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| Luca Guadagnino and Julia Roberts at the AFTER THE HUNT press conference, Sept 26. (photo credit: Peter Gutierrez) |
Here’s a quick rundown of many of the films I’ve seen so far, with links to a few previous posts.
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk
You wouldn’t expect that a doc consisting mostly of video call footage would hold your interest, let alone be riveting, but in this case you’d be wrong. In this collection of conversations with photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, Sepideh Farsi turns what are common frustrations, such as dropped audio or lagging/freezing video, into moments in which human connection itself, or even life itself, seems to hang in the balance. Also, the stunning images by Hassouna, besieged in North Gaza, open up this unforgettable documentary in ways that are never less than powerful. But of course, I’m largely talking about form so far, not content—perhaps because the content, or rather context, is just too heartbreaking and deserves far more attention than can be provided in a mere capsule. Let’s just leave it at this, then: one of the top documentaries I’ve been lucky enough to see this or any other year. Highly recommended.
The Secret Agent
An astonishing film from the enormously talented Kleber Mendonça Filho. THE SECRET AGENT is arresting from its opening shots, and if viewers wanted to, they could coast along on the aesthetics alone—the colors, music, and movement are enough to keep one in a cinematic trance even apart from the gripping story, terrific humor, and wonderful, unfussy performances. Some may gripe that the denouement is somewhat anticlimactic, but I’d argue that it’s perfect, and that by offering a more conventional ending, the film’s own movie-ness might have gotten in the way of its haunting story (and in this aspect it recalls a certain classic thriller from the late 2000s; to say more would risk spoiling things). Highly recommended.
Jay Kelly
Were you aware that celebrities as they jet around from one project to another sometimes neglect their children? Or that in the world of entertainment, people are sometimes mercenary, or just plain kooky? Yes, unfortunately, JAY KELLY is mostly hokum, and in ways you’ve seen a thousand times before. One can’t say “unadulterated” hokum for there are glimpses of a good, or at least less embarrassing, movie hidden amongst all the corn: a few nice tracking shots, some pretty snippets of Tuscan landscape and decor, and a handful of brief but welcome turns from actors you probably haven’t seen in a while. But for the latter, even the most disappointing Wes Anderson ensemble comedy has a better, more interesting sense of what to do with its famous faces; and for that matter, an old Woody Allen showbiz farce is tighter and explores its themes far more entertainingly. With JAY KELLY, director Noah Baumbach has chronicled a journey of self-discovery in which the self that’s revealed may not actually be worthy of discovery. Not recommended.
I Only Rest in the Storm
Highly recommended. More here.
With Hasan in Gaza
You’re right there with them as Kamal Aljafari and his titular companion ride through Gaza, ostensibly searching for a specific individual but in practice turning a quiet spotlight on Palestinians’ daily life and thereby their humanity. The technical limitations of the Y2K-era camera add, unavoidably, to the fuzzy, time capsule-ish quality, but they also contribute a kind of subtle lyricism to the images, especially at night. Aljafari has an instinctive feel for locations that are rich in visual stories, and this is complemented by thoughtful, on-the-fly compositions that often frame subjects through doors and windows. As with PUT YOUR SOUL IN YOUR HAND AND WALK, the images of children smiling and just being kids are perhaps the hardest to take—they reveal how much has been destroyed by Israel’s occupying forces in the historical past, in the recent past, and right up through the present moment. Recommended.
The Fence
Not recommended—in fact, the opposite. Read why here.
Sirāt
Recommended—especially for those who not only don’t mind, but actually enjoy unabashed *loudness*. More here.
Resurrection
For hardcore cinephiles only—although that’s not a guarantee that they’ll enjoy all of this sprawling anthology from writer-director Bi Gan... they’re just the only ones who have a realistic shot at doing so. With each of the segments lasting only about half an hour, it should be easy enough to hold our attention, but sadly what amounts to a borderline style-over-substance approach derails any sense of consistent engagement. Except for, again, the cine-heads, who will have fun spotting all the influences and reveling in all the “technique.” To be fair, each chapter is a bit more accessible and fun than the last, and it’s intellectually interesting to see how together they trace the history of popular cinema from Lon Chaney flicks and other silents up through what feels like a Wong Kar-Wai-ish tale of doomed yet transcendent romance. Not recommended.
After the Hunt
Because I’m not eager to add to the critical pile-on, please allow me to list half a dozen positives about Luca Guadagnino’s latest: 1) the casting—it’s spot on; for most of the major roles, it’s hard to imagine other name actors in them 2) the music; the Reznor/Ross score is up to the collaborators’ usual standards (however, please note that it’s not a very good soundtrack as it’s asked to do too much and often doesn’t fit the tone or genre) 4) Michael Stuhlbarg is having a blast, and he consistently provides some much-needed humor (as well as some understated pathos) 5) the side plots/characters—there’s a terrific and slightly tangential late scene of Julia Roberts confronting her Gen Z seminar students as well as several strong scenes with her and Stuhlbarg navigating their marriage, and these suggest a different, more cohesive movie centered on her protagonist without the plodding emphasis on Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri’s characters 6) it’s still a Luca film: if you’re a fan (as I am), you’ll want to see AFTER THE HUNT despite all the misfires because even the poor choices can be interesting—plus, there are many small choices bearing his signature that do work. Not recommended—other than for the aforementioned exceptions.
Peter Hujar’s Day
Guardedly recommended. More here.
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