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About four years ago, in 2019, I started this crazy idea: asking people to write the title of their favorite film on a blackboard and then photographing them, trying to discover - through their reason for choosing the film - something more about them, a little piece of their life. In between, there was a pandemic, some lockdowns, and many months of social distancing, which prevented the Film People project from moving forward.

Then, things slowly returned to normal and this is how, today, the series has reached the remarkable quota of 200 portraits. In fact, 200 people have so far lent their faces to the project, and 200 people have had themselves photographed together with the title of their favorite film. Through the stories of these 200 people, we discovered many films that we didn’t know and many stories that struck us, including memories, hopes, considerations, and different moods. In fact, there is a bit of everything in the Film People project, from blockbusters to indie movies, from silent and animated films to films with the most modern special effects.

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#1

Giovanna, "Memento" (2000)

Giovanna, "Memento" (2000)

"It’s the movie that made me understand the relevance of the instant, but connected to the memory, I mean: how important is the perception of the instant that we live in but at the same time referred also to what we remember. “Carpe diem” is my motto, but it’s actually dilated and connected to what you have been. The first time I saw it, I’ve empathized with the protagonist, I forgot to follow the plot to focus on him, on his energies, and for me it’s rare because I’ve studied screenwriting at the Academy of Bari and usually I’m focused on the plot of the movies. “Perspective” is the key word, because I began to analyze it from a new point of view."

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Kat Lyle
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Did opposite with Joker. Got lost in movie. Second time I watched Joaquin and was mesmerized by his masterclass in acting.

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Boys, girls, men, and women: there are those who chose the film which, after the Second World War, allowed them to discover what cinema was, and those who saw in a film the same mechanisms of a society from which they too, like the protagonist, decided to move away. But in addition to those who have found themes close to their heart in a film or those who have identified with the characters to the point of wanting to live like them, there are above all those who have linked the title of a film to an episode in their life, to a nostalgic memory, to one’s childhood or adolescence. The power of Cinema.

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#2

Jacopo, "Fight Club" (1999)

Jacopo, "Fight Club" (1999)

"My favorite movie. I’m not a violent guy, this aspect has nothing to do with me, but there is this self-destructive nature, this pushing yourself to your limit until you break, it’s something that fascinates me. I feel that there are these two sides of me always fighting, the rational side and the more impulsive one. I have a sort of inner Fight Club, we all want to be Tyler Durden, we all have him inside but we keep him under control because we don’t want him to come out.

The first time I saw it I had just broken up with my first important girlfriend, I decided to see this movie and it was a revelation: every scene seemed to be telling me to grow up. I tattooed the quote 'It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything': we need to get rid of the superstructures that society imposes on us, fuck everything off and no longer have any constraints, this is in some way the reason why I chose to be an actor. So choose Tyler Durden and you won’t be wrong."

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DrBronxx
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“It’s impossible for me to imagine that people don’t understand that Tyler Durden is a negative influence. People who can’t understand that, I don’t know how to respond and I don’t know how to help them.” - David Fincher

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#3

Mick, "Ghostbusters" (1984)

Mick, "Ghostbusters" (1984)

"I’m a math's tutor and even though I work in science, I think we need a bit of fantasy in our lives. My father recorded films on videocassette and once I found the one with a ghost on the cover: it all started from there. I love the intertwining of scientific studies and paranormal or fantastic world. And then there’s Bill Murray!"

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There are so many influences that have flowed into this project. First of all, I studied cinema, which is perhaps my greatest passion, and I liked the idea of combining two things that I love very much: cinema and photography. This was definitely the spark. Then, also influenced by the beautiful "Humans of New York" project, I thought it would be interesting to discover, through the choice of the favorite film, the stories behind this choice, why a person wrote the title of one film rather than another. I believe that the choice of the favorite film can reveal a lot about the person portrayed: an intimate corner of his person, somehow a piece of his soul, so I liked this idea of discovering which film was behind the people I met.

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#4

Federica, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993)

Federica, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993)

"This movie gave the name to my alter ego, Sally Van Tassel: Sally is the doll in this movie, Van Tassel is Katrina in “Sleepy Hollow”, even if I am more Sally than Katrina. The first time I saw it I was at home and I thought that Sally was one of the most extraordinary, deep and at the same time light female character I’ve ever seen, and that her incapability of expressing herself was me. For this reason now Sally, through me, expresses herself on the stage."

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#5

Federico, "Big Fish" (2003)

Federico, "Big Fish" (2003)

"Tim Burton is my favorite director, in his career he has always talked about outcasts and I, feeling like that, have always felt listened to. I chose this film because I am a dreamer, a romantic, an idealist, just like Edward Bloom, the protagonist. I also like writing, telling stories, and I like this thing of him of telling stories adorning them, embellishing them, because otherwise they wouldn’t be the same: my favorite scene is the one in which they tell to the son the story of when he was born, his face says everything."

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Peppy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love this story, it’s deceptively simple, but so perceptive and true of many family situations. The casting was perfect too, in my opinion

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Some stats? The most chosen films at the moment were Truffaut’s "The 400 Blows" and Zemeckis’ "Back to the Future", both at 4, but 165 different films were still chosen (always out of 200, obviously). You can find the complete ranking of films on the Film People project website, on the Movies page.

The director who has been chosen the most times? Quentin Tarantino, at 6 with four different films ("Pulp Fiction", "Reservoir Dogs", "Jackie Brown" and "Django Unchained"): like him, the only one to have had such a variety of different films was Stanley Kubrick (at 5 with four different films: "2001 A Space Odyssey", "Lolita", "A Clockwork Orange" and "Eyes Wide Shut").

#6

Paola, "The Goonies" (1985)

Paola, "The Goonies" (1985)

"It’s the most representative movie of my childhood, I chose it because I think it’s a formative film, it made me think a lot about the approach with a freak. It’s been educational seeing the friendship between Sloth and Chunk, it overturns the aesthetic vision: here the monster is not a monster, but the real monsters are others."

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#7

Lucrezia,

Lucrezia,

"I went to the British Schools and once, when I was 8, they showed us this movie, obviously in the original language, during an afternoon where we ate peanut butter popcorn, that arrived appositely from England to make us live a typical British afternoon. My passion for foreign languages and for English was born that day, then I studied Languages and now I teach it. This movie really marked my working life. I showed it to my daughters and now we have a small ceramic Falcor in the living room."

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Kat Lyle
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I literally swallow hard just seeing the title. So many emotions.

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The most loved decade, as expected, was the '80s, chosen 41 times (followed by the '00s of the new millennium at 38 and the '90s at 36). In any case, the films chosen range from 1932 to 2023: there really is something for all tastes.

#8

Francesco, "Jurassic Park" (1993)

Francesco, "Jurassic Park" (1993)

"I chose this film because it’s the first one I saw in a movie theater and it opened a whole new world to me, it introduced me to the magnificent of the big screen. I still watch it gladly, it makes me feel like I was 13, in a dark theater, with some giant dinosaurs in front of me. Jurassic Park was the key that opened the doors to my love for cinema, I also have a t-shirt, I know it by heart."

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DrBronxx
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I watched this film again early this year, and it's one of those rare films, like The Matrix, that will absolutely blow me away every time I see it. Also, the CGI still more-or-less holds up, 30 years later.

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#9

Alex, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975)

Alex, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975)

"This movie portrays an era where everything seems to follow different directions, in culture, in music, in rhythm, in energy. Frank-N-Furter has a backbone of experience drama, he could also be Macbeth, he could be whatever he wanted to be. It’s like a party, craziness, that you’d like to share with your friends, but you like to be your own secret, at the same time. Don’t dream it, be it: it’s a song from the movie, but it fits me perfectly."

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Sensitive Issues
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is my all time favorite movie, it's exactly as you say, it's wonderful.

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#10

Matteo, "Pulp Fiction" (1994)

Matteo, "Pulp Fiction" (1994)

"Among all the movies that I like, this is the one that made me understand that cinema can be not only something you can appreciate but it’s something to love. Three years ago I came to Rome to become film director and if it I hadn’t see Pulp Fiction maybe I would never have got out from Brianza."

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Shark Lady
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pulp Fiction just isn't for me, tried it a few times in case I missed something because of all the hype, but still nope. If I ever voice this you would think that I strangle kittens considering the reaction I get.

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#11

Francesco, "Blade Runner" (1982)

Francesco, "Blade Runner" (1982)

"This movie made me passionate about 3D graphics and special effects, so much that I pursued a career in this field for 10 years, more or less. Of all the jobs I did, graphics was the one that gave me more satisfactions and if I lived this beautiful experience I owe it to Blade Runner."

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gie
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This resonates with me deeply. In my early 20's I found my love of sci-fi subgenre cyberpunk and Blade runner tore my mind wide open since most of my knowledge were all book based. I owe plenty to sci-fi bc it changed my life in ways that reflect who I am as an adult. Sci-fi gave me so much and help shape my adult life in many ways my younger self could not imagine.

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#12

Mathilde, "Bagdad Cafe" (1987)

Mathilde, "Bagdad Cafe" (1987)

"I love the encounter between these two women, this German woman who doesn’t speak English and this African American woman, it’s an incredible encounter. This movie changed my vision of the world, I mean, when I saw it I was very young and I immediately understood that, even if a person comes from another country, he has another color or speaks another language, it’s possible to understand each other and share something. It was my mother who showed me this movie and I don’t know if she did it to teach me something, to show me the image of a strong woman, maybe yes. Since then I have greatly admired strong and independent women and I hope to have become one of them."

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Sallian
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I recommend this movie to everyone. The relationship between the 2 main female characters is a touchstone of friendship and acceptance. It's also the reason why I'll watch anything with CCH Pounder in it. The theme song is just gorgeous.

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#13

Gianmaria, "Her" (2013)

Gianmaria, "Her" (2013)

"It’s the movie that made me understand how is possible to communicate with images, colors, cinematography, soundtrack. On the other hand I found emotional and sentimental affinities with the protagonist: in some situations that he lives, with some differences, I’ve seen myself, on some reflections, how the emotions resound in us, the relationship with others. These are all themes that I bring to my heart and I often come back to this movie."

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#14

Dante, "Lost In Translation" (2003)

Dante, "Lost In Translation" (2003)

"I’ve chosen this movie for its aesthetic beauty, the cinematography, the slow pace story and the fact that it’s a romance. When I travel, every time I am on a airplane, I watch it because it’s always available to watch! And I feel the same when I go in a new place, I feel lost in translation! The first time I watched it I cried when the man says goodbye, it’s a genuine moment and it’s a mystery, because you can’t hear what he says. It’s beautiful."

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gie
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

First time I visited Tokyo, Japan I was by myself. I had the soundtrack from Lost in Translation ready in my iPod. Some movies really stay with you for a lifetime.

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#15

Fabrizio, "Nuovo Cinema Paradiso" (1988)

Fabrizio, "Nuovo Cinema Paradiso" (1988)

"I saw this movie in my senior year of high school when I still hadn’t decided whether to leave for college or stay, it would have been a sacrifice for my parents and, on the other hand, I wasn’t sure I really wanted it. This movie was one of the main reasons that made me decide to leave for university. Later, every time I’ve seen this movie, it gave me particular significant regarded life. And then it’s a wonderful film for several reasons, still now when I see an empty square I imagine that someone arrives and tells 'The square is mine, the square is mine!'"

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#16

Sara, "City Of Angels" (1998)

Sara, "City Of Angels" (1998)

"Free will is an important topic for me. How free are we to choose, really, even when we believe we have freedom of choice? How much was already written and how much can we choose? Just that, these are the themes that made me choose this movie: I’ve been always interested in reincarnation, about angels, so it’s not difficult to me to imagine an angel that falls and becomes human or an angel who cannot choose."

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Patricia Steward
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a remake of Wim Wenders ' 1987 film Wings of Desire, which is VASTLY more beautiful and less commercial.

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#17

Benedetto, "Suspiria" (2018)

Benedetto, "Suspiria" (2018)

"This movie is part of my life, I am very passionate about witchy cinema, and therefore all the films about this topic. Suspiria is a sort of milestone of this kind of cinema, for its avant-garde style: I like the use of colors on the actresses’ faces. I think there is always a dark side to both teaching and learning, often hidden, but which should emerge more. I love the ending and Goblin’s soundtrack is also perfect."

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Joshua David
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love the original. When I watch it, i can picture a fashion house using it for inspo in a collection. All the vibrant colors, the red orange blood. All of it. Very 70s themed with the models in hair and makeup to fit the aesthetic to the time. Please. Someone do this. McQueen maybe?

#18

Angelo, "Snatch" (2000)

Angelo, "Snatch" (2000)

"This film reflects my personality a lot because it’s varied, it changes often, it’s varied in the representation of the scenes, in the style, in the soundtrack. I am a person who gets tired of things easily, I always like to change, I have no fixations, I always want to do different things and the film represents a lot of this aspect of me. The first time I’ve seen it, I was immediately struck by the particulars, the details, the editing: for example, the character who calls from London wears socks with Union Jack or Benicio Del Toro’s sudden changes of clothes. Moreover, the story is funny, surprising and the soundtrack is magnificent: every now and then Mirwais’ 'Disco Science' plays in my head."

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#19

Marcel, "Good Bye Lenin!" (2003)

Marcel, "Good Bye Lenin!" (2003)

"Being a German born in 1988, a story like this touches me a lot. A beautiful story that helps to comprehend Germany today and explains a bit the feelings of German people. I live far from Germany for a lot of years and when I speak about German cinema with people, this is a movie that everybody knows, so for me it’s something familiar, with which I can identify myself."

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#20

Maurizio, "Raging Bull" (1980)

Maurizio, "Raging Bull" (1980)

"It’s one of the few movies that I can rewatch and I always like. I watched it for the first time alone, at night, and sometimes I watch it in the same way. When I don’t know what to watch and I want to see a movie that I like, I always pick this one or a couple of other movies."

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#21

Giuseppe, "Jackie Brown" (1997)

Giuseppe, "Jackie Brown" (1997)

"When I started working for a Swedish company I had to speak in English. I thought about taking a course, but I already knew English, I just needed to speak it and overcome my shyness. I am shy, introverted, so I thought of throwing myself into something that made me embarrassed, so I decided to take a theater course. At first I was shaking, but after a year I would go up on stage and feel at home, people were having fun, I was brilliant. They told me that, in their opinion, as a young man I dressed in a bizarre way, with weird hairstyles, they thought I was eccentric.

Actually, at the time the only thing that characterized me was the flat cap, I took that hat from Samuel L. Jackson in this film and I chose it because that look has influenced my life a lot. His character has a very cool style for someone like me who came from the outskirts of Naples and the flat cap was very important for me in those years, when I walked into clubs with those strange hats, the others had an excuse to talk to me."

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Joshua David
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to work in a video store in the early 00s. It was a miserable job most of the time, but I was exposed to so many good films. This was one of them.

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#22

Francesca, "Cléo From 5 To 7" (1962)

Francesca, "Cléo From 5 To 7" (1962)

"I chose this movie as the opening of my film festival, Visionaer: every year we have an homage to a female director and last year we chose Agnes Varda, mother of the French New Wave. This is her second movie, it follows Cleo through the streets of Paris for two hours of her life: when I’ve seen it I would stay watching her life for more than 20.000 hours! I love the natural and enchanting way in which Agnes lead us in her protagonist’s life, it really touched me."

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#23

Serena, "Closer" (2004)

Serena, "Closer" (2004)

"This movie represents my sentimental education: someone has Flaubert, someone Closer. In this film you can find all you need to know about relationships, either good or bad way. After seeing the movie, I read the play written by Marber. One of my dreams is to attend the play in a theatre."

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The Original Bruno
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was disappointed it had nothing to do with Mariano Rivera. (If you don't get it: That's "closer" as in one who closes, as in the pitcher you bring in to end a baseball game. Mariano Rivera was the greatest closer by far in history.)

#24

Paolo, "Happiness" (1998)

Paolo, "Happiness" (1998)

"I still have a vivid memory of the impression he made on me, which was very strong. This movie collect very intimate stories of very normal people who, however, have something monstrous in this normality: sometimes normality crushes people and makes something truly poisonous come out, because normality is too narrow to us. People are pervaded by currents, by impulses, which often go beyond the boundaries of normality and if not channeled, sublimated, brought to the surface in a safe and controlled way, they can really turn against themselves or against others. Something terrible could happen at any moment."

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Jester Man
Community Member
1 year ago

This comment has been deleted.

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#25

Nesligül, "The Double Life Of Veronique ( La Double Vie De Véronique)" (1991)

Nesligül, "The Double Life Of Veronique ( La Double Vie De Véronique)" (1991)

"I always remember the first time that I’ve seen it and the feelings that it gave to me and it brought to my body too: it touched my soul but it was also something physical. When I feel happy or I feel hopeless, whenever I feel something really intense, I watch this movie. Every time I see it, I think I see something different. I remember the first time that I’ve seen it, I was studying in Ankara, in Turkey, I can remember that the film had the same feelings I had in my life, the same atmosphere."

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Michael Fuhry
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree, a terrific film all around. Kieślowski's Blue White Red series of films was also so brilliant. I can never decide though which will be my favorite: Blue or Red?

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#26

Giovanni, "The Secret In Their Eyes (El Secreto De Sus Ojos)" (2009)

Giovanni, "The Secret In Their Eyes (El Secreto De Sus Ojos)" (2009)

"This movie is a deep journey into the human soul, into the passions we live. It debates on three topics that I particularly care about: love, passing of time and absence. This film use these subjects as a way to enter human emotions and does it so gently, through looks, the unsaid. Above all, passing of time is a topic that really fascinates me, for several reasons."

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#27

Chiara, "Jules And Jim" (1962)

Chiara, "Jules And Jim" (1962)

"I love Truffaut a lot, he’s the director that made me love cinema. Like Jules and Jim, I’ve been thrilled by Jeanne Moreau, I really love her in this movie. Basically, it’s a film that breaks the rules, where there is neither winner nor loser, everybody suffers and rejoices in the same way. Then I’ve read the book too, it’s incredible how Truffaut keeps their poetry and its mood."

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#28

Chiara, "The Thin Red Line" (1998)

Chiara, "The Thin Red Line" (1998)

"When I saw this movie I was at home and, even if it’s very long, I can’t stop watching: it gave me a sensation of connection not only with cinema, so with the beauty of what I was seeing, but with the idea of 'Oh my God, I’m alive, I’m in this world, I have to do something!!'"

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#29

Lorenzo, "All About My Mother (Todo Sobre Mi Madre)" (1999)

Lorenzo, "All About My Mother (Todo Sobre Mi Madre)" (1999)

"When I was a child I was enthralled by the movie poster, almost cubist, where there is this woman with large red lips. Later I saw the movie, it was the first time I saw a Pedro Almodovar film and I understood how fundamental our passions were, in our life, but above all our own authenticity, like Agrado says in the movie, in her monologue in the theater."

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#30

Fabio, "Invincible" (2001)

Fabio, "Invincible" (2001)

"I don’t know why I chose this movie, maybe because it makes me think about a magic. In this film there is a travel, different aspects of the world, of life. Actually I don’t remember it very well, it’s more an irrational feeling. It has several dimensions: interior, exterior, sentimental, historical. It’s a sweet movie, I can watch it more times without be tired: I trust in Herzog."

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#31

Sonia, "Before Sunrise" (1995)

Sonia, "Before Sunrise" (1995)

"I chose the first film of the trilogy, but all three are equally important to me. Growing up, the Linklater’s trilogy is a bit like it went along with my life. I’ve seen this movie in 2004 and, with the passing of the years, these characters reflect you, also because there’s been a film every decade. When you watch a movie, often it brings you back to to an old you who is not longer in that way, it takes you back in time, but growing up with the movies is something that upsets you a bit, it makes you feel understood. In these movies you find yourself in dynamics of couple that go beyond love. After watching “Before Sunrise” I went to Vienna to look for the locations of the movie, it’s been the first cine-tourism of my life!"

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DrBronxx
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I really loved the first two films. I haven't seen the third one. The reason I haven't seen it isn't a good one, but I like it - basically, I like not having seen a few films that I will probably like. It's nice that they're out there. They're there for me to watch....eventually.

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#32

Martina, "Annie Hall" (1977)

Martina, "Annie Hall" (1977)

"The first time I saw it I was at home, on my couch, and while I was laughing I asked myself how could this movie know me so well: Alvy represents my male side and Annie, somehow, my female side. It was the first Woody Allen movie that I saw, since then he became my favorite director."

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