Roads less traveled: the best travel films
by Inigo C. Pieraz
Traveling is one of life’s greatest luxuries. But needing both plenty of money and spare time to do so, very few people today have the luxury to travel as they please. Films, however, are able to offer us another option.
With their ability to transport audiences to new and mysterious lands, watching a film is definitely the most inexpensive way to travel anywhere today. The films below, ranging from independently-produced films to major studio productions, depict places that can open up doors to entirely new worlds–where the only ticket you will ever really need is a working DVD player.
Lost In Translation (Tokyo, Japan)
Lost In Translation
Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, Lost In Translation tells the story of two lost souls who find themselvesconnecting in a bizarre foreign land. Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is a washed-up forty-something Hollywood actor, and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) is a vulnerable young wife unhappily married to a globe-trotting photographer.
One evening, these two lonely Americans strike up an unusual friendship, and they end up exploring Tokyo together. Coppola’s Japan is both familiar and totally foreign. It’s a Japan without the tired cliches—there are no sushi bars, no geishas, no sumo wrestlers. Instead, what we find is a country characterized by excessive modernization and overpopulation.
The brilliance of the films lies in the contrast between the quiet loneliness of the two main characters, set against the backdrop of a dynamic, dazzling city that is so obviously full of life.
Before Sunset
Before Sunset (Vienna, Austria)
Written and directed by acclaimed American filmmaker Richard Linklater, Before Sunset tells the story of Jesse (Ethan Hawke), an American visiting Europe for the very first time, and Celine (Julie Delpy), a young French woman making her way to Vienna. The two instantly connect on the train, and Jesse is able to convince Celine to explore Vienna with him.
What unfolds next is a fascinating, thought-provoking 60-minute long conversation between Celine and Jesse. The two talk about everything, from bizarre childhood memories to their dreams and uncertainties towards the future. Through it all, the film unfolds against the backdrop of picturesque Vienna.
While the true star of Before Sunset remains to be its brilliant, pitch-perfect script, the city of Vienna, with its historic Churches, lush parks, and hip night clubs, is a star in its own right.
The Beach (Thailand)
The Beach
Few other films have weaved plot and setting so seamlessly as Danny Boyle’s The Beach. It tells the story of a young American named Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio), who has come to Southeast Asia to escape his monotonous life back home. He hears of a mysterious beach located in far-away island. Together with his friends, he makes it his mission to try and find this little piece of paradise.
While the plot and the film’s pacing remains quite uneven, the majesty of the setting is undeniable. The Beach, which was filmed on location at the Phi Phi Islands off the coast of Thailand, is so beautifully shot it almost looks like an ad campaign. Coconut trees, limestone cliffs, and crystal clear blue waters complete this picture of paradise.
Ratatouille
Ratatouille (Paris, France)
The city of Paris has been immortalized in film countless times. This animated movie about a talking rat wanting to become a chef, however, takes Paris to a new, more delicious direction.
Pixar’s Ratatouille tells the unusual story of Remy, a sewage rat who has dreamed of becoming a chef. When he realizes that, after all this time, he has been living under the gourmet capital of the world, he finally sees an opportunity of fulfilling his life-long dream. Of course, the road to becoming a chef in the gourmet capital of the world, is not an easy one, as Remy soon finds out.
Using animation certainly did not hamper the wizards over at Pixar from creating a Paris that is both believable, yet dream-like. Scenes such as Linguini’s nighttime bike-ride through Paris’ dark streets, and the chase scene between Remy and Chef Skinner across the Riven Seine depict a city that is colorful, lively, and completely stylish.
Into The Wild
Into the Wild
There are films depicting beautiful images of foreign lands that are so beautiful they almost look like tourism ads. And then there are films like Into The Wild–a film that isn’t so much about the predictably-picturesque destination, but rather about the journey getting there.
Directed by Sean Penn, Into The Wild tells the story of recent college graduate, Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch). Right after graduation, he abandons all of his possessions to embark on a one-man journey to Alaska, with literally nothing on him but the clothes on his back.
Along the way, Christopher meets a slew of fascinating characters that touch his life in different ways. What unfolds is a poignant, painful, yet exhilarating journey that is infinitely more fascinating than even the destination itself.
Last Emperor
The Last Emperor (Beijing, China)
In 1987, when China was still largely shrouded in mystery, it took an opulent, extravagant period film to introduce the West to China’s enigmatic history. The Last Emperor is a sweeping a biopic of the life of Pu Yi (John Lone), China’s lastemperor. It traces his life from birth all the way up to his deadly political encounters with the Chinese communist authorities.
Helmed by Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, the film is perhaps best known for its brilliant technical achievements. The attention to detail that Bertolucci pays to the costumes and set design easily transports anyone who watches the film. Shots of the Forbidden City, with its majestic rooms and grandiose courtyards, completes this picture of 20th century China.
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire (Mumbai, India)
Who could ever forget about the remarkable story of a young man who joins a nationally-televised contest just to win back the girl of his dreams? Simple in plot but brilliant in execution, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire pays as much a homage to India as it does to young love.
Shot entirely on location on the streets of the city of Mumbai, Slumdog Millionaire effortlessly captures the energy and vibrancy of Mumbai. What we see is not a sugar-coated version of this Indian city. Rather, we are presented with the devastating realities of city life in a third-world country. Still, it’s easy to fall in love with this Mumbai, with its colorful streets, dynamic citizens, and age-old traditions.
City of God
City of God (Brazil)
One of the most acclaimed foreign-language films of the last decade, City of God is a Brazilian crime drama released in 2002.
The film revolves around three gang members who steal from different businesses around Rio’s streets. Reminiscent of Robin Hood, they split the money that the are able to steal from these businesses with the impoverished residents of the cidade de Dios–the city of God.
Director Fernando Meirelles does not attempt to gloss over the issues that hound the city of Rio. City of God is a brash and unsettling look at Brazil’s local crime scene. Beautifully-shot, it’s impossible to not be totally engrossed by this Brazilian film.
Hotel Rwanda (Rwanda)
Hotel Rwanda
It’s difficult for a film to be both gripping, yet inspiring at the same time. Hotel Rwanda, directed by American filmmaker Terry George, manages to be both.
The film, which takes place during the Rwandan genocide of 1994, revolves around the story of a man named Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), and his courageous attempts to try and shelter his friends and family, plus thousands of other refugees inside his Rwandan hotel.
The film manages to do the near-impossible–that is, present an image of Africa that is neither a cliche nor unrealistic. No lions, hippos, and indigenous tribes here.
What the film instead does is to shed light on a subject that has been largely ignored by popular art. Through it all, the country of Rwanda takes center stage. In Hotel Rwanda, what we see is a country that has a proud but broken people, ready to embrace the challenges of modernization.
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