The English title of this film by Shōhei Imamura is somewhat misleading. Its full Japanese title An introduction to anthropology through pornographers is far better at describing what it is about, a view of the human condition through the eyes of its main character. We’ve already seen Imamura’s fascination with the dark side of human nature in Vengeance is Mine. This one is similar though of course the focus this time around is around sexuality and its perversions. Without ever being truly graphic, this film nevertheless challenges and breaks just about every moral boundary to an extent that is shocking even today. I like this one a little less as I’m not confident that I understood everything but the statement that the director seems to be making through it is really something else.

Looking at the title an some of the images from the film that feature a creepy doll, it’s easy to assume that this is a horror movie of some kind. Yet things aren’t so straightforward as this is a musical using music entirely by the Sparks brothers and is directed by Leos Carax, whose last film Holy Motors I found almost completely incomprehensible. Some bizarreness aside, the main plot, once it gets going, is actually quite straightforward and emotionally affecting. The involvement of the Sparks brothers makes it unique and sometimes makes it feel more like performance art than a film.

I’ve never have thought that the Ivory Coast but this film by director Philippe Lacôte is truly remarkable. Not only does it effectively showcase some of his people’s culture, it throws a bit about the country’s political turmoil and references some of the most ancient traditions of storytelling. All this plus it’s such a gorgeous film to boot! I’m not sure that the plot makes much sense and this certainly is in no way a real prison but that doesn’t matter at all as the film draws us into a world of its own that runs on its own rules.

This is a very shocking thriller on many levels and understandably ran into a lot of trouble with the censors of its era with its allusions to child rape. The main villain is unambiguously menacing and towards the end of the film truly monstrous, yet I liked the film more at the beginning when there was some doubt as to whether or not the protagonist is justified in deploying the full force of the law against the antagonist. I suppose it’s because times have changed so much that someone who a figure of authority invoking the law on his side is more frightening than a lone heinous criminal. While this ends up being a film that ramps up the tension effectively, I don’t like it much at all as I think it is both implausible and wants to deliver the wrong lessons.

So we finally get around to this, the film that was considered to be badly snubbed at this year’s Oscars, garnering 12 nominations but winning only one for Jane Campion as best director. I think this is a fair accusation given how the actual winners were mostly such safe choices and this film can be interpreted as a direct attack on the archetype of the Western cowboy. I have my issues with how it seems so unbalanced in terms of character development but my wife and I had plenty to discuss about it afterwards and that’s always a sure sign of an interesting film.

Most people who talk about this Icelandic film try to be vague on what it’s about, judging that its twist is too central to fully enjoying it. That makes it impossible to really delve into any discussion about it however so consider this a spoiler warning. Lamb is part horror film part folk tale and I love that the audience inevitably tries to imagine all kinds of outlandish explanations to explain what we see, yet the truth, such as it were, is straightforward and literal. This may not be scary per se but it is very disquieting to watch and that means it’s good.

With the recent announcement of the retirement of Serena Williams, it seemed like a good time to watch this. As per its title however it is really about the father of the Williams sisters, Richard, and the beginning of the career of Venus. Richard’s role as the parental figure who planned for and pushed them towards world-beating success is the focus. As far as I can tell, it does an excellent job at being reasonably fair and accurate about the double-edged nature of this kind of intense coaching since childhood. That marks this as a little different from the run-of-the-mill sports biographical film and perhaps worth watching even if you don’t care much for sports.