Michal Chacinski

Ten is a cruel number. I cannot believe there is not enough space to include Chinatown, Blue Velvet, L’Avventura, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Silence (Bergman), Persona, Harakiri (Kobayashi), Yojimbo, My Neighbour Totoro, Withnail & I, or The Wild Bunch – all of them perfect films about the human condition, all with a huge impact on other filmmakers and all boldly withstanding the test of time. But I chose the above ten for yet more reasons: they embody as much of what cinema is, as I see possible; they make up whole worlds, explain who we are, question the sense of existence (or laugh it in the face); they taught me cinema, made me love the movies more than I had before. And each remains a dear friend. I think only one selection requires explanation: The Big Lebowski. Well, he’s the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And the film? It’s a Swiss fucking watch.