I started off this account by making too many tags and now it’s too late to stop 🙏
Current top 4 are some of my favourite recent watches
Johnson's previous works, The Dirties and Operation Avalanche, use the mockumentary format and aesthetic as more than just mere framing devices for the stories, but as amplifiers of the secretive, apprehensive actions and events taking place within the narratives. The mockumentary form makes the audience feel like they are watching something that they shouldn't be seeing; an archival piece unearthed from padlocked cabinets. While Blackberry isn't explicitly a mockumentary, the aesthetic is no less prevalent here than it has been…
Feels pretty fruitless to emphasise how genuinely heartbreaking and dread inducing this film is because, well, every single other review on this website does exactly that, but my god is this film devastating. Cianfrance executes a damn near flawless slow, hellish descent into domestic turmoil and reckoning in this thing. So authentic, beaming with the most genuine verisimilitude possible, it feels like the most upsetting home video imaginable. Bravo to everyone involved. Never fall in love, folks.
H̵̼̭̀̌̓͜m̷̢̪̀m̶͚̦͖̬̝͛̔̅̽̌̕m̸̱̬̻̱̼̾͗̈́ ̴͙̻̘̜̊͗̈́̒̽̅ÿ̴͕̩͔̺́̏͒́̚ȩ̶̳̟̥̒̄͜s̸̢͙͇̝̲̊̚͜ ̴̡̢͍̘͂͠w̸̱̯̦̮̬͒̀̂̅̕h̶͕͙͍̾̀̏̒͘ą̸̪̫̳̞̒͒t̶͉̻̰͐̍͌͠ͅ ̵̭̖͓̟̘̳̍a̸̯͙͍̝̥̞̿ ̶̧͒̽́n̷͖͔̣͓̫̻̎̍́o̴͙̞̣̭̯̍̆͒̀̄͝r̸̛͙̼̞̣̲̹͆̕m̸̯̫͂̍͑̂̇a̶̦͎̫͍͂ͅl̴̳̙̑̒̈́̽͂̍ ̶̹͛̂m̷̡̡̝͐̂̌̓̚o̷͎͗̑̈́v̷̪̚ị̸̧͙̲͑̄̇̊̌̓e̴̫͚̪̓.̷̝͇̩̦̪̊ ̷̜̿̉͒J̷̛̦̲̭́̾̓̇u̵̼̻͛̃̓̓s̸͚̹͑͐̊t̷̠͓͊̌̚ ̶̭̝̼͕̼͑͊ă̵̡̛̛̺̱̯̠͑ ̷̞̗̄̌́̔n̸͓̟͔̲̉͝ŏ̴̠͋͜r̸͎͔̫̹̓̕ṃ̸͕̲̾̊̓́á̴̯͓̣̘͑̏l̸̢͖̎͌̓́͗̓,̸̢̝̰͘ ̵̛̹͈̮͚͈̮̅͐͗͝n̶̨̻̟̥̗̭̈́́ì̴͖̦̤̫̎̉͑̎͠ç̵̻̲̋͛ê̴̢̱͉̋,̸̡̦̙̾̃ ̵̢̭̜͙̰͔̉̄f̷̨͓͈͖̬̂́͗͜u̸̪̣̙̬͔͆̈́̉ͅǹ̶̼͕̣̖͎̈̃̆ ̵͓͓̯̥̊m̸̖̲̝͍͌̌o̸̜͐͂̐̋͝v̴̠͊̓͂̓͝ḭ̴́̍̈́̑͊e̷̻̝̹̣̞̱͗͠.̶̢̈́̃ ̷̜͆̃̓͝Î̷̛̯͚͉͝ ̶̛̱̭̏̔̌̈́ę̷̛̰̜̮͍͎̕n̸̹̗̈̈j̵̫̱͍̰̝̊o̷̢̤̩̱̐̈̌̀͋ÿ̸̙͍̟̬̩͍e̴͎̬̐̎̑͐̇͘d̷͓͔̾̆̎͊̈́͠ ̶̛͍͌̎̀̿̈́t̵̛̟͔͙͛̉͆ȟ̸͇͙̃͒̍ī̸̭̤͎͙̻̕̚s̵͔̫͙̺̙̆͒̆ ̸̘̗̍n̴̦̤̫̺̬̫̾̈́͘̚ọ̵̧̖͉̅r̷͉̭̫͉̈́̐̋m̴̲̳̔̕̚a̶̖̼͍͍̽l̶̘̘̣̫̟̫̔͒͠ ̵͖̃́m̴̯͕̹̤͈͛̌õ̵͇v̴͖̣̖̬̰̲͋̌i̶̞̻̘̫̾͑͊̍͘e̷͕͚̣̞̩̖̅͝ ̷̛̱͉͓͖̍̔̅s̴̥̖͈̓̄̾o̵̯̘̘̭̙͖̿͒ ̸̧̰͖͈̥̜̊̕̕ḿ̷̳̀̓̀̀ṳ̸̞̬̠̯̳̅̒̚ć̵̜͑̈́̋h̴̢͓̩͖̖͝!̸̧̘͔̤̒̾̂̍ ̶̢̺͝N̶͕͓̈́̌͠ͅo̷̮̥̩̬̝̯̓̈́̊ŕ̴̞̖͎͇̄̀̈́̓͛m̴̯͚͈̭̭̆a̶̛͉̮̙͗͐̕l̵̻̳̳͔̦̽ ̶͎̲̞̦̈̽̀͠n̶̛̜̤̞̳̬͆͌̎̀̂ǫ̵͎̈͊̊̿́̀ṛ̴̨̰̖͈̝́̋͌̎ḿ̶̺̰̦̝a̴͈̹͙̫̗̭͐̀̕l̸̳͇̗̻͎̏̄̄͂ ̴̰̜̜͎͒́͆n̵̺͇͎̜̓̋̍̓o̴̯̳͘͜r̸̫̤̲̟̯͊̃̉̑̈́̚m̴͙͖̀a̶̛̙̠̬̔̄̒̃l̸͈̰͈͗̾͒̄͝͠!̵̬͚͛̔̓̈͘ ̸̼̺̩̮́̃͊̀Ņ̵̫̯͓̮̩̂̐̋͒̕o̴̠̦͐t̵͚̯̜͚͒͒̃̂̚ͅḣ̴̛̪̭̗̮̾ǐ̷͙̫̲͙̤͙̌n̷̨̨̻̎̆͠g̵̦̪͈̟̘͛͆ ̷̧̨̙̘͍̝͑͆ṭ̷̼͉͔̦̣̏̋ò̶̞̱̻̬͍̮ ̸̠̠̮̞̑s̸̞̈́̋̾ẻ̷̛͍̹̣͕̀̋̈̕e̵͌̅̇̾͐ͅ ̷̧̙̣̓͊̊̂h̶̛̩̞̄̐̓̾̄e̸̬̪̫̬̭͊̅̒̚r̷̐̃̑̈́͜e̴͇͇̟͛̔̊̑́ͅ ̸̥̖̋́́͂ỏ̶̙̼̺͐͆̚͘f̷̤̈́f̴̟͈͌i̴͍̟̩̎̐͂̾̾͊ͅç̸͉͓͕̼̆͝e̷̞̖̰̠̯̿͂̿̃̔r̵͕̘͙̃̆̊̒͊̑ ̴̛̲͇̝͎̰͆̎̇̓́j̵̗̇̿̏̒̕͝u̴͖͎̤̻̫̘̾̈́̔͒͐͝ś̸͚̠͔͊̔ͅt̵̮̘͋́͗̄ ̶̜͈́́ȧ̷͔̰̱̀͛ ̵͎̳͔̤̝͊̽̏ͅn̴͔̔̎̒͝ỏ̶̜̬̰̾͌̓ṙ̴̮̹̿͑ṁ̴̧̠̠̪͒̍̕a̴̘̭͚̝͔͋̅̎l̴͈̜̜̝͠ ̵̛̜̮̺́̕͘͠ṁ̵͍͇̗̩̀͘͝o̸͕̙̘̭͚̊͂v̶͔̦̟̬͚̂ͅi̷̭̦̬̠͒̃ͅë̴̥̠̗̪́̏ͅͅ!̶̪̻̪̤͙̦̾͛͒͛̚ ̴̳̤̤͇̼͂D̶̢̨̲̭̦͌̔̕͘͜ǐ̴̙̆͋͑̋̈́d̴͍͇̅̎͑̎ ̶̦͔̰͍̤̉̍̔̎̕I̴͖̯̅͆̈́ ̶̝̲͈̌͊̊̆̃͌m̷͚̱͓͌̉͝ë̸̢̬͚̦̩̝́̅́́͒n̸̜̐̾̋ṭ̶͈̟̪́̇͋̓̆̚i̸͎͌͗͒̀̎̓ô̴̥͙͜n̵̺̫̼̂̊̒̅͐͜͝ ̵̺̫͉̦̉͑͐̔͑ṫ̵͍̩͕̭̪͚͊h̴̝̞̩̪͊i̶͈̳̽ş̷͙̞͉̝̐̿͝ ̷̨̭̳̫̫͑̑̓́̈́̚f̸̞̃̿̓̔̄i̴̭͇̫̦͓̙̔l̶̡̮̫̳̹͒͝ͅm̵̨͈̠̲͖̎͛̕̚͝ ̵̢͉̭͔̥͖̀̌̑͛̋͊ŵ̶͙̬̬̬͌a̴̖̬͈̼̭̪͂̎͝ṥ̸̩̼̳̗̭ ̶̙͙͚̼͑̉͑̅͠n̵̯̞̽̿o̴̡̰̣͕͉̰̍̀̚r̴͈͚͂̇ḿ̸̡̖̻͙̾̚a̴̡͛͑̉l̶̢͖̤̼̥̆̊̉̄͛̍?̵̢͈̣͈̓̉
Effortlessly chaotic and anxiety inducing one-take films set in restaurants, starring Stephen Graham who gives a frighteningly intense performance too good for the Oscars, with beautiful camerawork and a haunting ending, is my favourite kind of film genre. And in that unusually and unrealistically specific sub genre of movies that I just made up, Boiling Point is my favourite of them all.