Blowup (1966)

Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Starring David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, and Sarah Miles.

I first saw this film back in high school, during my 1960s phase, and I mostly saw the film because it looked cool- the story of a photographer investigating a possible murder in swinging London sounded interesting to me. As I watched it, I was entertained by it, but something else happened- I started doing some serious thinking about what I was seeing onscreen, and I started trying to sort out the deeper issues presented by the film instead of simply appreciating it on a surface level. I guess you could say that this was a key film in my development as a serious and active film viewer, which has led me up to, and beyond, the list you're currently reading. But even since then, after I've seen many other films which have engaged me just as deeply as BLOWUP, the film holds up. The film's issues still resonate, the central mysteries (not of the narrative, but of the film's conception) play around in my mind, and on top of it all it's still really entertaining to me.