“I have always preferred the reflection of the life to life itself”
— François Truffaut
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The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant 1972
A scathing assessment of relationships, femininity and power, The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant is a lipstick massacre that drags you through shards of broken gin bottles chasing a vision of love. A chamber piece based on Fassbinder’s early play, this moral tale unfolds over a number of years in a single location, the bedroom of elitist fashion designer Petra Von Kant. Obsessed with self-image and living a life of seclusion, this caustic femme fatale aims to control all spheres…
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Contempt 1963
Contempt was one of those films that blew me away from the first frame. Godard brings forward a sort of fearlessness that no one else can. Contempt was the first commercial venture for Godard, having built a notorious reputation as a ruthless new wave director responsible for Breathless, the film accused for kickstarting the French New Wave (alongside Truffaut’s The 400 Blows). But Godard is Godard. Even with a near million-dollar budget, he faithfully sticks to his arsenal of jump-cuts, long takes,…
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Past Lives 2023
There’s a scene about three-quarters of the way through Past Lives when a married couple talk in bed, he touching on his insecurities and she trying to make him comprehend that their relationship is more inviolate than he’s able to believe. The writing is superb, surprising us by how much it matches what we’re thinking while being so true to these characters. Listening to Celine Song’s dialogue, we’re reminded by just how rare it is to hear honest adult conversations…
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Linda Linda Linda 2005
Like the beauty that cannot be photographed in the song “Linda Linda,” I find it hard to put into words the joy Linda Linda Linda brings me. Somewhere in the amalgamation of the awkward comedic setups, the endearing characters and practice sessions is that intangible quality which makes me smile with glee throughout the film’s runtime. The story of four high school girls and their attempt to play a few songs by The Blue Hearts, a Japanese punk rock group, is not…
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Broker 2022
Watching Kore-eda’s films has never been as simple as the scenes or images he captures on film. The magic of his work lies in how it always manages to make me stop judging the characters and events unfolding on screen. He has this innate ability of balancing melodrama with true-to-life reality, and his unabashedly heartfelt approach shines through here. While some scenes are overtly manipulative, they do not outweigh the moments of genuine inspiration and spontaneity; like trips to theme…
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Barbie 2023
Barbie is a political satire, a musical, a product-placement movie that both celebrates and critiques its product, a story about mothers and daughters, an examination of gender and its performance, and a road trip movie about the search for identity and purpose. Audiences thinking that Barbie would exist merely as a by-the-numbers cash grab designed to sell toys will find themselves instead watching the latest collaboration between director Greta Gerwig and her co-writer Noah Baumbach, a film that is by…
