of a film that has faith in its audience’s intelligence. Time is portrayed intentionally inconsistently, conflicts are left unresolved, and the accents are thick enough that I still have no idea what he’s saying in the opening monologue after a fourth viewing. Every single thing, from the extras to the camera movement feels completely purposeful and accomplished. If you have the patience for it, this film will change you. Then again, that’s not necessarily a good thing.
