panchromaticly

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x (ti west 2022)

watched this after watching pearl and much preferred the vibes afforded by being set in 1979. enjoyed pearl a lot but this was more fun to me.

my favourite thing in this film was the sound design like it was crazy how much i enjoyed it but queuing fear by distorted the porno moans was so fun thematically. i appreciate horror as a series of visual and aural queues before it tries to scare you. controlled fear is very fun and it is quite the art.

might as well mention that i loved the colour in pearl even tho that is not what this post is for because it really made it a quality standout film to me. i think west's ability to light a scene is kind of magical, the audience can actually see. and in pearl its a daylight slasher which is just impressive.

final thing i love is how the themes are emotionally tangible, like this could easily be a kind of shallow slasher film, murder scare blood and the like, but it takes the time to settle you into all of the themes, of sex, and aging, feeling unloveable and also being so very full of yourself.

yeah i just really liked this film. (brittany snow singing a cover, likely place for her to be)

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poor things (yorgos lanthimos 2023)

another visually stunning film that has truly captured my brain. no idea what i was expecting but it blew any expectation out of the water and now i need to watch anything lanthimos has ever made.

the use of the monochrome in the first act was gripping as the opening scene and the flashbacks to before bella baxter (emma stone) were in colour and promotional material tells the audience that the film will be in colour, just waiting for when. lanthimos using bella's 'escape' to introduce colour back into poor things was so perfectly timed, and the use of the colours in the sets, the skies, the costumes. everything was perfected.

the roles of men in bella's life were tackled so carefully, with godwin (willem dafoe) acting as both her father and her ruin, max (ramy youssef) her lover and supporter, duncan her sexual awakening and her 'default man' by which she judges all others, harry (jerrod carmichael) is a new perspective, and alfie (christopher abbott) is her final definition. she makes herself separate from them all and she reserves no room in her mind for their judgements, though she thinks over their perspectives. she controls herself and its freeing to watch judgement wash over her like it never could hit her.

the story of watching a woman learn how to be a woman without falling into the traps of society was mesmerising, bella living the dream. she discovers the full scale of human emotion, cruelty and kindness and everything inbetween.

poor things is a mesmerising exploration of discovering a love for life. it is hopeful in its darkness and it is kind to the downtrodden. lanthimos' camera follows the characters story, less creating a 'gaze'. nowhere near covered how much i adored this film but alas, these are the thoughts i can wrangle.

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priscilla (sofia coppola 2023)

i knew this was good. there is nothing i can say that hasn't already been said but oh my god was it good. there was so much to it that felt purposeful and the intention behind every choice is clear.

the visual contrasts between priscilla (cailee spaeny) and elvis (jacob elordi) were so particularly used. the physical size differences helped emphasise just how much more power he had over her and made his moments of physical violence an extra of threatening, the audience is forced to reckon with how little she could fight back. coppola also makes sure to highlight incredibly often how young priscilla was, how much of her life was taken from her, how ostracised being the object of his attraction made her. she was not invited into girlhood, she was dragged into womanhood - with all of her innocence following behind.

i think elordi's charm works against the 'character' of elvis in priscilla as every word is slathered in power - the audience can feel drawn to him, like priscilla, and it garners more sympathy for her character. there is no expectation for her to know better.

additionally, the prolific use of 'little one' throughout the film, especially by elvis, is especially poignant in the scene where they discover they're pregnant. moving from referring to priscilla to a literal foetus once again emphasises her youth.

coppola's priscilla will sit with me for a long time. it knows when to punch and when to hold back.

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may december (todd haynes 2023)

i do not know what my expectations for this were. i know i have heard praise for the actors performances and i knew the plot. maybe i should’ve watched it with more focus but even slightly distracted this filmed takes hold of your heart for two hours.

it is uncomfortable and it is both moore and portman that make it so. there is such superficiality to the way they make themselves up, culminating in the way elizabeth (portman) is a mirror image of gracie (moore) at the graduation. she has become her and lost herself in the role. its always the morally questionable roles that seem to require method acting isn’t it.

the truly standout part of this film was charles melton’s quietly heart wrenching portrayal of joe. the embodiment of a man who wasn’t allowed to grow up - exaggerated by the audience’s association of melton with riverdale. the way he carries himself in this film, he is forced to be the primary caregiver to the whole family, and to give part of himself to elizabeth, but no one is there for him. and the audience has to watch him prioritise his kids and watch him realise he never got to experience life the way he has made sure they can. a lot of the film feels very static (i say with so much love because the film is not about making change), but joe feels fluid and real - his character makes no performance. he is the perfect contrast to both elizabeth and gracie, and it very gently invites the audience’s sympathy to lie with him.

i don’t have it in me to talk about everything in this film that made me feel deeply sad for joe, but the scene on the roof with his son really got me. it showed how young he still was, how much life he missed out on. i think kids who are forced to grow up too quick are never truly allowed to grow up but that’s just me.

haynes made a truly moving film with may december, and while it feels impossible to recommend i hope everyone that chooses to watch it feels the waves of humanity that has gone into crafting it.

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saltburn (emerald fennell 2023)

a film that was highly anticipated (by me) and did not disappoint. i saw the style of the trailers and was obsessed, i didn't even really know the plot i just liked the vibe, the aesthetic. my dreams and desires for this film were fulfilled. emerald fennell wanted to create her fucked up dolls in a very beautiful dollhouse and she succeeded.

this film is visually stunning, the aspect ratio making it feel more intimate, like the audience has also been invited to invade these characters' lives. i think it really shows where the actors understood their characters (looking at you barry keoghan), with the motivations of the characters being obscured by foggy glasses.

the story of saltburn is a mess and it's fucked up but its a good story to get lost in, to experience the luxury of the mega-rich. the visuals alone tempt the audience into engaging with the debauchery of saltburn, let alone how flippant it is all portrayed as. and it is all hidden behind the rose-tinted mid-2000s backdrop.

the carefree approach to sinful behaviour in this film is its own form of escapism, the audience is welcome to play judge and jury - the characters and the lense shows no judgement to the behaviour, no hiding from the eyes of the audience. the theatre is the courtroom and the film is the evidence, the statement for the record.

saltburn is a car crash, impossibly awful, even more impossibly eye-catching. you can't quite look away.

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all of us strangers (andrew haigh 2023)

having hyped this film up for months in my head my expections were incredibly high, and yet it still earns a steady spot as one of the most touching pieces of media i've consumed this year. it is a truly wonderful exploration of grief and love handled so tenderly i can only praise it.

the care and love gone into telling such an intimate and personal story is well and truly beautiful. andrew scott and paul mescal's love story was full of such affection that their laughter was infectious across the cinema. scott's ability to portray the healing of the inner child and the growth of his character over the course of the story carries with it so much weight, its impossible to look away.

it was simple and it was strange and it was heavenly. haigh created such a lovely film and though bittersweet, the message of living for love of whatever it is we love is heartwarming at its core.

claire foy and jamie bell worked wonders, taking my heart out of my chest and laying it bare on the table. there was a true feel of family in the cinema - surrounded by people i didn't know, attending alone - i felt part of that family and that was truly magical.

all of us strangers is the feeling of a warm hug on a day when you feel ever so alone.

19/11/2023