This film takes a while to get going and even then might mislead you into believing that it’s a historical account of the persecution of Catholics in Joseon-era Korea. It’s much more than that, amounting to essentially championing Western enlightenment values. At the same time it is respectful towards the teachings of Confucianism even if it is skeptical that Confucian values are really being practiced. I’m was shocked that it’s at least partially based on a true story as the historical Jeong Yak-jeon did indeed get exiled and spent that time writing Korea’s first treatise on marine life. This feels like yet another film that was perfectly tuned to accord with my own values, so yes, I loved it and I’m amazed that it even exists.
I should have watched this ages ago but so many newer American films run to significantly longer than two hours and that makes it harder to schedule the time needed. Then there’s the fact that once you know its premise and you’re on the side of the scientists, it’s almost unnecessary to watch this as it plays out almost exactly as you predict. The film has such a large cast and is so-on-nose with its character archetypes and situations that I can’t rank it very highly in terms of artistic merit. But even if it does nothing but preach to the converted, I am of course one of them and it is so cathartic to watch the truth-denying Trumpists crash headlong into reality even if the rest of the world ends up paying the price along with them.
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.
