The story behind this project is almost as incredible as the film itself with director Domee Shi being asked to pitch ideas after the success of her short film Bao. The result is a resounding success of a debut feature that boldly grapples with the anxieties of a teenage girl growing up better than almost anything else I can think of. Some critics have noted how this is targeted at such a specific audience that it lacks universal appeal. As always, for me it is because of its specificity in being set in a particular place, cultural milieu, and even era with the characteristic Tamagotchi-like toy that it feels so authentic as it recognizably draws on the director’s own life experiences.
Without intending to, it seems like we’ve watched two older films about psychologically dysfunctional characters back to back this week. I’ve liked pretty every John Huston film I’ve seen so far but this one is by far the most subversive, most subtle one of the lot. In fact, given that it was roundly panned by critics at the time, I believe that audiences of the time either did not understand the film or were unprepared to accept what it had to say. It essentially accuses the US military of churning out personnel who are sexually repressed and therefore all somewhat crazy, making it an incredibly bold and ahead of its time film.
This is one of Luis Buñuel’s least surrealist films and it’s straightforward to understand every one of the side-plots going on, yet it leaves me confused as to what is the point of it all. I believe that it’s necessary to view this from the perspective of the time it is set in, with France embroiled by the Dreyfus Affair and antisemitism on the rise. That it condemns the perversions of the bourgeoisie is obvious too but then it doesn’t exactly portray the servant class in a kindly light either. I suppose that too is one of the contradictions of the original novel this was based on.
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.
