Change Your Image
jrippens-1
Reviews
Kurutta kajitsu (1956)
bone chilling
This movie will fool you into thinking that its a story about something far more innocent that it actually is... im being vague so as to not give away any of the fun details. I don't know how to put it except to say that I really enjoyed the ride it took my heart on... first I was grinning stupidly at a tale of young love and by the end I had to pause for a moment to realize that my face was contorted in all sorts of disbelief and horror.... awesome!!!
One of the things I enjoy about this movie is that the true villains don't make much of an appearance. Its the character's own spoiled and frivolous lifestyles handed to them by their parents and sexual exploitation by foreigners that ruin these characters long before they ruin each other.
When the mother says, "don't hang out with your brother and his friends, they are horrible brutes etc etc" to which the boy replies "well,you raised him." In the movie this was a joke, and the characters allhad a nice chuckle... but that was the most serious point the story conveyed - the capitalist dream imploding - cuz lets face it, if you have everything you want, you're probably going to be bored and miserable.
In the same way, the very young very beautiful Hari marries the old white curr for his money, but realizes she's lost the most important thing, something priceless, her childhood innocence.
In my interpretation, its not the evil within these characters that leads to their undoing, its the evil they were subjected to. I want to believe there's good in them, and the actors do a brilliant job of keeping us wondering and uncertain about that because of the extremely nuanced and balanced performances.
The actors who play the brothers are brilliant, the younger especially, who has a very understated but creepy air about him...
In the end, all i can say is "bone chilling!!!" haha... watch it.
Les diaboliques (1955)
Great Psychological Thriller
I had to watch this film twice, since, when I read subtitles I don't get to appreciate the cinematography or enjoy the actor's faces as much.
I noticed the camera doesn't do anything too complicated, no broad pans or dizzying shots. The visual metaphors are really interesting. When someone confesses a crime, the detective peers through what appear to be bars and says he'll absolve her by morning.
The acting is just great - especially by the two leading women.
My favorite thing about the movie, though, is that it complicates the good evil dichotomy. Yeah the guy is a jack-ass, but he's running a school, and he's short on cash. The woman is pious, sure, but damn she's ignorant to how her actions have effected her husband's dreams to be a businessman - and at least he does what he does out of love, while she acts mostly out of fear (for god).
So thats that, thoroughly entertaining, but its not empty either for those who look.
Peace!