AFI 2017: film #8

i’m a vegetarian now and also soulmates are real

"And all at once, you are the one I have been waiting for
King of my heart, body, and soul, ooh whoa
And all at once, you're all I want I'll never let you go
King of my heart, body, and soul, ooh whoa"

me: I truly saw myself represented onscreen for maybe the first time ever. That's how important this year's oscar nominees are.
someone: oh yeah Lady Bird really affected me too 💕 it was so relatable
me, thinking about the scene where maria is eating gummy bears and watching porn: lady what

AFI Fest 2017: Movie #6 

We're all just looking for a connection. Like Upstream Color in the style of Yorgos Lanthimos, fantastical elements are woven into the setting to elevate these internal desires. Our protagonists struggle to be present in their lives, one haunted by heartbreak and the other lost in social cues. They can't connect in their lives, but they can in their dreams. 

Elegant compositions frame brutal and beautiful images with equal care. This takes a truly dark, unpleasant turn near the end, and the slauterhouse imagery is tough to watch, but I do believe most of it to have been appropriate within the context. I'm thrilled Netflix is going to distribute this -- On Body and Soul deserves a proper audience, but only one who's ready for what it has to offer. It does require patience, particularly in the first act, but for me, it was certainly worth my time.

Rating: 81/100

Extra points for including Laura marling - "What he wrote"

Hard to make this one justice, but it's on the ballpark of how a Makoto-Shinkai-type concept would look if it was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. What begins as almost impenetrably dry Euro-arthouse gradually veers towards a completely unexpected idiosyncratic dramedy that's only as spellbindingly inventive as it's dexterously put together. Well, at least, until one the most brutally uncomfortable 180s a film could ever pull going into the third act, and one that is unarguably distasteful in a manner that could understandably upset a whole lot of people unaware of its content, although playing Devil's advocate here, it's a narrative beat that works wonders in the context of the movie, the problem is really how that is portrayed. Still, an exceptionally unique picture that will probably long outlive its initial hype cycle as a Golden Bear winner.

Fifth level: Romeo and Juliet
María has Asperger's

On Body and Soul is absolutely mesmerizing. It's tender, deeply romantic and weirdly intimate. While watching, I felt like it understood my mind. From story to visuals, everything about this is just beautiful and the characters are dealt with so much empathy and care. The pacing is perfect and that allowed me to be completely immersed in its soulfulness. It's a riveting experience in every sense of the word.

I think I realized why there are are still porn channels that you can subscribe to. For people who don't have a computer, and just wanna watch porn on the TV.

So basically old fashioned people

That was some gorgeous fucking directing and sense of pacing but man I wished the dream aspect would have had way, WAY more space.

Uwielbiam atmosferę tego filmu oraz relację między głównymi bohaterami. Poza tym jest w nim coś co sprawia, że trafia do mnie. Dałbym nawet tą 10, gdyby nie tylko zakończenie, które psuje moim zdaniem tą historię i nie ma sensu. Ale wciąż, to nadal jeden z najlepszych filmów jakie widziałem w życiu.

“Corpo e Alma” é um filme que se sustenta em torno de metáforas e realidades paralelas e que impressiona no modo que explora as zonas mais abstratas que o cinema permite alcançar. Acompanha a trajetória de dois personagens que são colegas de trabalho em um abatedouro e que começam a demonstrar interesse um pelo outro, com muita dificuldade de se relacionarem os dois descobrem que têm se encontrado nos seus sonhos, na forma de cervos. Decidem então trazer para a realidade esses encontros. É um filme que explora de forma bem interessante o inconsciente e as privações e obstáculos do mundo real, em contraponto com os infinitos lugares que a nossa mente pode nos levar, e para isso consegue esmiuçar muito bem seus personagens, permitindo que o espectador os veja de diferentes ângulos e camadas.
- @catalogosete

I liked the way the connection between the two was established and the way it proceeded. At first I thought that the heroine's character was a bit exaggerated but eventually I could understand her a lot more. The hero character did a great job with his subtle smiles and looks which were brilliant. I thought there were some unnecessary scenes happening in the slaughter house which could have been avoided.

Achingly beautiful. I had a few issues with this in the beginning, but they all melted away by the end.

Such a strange and surreal experience, I absolutely fell in love with this film, from the beautiful cinematography to the careful editing and how it enhances that sense of longing by making it look as if the protagonists are together even when in different places. And the way the story challenges the simplicity of their dream encounters with the messy reality of their lives and limitations, be them physical or emotional... Also I really like María, I think it's an honest depiction of a character on the spectrum and Alexandra Borbély delivered a fantastic performance (I love her scene at the music shop, such an endearing moment)... So yeah, it's definitely one of my favorites from my 2021 watchlist so far

the moment "what he wrote" started playing...

Unflinching and beautifully shot, two very awkward people try to recreate a dream metaphor. Working out what the film means almost feels back-to-front.

The ending is so good it's unreal