tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241337005807314849.post5498543026161738584..comments2010-10-15T07:34:32.020-04:00Anil Usumezbashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17320438983105774241noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241337005807314849.post-86047360258103808882008-05-21T11:34:00.000-04:002008-05-21T11:34:00.000-04:00Evan, I agree that No Country and 4 Months have huge differences but to me, it's always more satisfactory to find similarities, common grounds or at least relevances between two movies. In this case, I have noted the ones that I found interesting, that should not necessarily discard the obvious differences.<BR/><BR/>When I mentioned Requiem, I was only referring to the fact that both movies create a genuine feeling of discomfort in the audience. If the similarity is perceived to be in the storyline and the overall style, then that is a misstatement on my part.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the constructive comments. By the way, I never thought Requiem as a Shakespearean tragedy; a precise observation I must say.Anil Usumezbashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17320438983105774241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241337005807314849.post-84023446029988036242008-05-21T10:53:00.000-04:002008-05-21T10:53:00.000-04:00It is difficult to compare the two simply because you have apples and oranges. Different countries, different styles, different stories, different themes...they share some similarities but on the whole are wildly different. <BR/><BR/>I would also hazard a guess that "No Country" won simply because of familiarity. It's likely that the majority of the "No Country" voters have not even seen "4 Months," which isn't out on DVD yet and had a pitiful theatrical run.<BR/><BR/>Regardless, wonderful thoughts on these two films. "No Country" certainly has at its heart a fear that fate dictates our lives - not God nor even ourselves, but blind, pitiless fate. <BR/><BR/>I'm not sure, however, that "Requiem" and "4 Months" are really that similar. "Requiem" is much more epic and Shakespearean in it's tragedy. The characters start out positive, hopeful, with dreams of being on television and starting fashion businesses. They quickly spiral downwards into an ever darkening abyss until each of their lives have been utterly destroyed in the most cruel of ways. "4 Months" is much more slice-of-life and subdued, much less epic in scope. At the end their lives are not better than they were previously, but they're not significantly different. They still live in Romania with all of it's restrictions, and although they have been damanged emotionally, t hey will sweep it under the rug and go on with their lives. The characters in "Requiem" will be doing no sweeping. <BR/><BR/>If "Requiem" is a full on plane crash, "4 Months" is a minor car crash.Evan Derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00717664805927242148noreply@blogger.com