In a world where films are “packaged” with great visuals, dynamic sequences, and pretty actors, shooting a film in black and white is a calculated stylistic risk. While many studios are uncomfortable with black-and-white films due to their gloomy market perception, the monochromatic format provides perfect contrast between where reality ends and where cinema begins.
The black-and-white format is normally preferred by auteurs and artists, as they try to create a unique cinematic experience that offers an unconventional break from conventional movies. While colorful movies might be entertaining and engaging in the moment, black-and-white films are deep and satisfying, carving out a place in our hearts and minds for eternity.
10 The White Ribbon (2009)
Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon starts off as a children’s story before gradually turning into a meditation on the genesis of violence and the grotesque shadow it casts on society. Told as a parable, Haneke’s film provides a closer look at how evil festers and where it comes from with its static photography and colorless visuals.
The White Ribbon disturbingly leverages the monochromatic approach to add a visual layer to the nature of violence, while being ambiguous and observatory in its opinion.
9 Tabu (2012)
O Som e a Fúria
Komplizen Film
Gullane
Shellac Sud
Tabu is slow and ambiguous to begin with, but picks up when we’re introduced to the “Paradise Lost” part of the film. Told in three parts, Miguel Gomes’ film explores the realization of true love and the loss of it. Tabu is a moody, aesthetic masterpiece that’s unperturbed and hazy in its approach as it tells the intense love story between a woman Aurora and her adventurous lover Ventura.
8 Blue Jay (2016)
Simple yet stylistic, Blue Jay is a bittersweet reflection of love and life shared by two high-school lovers who bump into each other after 20 years. Taking a walk done memory lane, high school sweethearts Amanda (Sarah Paulson) and Jim (Mark Duplass) reminisce about the good times and the bad, while evaluating the fabric of their current lives.
Directed by Alex Lehmann (who also shot the film), Blue Jay is a wistful tale interspersed with nostalgia, moody visuals, and a tone that’s tinged with maturity and melancholy.
7 Frances Ha (2012)
Frances Ha is Noah Baumbach’s love letter to New York. Very reminiscent of Woody Allen’s style of filmmaking and the French New Wave movement, Frances Ha is a feel-good film that’s bound to cheer you up on a rainy day. Apart from gorgeous visuals, Baumbach’s film is a melting pot of cultural references that aren’t overly intellectual but are present in abundance.
6 A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
The thought of a vampire on a skateboard is more gimmicky than it’s scary. But Ana Lily Amirpour’s film changes this perception and is a surprisingly enjoyable watch, as it mixes romance with horror. Touching upon pertinent conundrums of modern-day existence, Amirpour’s film is stylish and surreal, raw and real, trudging between the lines of a spaghetti western and gory slasher.
5 Mank (2020)
With Mank, David Fincher wanted to encapsulate Hollywood’s ethos during the 30s and 40s with a particular focus on Citizen Kane, and its screenwriter, Herman J Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman). Based on a screenplay written by his late father Jack Fincher, Mank is a tumultuous film that uses a dreamy monochrome palette to transport us back in time. Fincher’s film is a boozy affair led by an incredibly charming and impressionable Oldman, as he uses his wit and satire to navigate through the underbelly of Hollywood’s dark side.
4 The Lighthouse (2019)
Robert Eggers' film is a deep dive into the insanity of man’s mind. Fueled with alcohol and a lack of company, two lighthouse workers begin to spiral into madness as they're stranded on a remote island during the stormy season. As the two men go through their motions, we witness the erosion of their sanity along with the air being curdled with sour moods and sharp tongues, drenched in the highs and lows of alcohol-induced reveries.
3 The Turin Horse (2011)
The Turin Horse is as raw of a film as ever could be. Béla Tarr’s last feature is aptly representative of the legendary director’s career, stripped from any sense of redemption and loaded with aesthetics. Tarr’s film is sparse and measured in its approach, as it focuses more on observing the story rather than manipulating the drama. The Turin Horse has a minimum number of shots (30, being precise), accompanied by sporadic dialogues, as it quietly observes man’s degradation to the oblivion of destituteness.
The Turin Horse is an existential drama that’s not easy to watch, but provides valuable insights into humanity and the lengths it could potentially fall too.
2 Roma (2018)
Roma is almost like a painting carved out of Alfonso Cuarón's memory. A vignette of his childhood told through breathtaking visuals, watching Roma is like peeping into the director’s past through a large black-and-white prism that acts as a teleportation device. Cuarón's film perfectly portrays Mexico during the early '70s, juxtaposing the everyday monotony with large-scale cinematography and a string of commendable performances.
1 Cold War (2018)
- Opus Film
Set against the backdrop of WWII-torn Poland, Cold War explores the intense love story of an upcoming singer Zula and music composer, Wiktor. A classic tale of inseparable love and eternal romance, Cold War perfectly captures the essence of romance, minus the cheesy bits.
Pawel Pawlikowski’s film is essential viewing for anybody and everybody who appreciates good world cinema, rich with gorgeous black-and-white cinematography and a plethora of cultural innuendos.