10 Surprising Movies About Behind-The-Scenes, Films-Within-Films

In recent years we had a fair amount of biopics, historical, or based on true story movies about the film industry, what is happening behind the scenes and in the lives of artists during, after or in-between productions. Most of those films are conventional in nature, following recipes that have been around since the creation of Cinema, while others use creative new ways to tell stories that audiences might already know. Of course, the most recent example of such films is Tarantino supposedly penultimate film, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, a period piece mixing real events or people and pure fabrications, that somehow falls in the middle. It is, in part, a fairly standard representative of this "genre" despite ingenious additions and, it comes with a twist. (Well what did you expect from QT!?) Another example that will completely fall into the second category is Salvador Simó’s Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles, also released this year. Inspired by the stories of how Buñuel made his second documentary, the filmmaker created an aptly animated feature which allows for dream sequences worthy of the surrealist maestro. And so, we will focus on movies closer to that later types, films that are more than a mere Hollywood pastiche patting itself on the back, rehashing myth and legend; projects that are not your typical or straightforward artist biography. Thus, the following 10 films from all over the world offer unique, noteworthy, or rarely explored perspectives on the subjects. 1. One Cut Of The Dead One Cut Of The Dead is Shinichiro Ueda 2017 Japanese zombie film, that changed everything for a lot of people, became an instant cult-classic, and one of our favorite movies! The film, made as part of a small workshop, is the kind of project that shows us that there are still ways to revolutionize the industry and surprise audiences even with a low budget and no big names. The film is of many genres and is a genre of itself, but it is sold as a typical midnight-madness type crowd-pleaser with zombies and mayhems. However, past the first act, it is more than meets the eyes, offering a delirious yet grounded comedy surprising everyone. It is hard to talk about One Cut of the Dead without spoiling it, but in few words, it is the story of the extremely low-budget production of a zombie flick. The cast and crew are waiting for the shoot to begin when suddenly things get real. One Cut of the Dead delivers mind-blowing twists after twists, each scene more unexpected than the previous, and provoking hysterical reactions until the final shot comes and "kills" the audience with laughter. Again, each act, side of the story, or, films-within-the-film pertain to very specific categories or genres in their purest form: comedy, horror, drama, action, and what could very well be a mockumentary. In the end, it is the ultimate blend for maximum entertainment. 2. The Trip (The Trip to Italy and The Trip to Spain!) This one, or should we say these ones, are unconventional ones. They were first released in the UK as TV series but were cut into full- length feature film for international audiences. Hence, they rightfully deserve a seat at this table! The Trip is a project by prolific English filmmaker Michael Winterbottom starring perfectly genuine comedic duo Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing fictionalized versions of themselves. It started as a continuation of their performances in the 2005 A Cock and Bull Story, another Winterbottom feature, where Coogan and Brydon's improvised interactions were pure comedy gold. Of course, they exaggerated aspects of their lives for the films, but all the behind-the-scene details of their lives as reputable British actors continuously looking to work on great films or also to try to make it big in Hollywood, are very realistic. In the first installment, The Trip, Steve and Rob go on a restaurant tour in northern England while off, or in between films. They have to deal with the pressure of being celebrities and balancing work/personal life. We mainly see them debating or arguing about nothing and everything while driving or eating, gossiping about "the biz", making impressions of other actors - and notoriously Michael Caine - but, we also see them genuinely having heart-to-heart conversations about their pasts and futures as aging actors in an industry that is evolving fast and furious. Their discussions are sometimes futile but are highly relatable. Viewers will often be transported in their locations and imagine themselves listening to the men while sitting in the backseat. 3. Knife + Heart Knife+Heart could be seen as the French answer to the late 90s masterpiece Boogie Night, but apart from being set around the same time, and being about the declining adult film industry, they are completely different. Knife+Heart is a 2018 French movie by Yann Gonzalez Paris, set in Paris in 1979 and stars Vanessa Paradis. She is Anne Parèze, a producer of low-budget/indie gay porn that she makes with some of her friends. After some personal drama and stories of a gay killer on the loose, she decides to make an ambitious, artistic, and "serious" glamour film mixing the detective story and events unfolding. Many characters are inspired by real people of this underground scene, including the role of Anne. 4. Reality Not to be confused with Matteo Garrone 2012, an Italian film about reality TV, this Reality is a French-Belgian comedy. Released in 2014, the surreal, bilingual French/English comedy is written and directed by Quentin Dupieux, also known as electronic musician / DJ, Mr. Oizo. Its premise, like many of Dupieux films, is completely otherworldly: It mainly follows Jason Tantra (played by Alain Chabat), a wannabe French director in LA, who is trying to make a horror movie. The only problem is that in order to receive completion funding from an eccentric (also French) producer, he needs to find the "perfect Oscars-worthy scream" in only two days. Jason becomes obsessed, and is chasing this scream 24/7 everywhere he goes, at work on a TV program set, on the street, at the gym, or recording himself howling for hours in his car. He is absorbed in his project and, soon enough, he finds himself somewhere between dreams and reality. But which is which?! 5. Pain & Glory Pain & Glory is the last film of acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar featuring one of his "muse," Antonio Banderas. It might be the least obvious addition to this list as it could easily be your usual melodrama about an artist which happened to be a filmmaker bearing similarity to the maestro himself. It is the story of Salvador Mallo, played by Banderas, a depressed, and somehow ill, movie director reminiscing about his childhood and past relationships, while unsure about his future and his career. There are many lyrical monologues reading like an open diary that rings truer than expected, especially when the film surprisingly incorporates an animated sequence. 6. The Disaster Artist The Disaster Artist is the most faithful biography/real life adaption of this list, and yet, it is too crazy to be real. The 2017 film directed by James Franco, inspired by true events and real people, is adapted from Greg Sestero's memoir about his relationship with the bizarre filmmaker Tom Wiseau and the making of their infamous movie, The Room, labeled 'the worst movie ever made!' In a nutshell, it is a story about how not to make it in Hollywood. On a Cinema history point of view, this project journey is quite amazing. It is about one of the most ridiculed movie by a failed filmmaker in the industry that, became a niche cult-classic, then turned into The Disaster Artist, one of the few critically and commercially successful film of its multi-hyphenate director. 7. Miss Lovely Miss Lovely, by Ashim Ahluwalia, is a 2012 Indian period drama set in 80s Mumbai. It is about two brothers making C-movies and adult films as the industry is facing harder censorship rules and corruption. The film also addresses the brutality filmmakers were subject to in part because of the drastic censorship. Like Knife + Heart, it is more about behind-the-scene turmoils of the 18+ films industry, where producers are basically mob boss, and it is an environment as depraved or violent as you would think it was during those "good old days." Miss Lovely is far from a traditional Bollywood film, and those expecting something mainstream will be, for better or worse, surprised. Yet it blends all the ingredients of classic Indian Cinema: impossible love, treachery, family tension, violence, and some dancing. But is nothing like any other movie out there as it only incorporates those flashy Bollywood style sequences to make a point of contrast with the grimmer and grounded independent drama at its core. Similarly to the aforementioned Knife + Heart, it draws its retro inspiration from sleazy horror films and trippy elements. 8. The Other Side of the Wind The Other Side of the Wind is the kind of experiment keeping us intrigued and confused! It is the last film of Orson Welles released posthumously in 2018 combining the many hours of footage filmed over years. Its production spanning decades was extremely difficult, but it was finished thanks to many collaborators and crowdfunding. To put it simply, The Other Side of the Wind is a mockumentary of sorts about Hollywood and Welles himself. It is the story of the last days of Jake Hannaford, a famous director, celebrating his 70s birthday at a star-studded party where he screens scenes from his unfinished comeback movie. It is also the story of the tumultuous making of that film-within-the-film because of the tension between the protagonist and Jake. The party scenes consist of black-and-white footage where many actors satirically portray characters based on real persons, including contemporary filmmakers and critics. Whereas the movie, shot in color, is an abstract art-house project, clearly inspired by what was/is seen as European "pretentious for nothing" Cinema! Which is quite ironic considering The Other Side of the Wind ends up being itself a unique prestige oddity but not necessarily an accessible one. 9. Pig Pig is a 2018 comedy or satire by Mani Haghighi about the film industry in Iran, highlighting some political aspects of the reality of daily life of artists in the country. Pig's protagonist is Hasan, a director blacklisted from making feature films, hence only able to work on commercials. His world is crumbling at work and at home. On top of that, his creative collaborators who cannot afford not to work, are showing solidarity but leave him for other directors he despises. Hasan is depressed but find a new morbid project pursuing a serial killer decapitating all the famous movie director but with no interest in him. 10. Even the Rain With one of the best well-made film-within-a-film, Even the Rain is an outstanding movie of the greatest quality and depth. Even the Rain is a 2010 Spanish drama directed by Icíar Bollaín with a killer cast, that at first glance, seems to be about the difficulty to film in remote foreign lands like the jungle (Tropic Thunder style!), all while dealing with sensitive politico-social issues. We follow a Mexican director, played by Gael García Bernal (who is also a filmmaker in the 2015 mixed-media project Zoom), his Spanish producer, his cast and crew, dealing with problems far beyond "simple production" setbacks while trying to shoot a period piece about Columbus arrival in Bolivia. The many underpaid indigenous extras they hired are fighting Big Corp. and the local government because they do not want to see their rainwater being privatized. The film addresses various issues such as the fine line between political Art project and propaganda, privilege and (white/Western) guilt, and this almost taboo production system where extras sometimes work for free, or PAs work in extreme conditions for minimum wage while others are overpaid for nothing more than filling forms. This microcosm, sadly, also helps Even the Rain to mirror life and the exploitation of people since the dawn of "civilization."

10 Surprising Movies About Behind-The-Scenes, Films-Within-Films

5. Pain & Glory

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10 Surprising Movies About Behind-The-Scenes, Films-Within-Films

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5. Pain & Glory

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Get All You Can

Jack Wyatt and the Gun from Hell

Sacrilege

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