Excellent film! Superb acting and very intense drama. Its central themes are genius entitlement, power abuse, the cancel culture, cyberbullying, and gender politics. It doesn't give simplistic liberal answers. It provokes a lot of questions and leaves the answers to the viewers. Unfortunately, many moviegoers don't like that approach. The fall of Tar reminds me of great Greek tragedies, bringing to mind the fall of great heroes because of horrendous sin. Tar destroys her legacy and what she stands for shamelessly, but we can't help empathizing with her weakness. In the end, her failure is our failure, and it's also the failure of our culture and our moral standards. I believe this film will be more appreciated and respected as time passes. It is highly recommended, in my opinion!
Reviews
3 Reviews
The Measure of a Man
(2015)
The Law of The Market
9 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
"La Loi Du Marché" is a cruel, bleak, and stark picture of the struggles of a middle-class man in France who gets laid off from his job. The movie follows his daily efforts and tribulations to find a new job and adjust to a lower salary and a different setting while fending off financial difficulties and taking care of his wife and his disabled son. The second part of the movie is focused on his job as a security guard in a grocery store and the humiliation of customers and co-workers who tend to steal out of poverty and need. The protagonist finds himself in a hot spot, pitched against people from his class, suffering the same daily degradation and lack of means. Finally, he walks out, perhaps for a break or to quit. It's not entirely clear. The movie wasn't sentimental or poetic in any sense. It was direct and shot in a documentary-like style, making it more believable. The final scene was vague and open and left much to be desired in terms of a conclusion.
35 Shots of Rum
(2008)
Ozu and Denis, Two Perspectives of a Father-Daughter Relationship
4 May 2021
Claire Denis' 35 Shots of Rum is a poignant piece of cinema about the intimacy of a father and a daughter. They know they should part ways but leaving each other is emotionally challenging for both. On the other side, both have suiters awaiting on the margin, struggling with loneliness and unfulfilled desire.
In the background, we have an alternative view of Paris, a distorted, dirty, and ugly city. Most of the characters are colored, and they were simmering with revolutionary ideas and thwarted hopes.
The film lacks a coherent narrative. It's more like a distant view of family life at a random period. We don't know much about either Lionel, the father, or his daughter Josephine, but we could infer many things from their glances and the way they touch each other. What's connecting about them is their simplicity, charm, and ambiguous charisma, which is why they only find fulfillment in each other. Their lovers - Gabrielle and Noe - seem like outsiders, and they lack the vague aura of father and daughter.
I wouldn't say I liked the movie that much, although I appreciated the masterful camera work, the elegant pace, the implicit emotional tension, and the powerful performance of the actors. It's an excellent film, but something was lacking, which is probably fervor and warmth. Ozu tackled the same issue of father-daughter attachment, yet Ozu's picture has a glow, a depth of feeling and intimacy that transcends the subject.
In the background, we have an alternative view of Paris, a distorted, dirty, and ugly city. Most of the characters are colored, and they were simmering with revolutionary ideas and thwarted hopes.
The film lacks a coherent narrative. It's more like a distant view of family life at a random period. We don't know much about either Lionel, the father, or his daughter Josephine, but we could infer many things from their glances and the way they touch each other. What's connecting about them is their simplicity, charm, and ambiguous charisma, which is why they only find fulfillment in each other. Their lovers - Gabrielle and Noe - seem like outsiders, and they lack the vague aura of father and daughter.
I wouldn't say I liked the movie that much, although I appreciated the masterful camera work, the elegant pace, the implicit emotional tension, and the powerful performance of the actors. It's an excellent film, but something was lacking, which is probably fervor and warmth. Ozu tackled the same issue of father-daughter attachment, yet Ozu's picture has a glow, a depth of feeling and intimacy that transcends the subject.
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