Movies, movies, movies… Movies that keep us warm, that we can’t stop thinking about for a long time, that have us going to class or work with zero sleep, but we forgive them because we just have to know how it is going to end. Movies that enchant us, transport us to other realms, that enable us to think, that help us forget or remember. Movies that we love, movies that we hate, and movies that we love to hate. Cinobo manages to remind us of movies that bring us closer, that literally or figuratively know no borders.
Cinobo is the first Greek online streaming platform specializing in independent and arthouse cinema. It’s a platform created by cinema lovers for cinema lovers.
The proudly film-loving TEDxAUTH team fell in love with this platform at first… preview. And since love doesn’t hide easily, we decided to share with you our own Cinobo-movie suggestions:
1. In the Mood for Love
(2000, dir. Wong Kar-wai, Romance-Drama)
In the Mood for Love, a story about love in the conservative Hong-Kong of the 1960s. Wong Kar-wai, the punctilious architect of a masterpiece of aesthetic superiority. Sensual, seductive, intoxicating, romantic, with restrained eroticism. The movie depicts betrayal, adultery, misery, pain, love, loneliness, loss, friendship, internal struggle, erotic desire, unexpected love, unfulfilled emotions and the atrocity of memory. The precise framing, the captivating slow motion, the revealing silences, the inscrutable pauses, the impassioned sound of the violin and the dark coloured atmosphere depict its strikingly eerie eternal beauty.
Stella Ch.
2. Mother
(2009, dir. Bong Joon-Ho, Police-Thriller-Drama)
Long before the success of the movie “Parasite”, Bong Joon-Ho was already established as an excellent director and scriptwriter that has perfected the art of psychological thriller and mystery. His mastery is proven once again in his fourth movie, “Mother”, released in 2009. Following a Mother (Kim Hye-ja) that tries to find the killer that framed her son (Yoon Do-joon) for the murder of a girl, the viewer cannot help but get shocked with the story’s spunk and dark beauty. Bong Joon-Ho leads the movie to an enigma that overcomes our beliefs regarding mystery movies, submerging our brain within a game to discover the real murderer.
Traianos K.
3. La Belle Époque
(2019, dir. Nicolas Bedos, Dramatic Comedy)
What would happen if you could travel to an era of your choice through a script and some well-made scenery? Victor, drowning inside his marriage and his own life, does not leave the chance unexploited when it appears in front of him. To everyone’s dismay, he chooses to relive one of the most important moments for him. Emotional, romantic, human, it’s a beautiful story that doesn’t fail in showing not only love, its vulnerabilities, and its various volumes in different moments of life, but also the power that our memories hide within them.
Katerina Ts.
4. The Swallows of Kabul
(2019, dir. Éléa Gobbé-Mévellec and Zabou Breitman, Animation-War-Drama)
Set in the city of Kabul during the 90s, the movie version of the book that bears the same name follows the lives of two couples, in the time when Afghanistan is under the Taliban regime. On the one hand, the restrained Mohsen and the lively Zunaira live and dream about their future inside their small house’s four walls. On the other hand, the compassionate Atiq looks after Musarrat, his wife, who suffers from cancer. That’s until their lives are intertwined, through a sad and tragic way. With a duration of only 81 minutes, this movie combines the seriousness of the issue with the innocence of an animation film. The choice of the animation genre manages to move the viewer, through the emotionally charged frames that don’t focus much on the raw depiction of violence or fear, but on self-sacrifice, hope, love, and the fragility of human freedom.
Despina L.
5. I, Tonya
(2017, dir. Craig Gillespie, Biography-Dramatic Comedy)
What would you do to make it to the top? To achieve the unachievable and go down in history? To follow your dreams and excel at it? The movie “I, Tonya” follows the life of Tonya Harding, from the moment she laid foot on the ice rink of figure skating to the moment she left it. The story of the impulsive, untamable, and eccentric athlete is presented along with some “interviews” of the protagonists today. This original narrative form highlights the juxtaposition between the various characters’ versions of the story and especially the commonly known shocking event that threw Tonya off her favourite rink. The movie shows the humanity of life even of those whose names are signed in history. With Margot Robbie starring as the girl that loved ice skating more than anything and Sebastián Stan starring as her first husband, they both share a story of suffering, competition, of a seemingly unattainable dream and a girl’s unswerving determination.
Jane M.
6. The Florida Project
(2017, dir. Sean Baker, Social-Drama)
It’s definitely not another typical American movie. Sean Baker follows a group of young children that act outside of the warmth and protection of a traditional family in a slum beneath the shadow of Florida’s Disney World. These young children bear witness of a poor, unjust, dangerous world but still maintain their childish nature through their games and shenanigans. Some things aren’t what they seem however, and this movie might just be able to prove it. It’s a chance to consider what is hidden behind the rich and beautiful material “paradises” in the whole world.
Zoi P.
7. Prince of Darkness
(1987, dir. John Carpenter, Thriller-Horror)
Prince of darkness is a horror film written and directed by John Carpenter. It is the second instalment in Carpenter’s “Apocalypse Trilogy”, commencing with “The Thing” (1982) and deduced with “In the Mouth of Madness” (1994). The movie revolves around a group of scientists and university students who while investigating a desolate church, come across an enigmatic cylinder containing a peculiar liquid. When opened, an evil force straight from hell is unleashed and has to be stopped. The film (although admittedly not the best of the trilogy) is gripping and well written, however, I appreciate it not only for its artistic totality, but also due to the subtle messages it leaves for the viewer to decipher and reflect on long after they’ve left the cinema, providing ground to ruminate on during times of inner and external turbulence.
Viki G.
TEDxAUTH loves Cinobo and Cinobo loves YOU!
That’s why Cinobo offers a one-month free trial to new users (+free trial of 14 days offered by the platform anyway) using
the code 22TEDXAUTH
The code can be redeemed until April 17th in Greece and Cyprus
ENJOY!
Cinobo is the Greek streaming platform and distribution company that specialises in independent and arthouse cinema. It was created in 2020, and it holds presence in Greece and Cyprus, with the vision of bringing “great cinema to every screen”, carefully collaging selective cinematic content from the whole world and Greece that is usually scattered or even hard to find. Nowadays, Cinobo gives access to the longest catalogue of independent cinema through an extensively curated online film library for every mood. You can access the platform through the Smart TV application, a smartphone or a tablet, as well as through cinobo.com on your computer. The user is granted a free trial for 14 days after which the fee is 7.99€ / month, without any long term commitment. They have access to the entire catalogue, with the ability to watch from 2 screens simultaneously, as well as the ability to watch without any connection.
#sponsored