What is the best directed movie of all time and why?

I may not be able to tell the best directed movie but I do like some movies for the wise use of human emotion and spirituality.

Bahubali 1 and Bahubali 2

Director - SS Rajamouli, Lead - Prabhas

In a scene, Shiva, the lost Prince of Mahismati and Son of Amrendra Bahubali, sets out to free Queen Devasena not knowing she is his mother, for a promise to his lade love. As he moves towards the capital,

He breaks through the mud wall, an ode to Earth (Prithvi) and to Mahadev’s Prithvi lingam.

He charges across fire with his horse, an ode to Fire(Agni) and Mahadev’s Agni Lingam.

He jumps into the moat filled with water, an ode to Water(Jal) and Mahadev’s Jal lingam.

He climbs on the high wall

and then jumps down into Mahismati. This is an ode to Air(Vayu) and space (Aaakash) and respective lingams. When he lands, it is blessed by the five elements of life and our bodies to fight injustice.

At the beginning of Bahubali 1, Shiva lifts the Shivaling and keeps it under the waterfall for his adopted mother. Blessed he climbs the mountain and ultimately finds his destiny.

During the battle with Bhallal Dev when Shiva is injured and down, he takes the ashes from Shivalinga and with Mahadev’s blessing defeats Bhallal and restores his mother.

In the end, the giant golden head of Bhallal Dev’s statue is thrown in the river,

which falls infront of the Shivalinga which was put by Shiva at the beginning of the story, at the feet of the creator.

Camera zooms in on the permanently water abhishek Shivaling and story ends. It signifies that all good or bad begins and ends with the supreme Bhagwan Mahadev where evil no matter how strong will be defeated and justice prevails. Mahadev here also signify righteousness and nature which don’t allow evil to prevail forever.

Agneepath 2012

Director - Karan Malhotra Lead - Hrithik Roshan

Vijay Chauhan dragged by Kancha to meet the fate of his father who was also hanged on the tree by Kancha. The resistance of Vijay inspires the Mandwa residents to charge the henchmen and overpower them. Vijay near death musters all his energy

and hangs Kancha on the same tree where Kancha killed master Dinanath, reciting poem Agneepath as his father used to do. As Kancha dies, Vijay lets out a primeval roar remembering his father. He lets out how he had missed his father and we realize all these years, he only wanted justice for his father.

As a dying Vijay falls into the arms of his estranged mother and sister, his mother agrees how what Vijay did was right and they reconcile. His father avenged, his name restored, his people free, tyranny ended, Vijay’s body starts to give up.

As he is dying, he sees his father Master Dinanath with his younger self calling him.

Vijay smiles as he is reunited with his father after long and they both walk into the eternity reciting the poem ‘Agneepath’, and Vijay dies,

achieving peace. All he ever wanted was to be with his father, his family, when his world was destroyed. When I walked out, the scene haunted me for weeks. What a pure display of human emotions.

Man of Steel 2013

Director - Zack Snyder Lead - Kevin Costner, Henry Cavill

Clark who is being haunted by his powers as a child, reaches out to Jonathan, his father. When Jonathan shows him the pod and tells him that he is the answer to are we alone in the universe.

Clark: Can I pretend that I am your son?

Jonathan: You are my son.

It shows the depth of relationship between father and son.

In the hurricane when Jonathan goes to save their dog, he is left behind. As the hurricane was about to hit, he gestures Clark not to save him as it might expose his true powers.

Clark hesitates for a second and Jonathan is gone. The sheer expression shows loss, grief, shock and guilt as Clark had only few minutes back said in anger to Jonathan that he was not his father. He was gone and Clark became a wanderer because of the guilt. He did not get a chance to apologize, to hold his father and to hug him, so he roamed the world saving people because he could not save his father. He looked for redemption.

In the battle with Zod, when Zod targets a family, Clark requests him to stop. Zod taunts how Clark is weak for the love of these humans.

Clark cries since he has two choices - to kill his last fellow Kryptonian or allow him to kill that family. His father Jonathan’s upbringing had made Clark the man he was. Not wanting to let anyone die like his father, he kills Zod.

but cries in pain knowing he has destroyed everything that was Kryptonian. The sheer pain in the eyes and intensity of emotions sent the theater quiet.

As the movie ends, a flashback shows how Jonathan always knew that Clark will be a hero.

Clark could have been just a super powered being or a misguided zealot but Jonathan’s values made him Superman, the hero who scarificed everything for his people and home. Somewhere it denoted that it is not power but the values that make a hero.

Avengers : Infinity war 2018

Director - Russo brothers Lead - Chris Hemsworth, Bradley Cooper

Rocket: You still got a mom, though?

Thor: Killed by a dark elf.

Rocket: Best friend?

Thor: Stabbed through the heart.

Rocket: You sure you’re up to this mission?

Thor: Absolutely! Rage, vengeance, anger, lost are tremendous motivators to clear the mind. So I’m good to go.

Rocket: Yeah, but this Thanos guy you’re talking about, he’s the toughest there is.

Thor: Well, he’s never fought me.

Rocket: Yeah he has.

Well, he’s never fought me twice. And I’m getting a new hammer, don’t forget.

Well, it better some hammer.

Thor: You know I’m 1500 years old. I’ve killed twice as many enemies as that. And every one of them would have rather killed me than not succeeded. I’m only alive because fate wants me alive. Thanos is just the latest of a long line of bas__ _, and he’ll be the latest to feel my vengeance. Fate wills it so.

Rocket: And what if you’re wrong?

Thor: Well, if I’m wrong, what more could I lose?

This momentarily expression shows the burden of loss of his love, deaths of his family, his beloved father, his mother, his brother whom he loved so much and that of his sister whom he had to battle, the loss of his home, the genocide of half his people. He never wanted this, all he ever wanted was to be scolded by his father, pampered by his mother and loved by his brother and sister.

He did not have anything to lose. Rocket also realized the pain hidden in the eyes of Thor. The scene may be one of the best directed seeing how a CGI character Rocket was in it and yet its the most humane and emotional scene of this saga.

All Thor wanted was not power, throne, status of God, but something like this.

Thor was always smiling in lighter mood because he was coping, with all the losses, he was just hiding it under it. Simply beautiful characterization by Marvel all through.