There are some films that few people know of. That fewer people have seen. But sometimes they are films that possess qualities surpassing many of the well-known, widely distributed commercial ones.
Take for example Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, a truly fantastic movie about happiness, predictability and order, presented through a series of intertwined events in the lives of four people. This is probably probably the only movie where I found Matthew McConaughey to be quite good. John Turturro, a favourite of mine, and Alan Arkin, another amazing actor, are both excellent their respective roles (Alan Arkin really steals the show). I first saw ’13 conversations’ about a year ago on the, at the time newly introduced, Hellenic Public Digital TV channel Cine+. I have to admit that, despite being a cinephile I had not heard of it until then. And what a pleasant surprise it was. Among the numerous cheap b-movies, the occasional hollywood blockbuster and the mid 20th century arty films the channel broadcasts (due to lack of funds I presume), jewels such as ’13 conversations’ occasionally crop up. The movie focuses on the exceptional, the rare type of interaction, between strangers, family members, couples. It presents occasions of extreme sadness and happiness both through everyday events and through exceptional circumstances. The urban setting does not matter in this movie’s appeal; on the contrary: the acting and the richness of the characters, their exceptional stories, so different to their unexceptional lives, blend in, as they would in any environment.
’13 Conversations’ is one of those pleasant surprises, a jewel hidden among the scores of rubbish coming out of Hollywood. But it’s those little known movies that we get to find once in a while that prove that there’s still hope for U.S. cinema.
