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Malgré la nuit, the light shines through night...
10 September 2017
Malgré la nuit

Silence

Redemption

In my mind, Malgré la nuit has made a nest; it is there..

Grandrieux's film, one notices straight away, is very delicately handled, regardless of the subject matter

The film exists in a dark, conceptual nightmare for it's inhabitants; a psychotic and weary, harrowed existence

The characters are crowded in by blank space, dark matter, trying to reach for the light, but succumbed to the night. The environment is claustrophobic, tight, reflecting their mindset; there is no outside living world, merely an underworld; the characters move silently through the black fog like wraiths, the living dead; demented, torturous, but trying to grasp at the threads of their existence

Grandrieux casts a spell, he conjures a mystical energy; he shrouds the world in darkness, a fugue

Hopeless

The characters wonder through this nightmarish landscape, without knowing their future, without knowing anything, merely pray to the night

There is a dark, strange atmosphere here..an almost magical dreamscape; accented more through the parts of abstraction and layers, the singer, who words become her life; they rumble around her, they rumble in the environment; they shatter the screen and all the lives of these characters

The characters engage in small episodes of love and passion, but, it is only a small act against the backdrop of corruption and destruction

Bodies float and linger; old bodies, young bodies; bodies blindly sharp and clear, float off, into a dark vortex of nothingness, out of focus, gone. Grandrieux grabs our soul through bodies, between bodies, the space between us, bodies it; shining souls lost in an apocalyptic world

Malgré la nuit is a land scape for the desolation of the soul

The brutal forging of sadomasochistic dreams, desire; nasty, primal; man revealed as an animal, primordial aggression and anger Extreme close-ups, blurred; the shaking of human life in it's darkest state; desolate; the evaporation of the soul; suicidal, self-destructive

Yet, at times, through all this hate, annihilation, there is hope in this twirled web of black life; moments of beauty, euphoric moments; passion overbears. Lenz and the characters must fight against the overcoming tide of darkness.

Moments lost in time, an elemental scene of beauty in song

Angst, passion, tears; throbbing sounds into the opaque, somber landscape and soundscape Astral, primal, entities, bodies, shifting shapes; the divine, eternal, elysian

As much as anything, Malgré la nuit reveals the dark undergrowth of the world like Irreversible; the dark twilight state where goodness sleeps, and the evil dark reigns Paris is transformed into an otherworldly dimension

The power of love elevates, but also chains us, bring us to our knees in our mind, for the passion burns in us like a ferocious fire, love potentially leading us into black, toxic flames; for we throw ourselves to the flames; we must fall and let ourselves fall to reach calm stillness.

As much as finding others, it is a journey for Lenz and the others to find their soul, themselves; a celestial taking, celestial beings

Beauty, love; to love so strongly is a force of power...

"Everything fades, even suffering, everything disappears"

Terror

The fish is used as an analogy, yet is no less profound; the fish, moves slowly, only thinks about moving around the box; caved in, yet ultimately fulfilled. If we slowed like fish, perhaps life would be easier. They think about only on thing, are clearer in mind; they can live happily, yet this is impossible for humanity, as we are too far past forward As the character says, because we know we're going to die, and the fish doesn't.

Malgré la nuit is an intense, cathartic experience; a blinding astonishing light, a profound shock

Through the darkness, there is still poignancy and humanity; in the face of brutality

For Grandrieux, there is hope here, perhaps one of his most hopeful films; there is hope for our characters, light notes upon a dark sonata

It is also a spiritual undertaking, more so one of the most spiritual films for Grandriex

Despite The Night, there is light and beauty; cries and screams thunder through the night, fire, yet colors of ochre gold and light will shine....
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Avatar (2009)
Purest Goodness
10 August 2017
I want to take a moment to speak about a special film to me; one that is supremely underrated by the public. A film that has been pre- judged on it's mainstream merit, yet, if one looks with their eyes wide open, mind open, they will see the profundity and goodness here.

Avatar

For me, I believe Avatar has the ability to heal people.

The Avatar world is as ours should be; the Na'vi world is as ours should be

All connected, a universe of one; goodness The dreams of all philosophers and wise sayers

I connected with this film ferociously; for me it is a living organism

"One life ends, another begins"

The film is magic, a unique atmosphere shrouds the film in a mystical mist. The feeling is..something special. It is gazing upon a unseen world; a world so, so long in the making; a world of pure passion, pursuit; a wholly happy world, happy.

Such feeling.

"Just another dumb grunt going somewhere he'll regret"

For, Avatar is so profound in it's function, in it's presentation of it's worlds and themes. The film is an allegory on war, power; first-world countries against lesser, third-world countries; though these countries are rich in truthfulness, and spirit

Hope, humanity

It is a devastating and passionate fight against power Hateful, capitalist power Unsustainable power Madness power, pure greed The kind of power that destroys worlds; this is no different from our world

There is such purity in the film

The Avatar represents the soul...the pure soul, the freedom we believe in, the goodness we believe in Pure

Reflections

These thoughts are shown through it's characters; Jake says..gain the trust of these countries, then betray them Brutal

"Doctors telling me what I couldn't do"

One could see the venture for Jake as something completely profound, though it's easy to see not to His journey and entering into another world is a power, powerful, powerful leap into cathartic experience; his brother gone. He will take these intensive experience, and transform to higher consciousness The abstract sequences shows the travelling of realms in the mind

His rebirth

Pandora is the paradise, the afterlife

Now we can venture into the cinematic experience itself Huge creatures amass the screen; pure cinematic spectacle There is excitement afoot, a journey; something occurs, something huge..

Spiritual

The Na'vi lead some beautiful, innocent lives; pure existence. Natural. Lives that humans could take from so very much; it's needed. They live the life humans could never reach.

They are spiritual, good They see the flow of earth through all things; a consciousness with the earth; we are not separate

"Mother Nature" A network of energy flows

There are scenes of utter transcendence The flying scene..extraordinary, beautiful

"Out there is the true world"

Jake Sully understands that that world is real, what we should reach, what we should attain; he realizes the greedy corporate world is not truthful, it is not us; we live in lies; we don't live to our potential for humanity

"When you're sitting on what people want, they make you your enemy; then it's justified"

What a profoundly resolute statement. That statement sums up the world. There. How many times have powerful huge governments decided a country is the enemy? Like 1984, they can power this on the whim; sheep will follow, all will fall in line... The country is now their enemy; absolute comparisons with disgusting media and government, in our world, creating lies to gain what they desire, whatever the human cost, with people blindly following

Yet here, in Na'vi land, it is all feeling; the beauty of life and it's workings

I find the film a ferocious cry against media, government Where is trust?

The James Horner scenes, one where Home Tree is attacked, and where the other battle happens are...

Heavenly beauty and sadness

The balance of the world is lost, such as here

The rage Sully shows in his battle shows an utter, pure, pure anger at humanity, at greed, at power; at all wrong in the world. The way he grits his teeth, and shouts and screams.... Harrowing

Terror The colonel represents perfectly our world of greed and power, easily; a pure destructive force of greediness

Avatar is life as a dream; their world is one we all love and wish for; it represents our innermost desires for transcendence

Avatar is not a film It is the purest of goodness, the philosophy of the Universe of one The astonishing good The goodness is all represented in Jake's heart-breaking power of speech; 'Why do they think they can take land that is not theirs?' What gives anyone to right to destroy others, to destroy earth? It goes against the fabric of humanity, of Mother Nature, of the world, of the universe Ugly machinery and power

We are all shaped by those we meet; They become us As so in Avatar

It is the closest we have reached to truth, transcendence.......
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Shangri-La
11 May 2017
Mysterious; Dark; Beautiful; Mysterious; Sombre; Mystical; Magic; Realms; Twirling, in the Night; Pulchritudinous; Clouds

The world seeps into a dark somber; a dark cyclone into absolute trinity; tranquility spins... The first moments of nature..

Reflections Water

The first scenes..transportive; and carry it into realms

Enter Utopia

Ash tipped Clouds; Fire..Primal Light & Darkness dance in the sombre

Meandering conversations pursue, profound; why follow paths? We can follow paths to a certain goal, but ultimately it is impossible; why restrict ourselves with rigid paths; predictability. It is not true

The young, old; old nature, old life; young life, old life

Blood red clouds; primal passion The bodies, embrace in Nature

Time is taken here..not rushed.. it is slow; dreamy. Time is taken truly here; it is slowed down; all is calm. As Malick has said, people are rushed to talk in the modern age, and must speak quickly; here, time is in the essence, or merely does not exist.

The paradox; paragon; infinity; center The persona; discusses the trance of the rave, entering the zone, in sync with the earth, and others; immorph into one; metaphysical

Enter Shangri-La

Sunlight, smoke; the decimation of time..

Ancient Poets; ancient powers

Utopia

The time moves slowly..so slow.. A boat; a silhouette on the distant sunrise/sunset; cloud, the sun bleaches clouds..

Distant Distant light against the water...

Animal kingdom

Modernism & Nature Memories of livelihood

The mosaics spin into one...

Eyes; three beads of light Tarkovsky..Fire..House

Fire Fire Triangle Fire Tribal

Screams in the dark The meditative finale..ancient, soul touching...

Chants.. sighs..release; freedom; radical Power Magic Energy

Wildness; release...let go

The pure unmarked naked fury Passion Breath-taking

Our masks, eventually fall away

Lights Intense Emotion

Like a a subconscious wave; an abstract whole rhythm; heavenly, enigma Enter the sync, the trance All heart, soul; electric The insanity Special..

The scene; life changing In that moment, all are connected to life

Nothing mattered; primal; life unleashed Man, Beast? Truthful

It has rendered my barriers naked Transporting; enlightening

Into the vortex

It fills my soul..

A spell, to ward off the darkness

Like nothing before..

Like nothing else..
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Euphoria, Lost, Found
3 May 2017
Fleeting life...

Radical; magic Silence; electric

Euphoric.......

A bridge; blue lights above; the girl walks through the neon lights... The music plays; a happy, energetic, young song; it captures the energy of youth.

The moment is captured; one moment of euphoria; freedom; the young soul trying to capture life, and transcend the world; ecstasy.

These moments pass us by; we aren't always aware...we worry a lot, but there are some moments where life becomes an ecstasy experience; where we lose ourselves in the magnificent chaos, and life freely, and happily.

The beauty of life....

Abstract frames Lone figures, focused; backgrounds are blurred

Silence.....

Though in life there is the darkness, and depression; but without darkness, we would not know the beauty.

Long shots, tackle and mirror the nature of time; our uncomfortable, and somber; melancholy; dismal; sorrowful moments. Endless, but eventually they will end.

We trap ourselves in the toxic situations; couples are trapped in limbo; why do we torture ourselves? Do we enjoy it? We surround ourselves in madness and sadness, however terrible.

The voice in our head; we replay our moments.

The dark undergrowth is shown; but it does not have to be; perhaps the answer lies in front of us, in our grasp; yet we don't see it. The repetition of life...

Happy Emotional Silent despair..

Confused longing...

The transitions, that represent the time between the situations faced each day; like time between bodies.

Colours; blurred lines; visions

Abstract; frames

The musical motif that represents life's intoxication; exhilaration and elation; dreamland

Magic realism That we sometimes attain in life...

Melt and vanish

The nature of time.....
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"India Song"
23 April 2017
"India Song"

Duras, here, is speaking an experimental, visionary new cinematic language & grammar; an avant-garde synergy between image and sound, trying to create distant images into memories.

The scenes do indeed feel like a far off, distant memory, of joy, romance, and melancholy.

Incredible.

It feels like a dreamscape, with the images portrayed; rich in nature.

Duras creates a extraordinary, ethereal, complex connection, similar to India Song; the images, the emotion, the environment, the narration...all come together to create a unique concoction; a vortex of musical sounds and imagery.

It's almost like a silent film reversed; revolutionary. Duras has seemingly freed herself from material characters, and instead uses voices for her expression,in seductive tones.

It feels metaphysical; existential, with regards to the India Song repetition.

The images hold a scarred past: a broken mirror; a music piece heard in the distance; empty spaces; torn walls; a singer from Savannakhet.

Haunting speeches, juxtaposed with a slow-moving background..

Listening to India Song, with a man saying how he loved because of India Song, while gliding through a dark building, with a lone light, really is a marvelous, stupendous, alluring prodigious experience.

Once again, the characters are mysterious, and the form in which they are presented, makes them all the more fascinating.

The screams, and cries, over the sounds, are truly haunting.

Sun-beamed, sun-glazed rooms...

The shouting, and painful screaming, into the ballroom song; transcending..

Duras was much ahead of her time when she created this, and I do say that she this is still ahead of it's time even now, and may be for a long time; if always.

In some moments, it really feels as if you've entered a dream.
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The Sacrifice (1986)
Existential Terror/Harmony
15 April 2017
There is no film like The Sacrifice; it may be one of the greatest films...it is unique among films.

Tarkovsky puts himself into a realm of his own.

Filmed profoundly, and exquisitely; it is so pleasing to the eye; a director, at the height of his powers; pure patience, in the frames. There are many frames within frames here; *spoiler*; perhaps this represents the characters isolation?

Existentialist Terror/Harmony awaits here. Wise. Profound.

Truly, what is greater, than a film of this nature? A director, who creates philosophical examination, unlike any other; meditations, and streams of pure philosophical consciousness; true joy; refreshing; endearing.

It is a joy for anyone, who is stimulated by deep, heavy, philosophical life thought.

It muses on death, and existentialism.

It muses on materialism, but not in particularly buying materialism, but materialism in how we treat the earth; the nature materialism, earth's materialism.

It muses on machinery; verses nature; man verses nature. How we may decant ourselves to a high plain, but alas, return to earth, and destroy.

How we destroy ourselves, destroy the earth. Disillusionment with life, all.

It is truly chilling, and devastating.

It is a philosophical piece of lecture; it can be examined many times over. How faith, in a case, can be pursed from self-destruction; loss of self; hopelessness; this is when faith is pursued; when our fears are eternalized, and hope is lost; spiritual belief is lost, that someone may seek out their faith; our primal fears.

Tarkovsky is one of the directors closest to capturing philosophy on the screen. The switching between black & white, and color, immortalizes the scenes, and drives them into your subconscious; exquisite.

It considers how truth, and knowledge, can lead to existential suffering; though which can lead to profound wisdom; do we find comfort in terror? It is a reflection of ourselves.

Some sayings remind me of 'As A Man Thinketh'; a profound, beautiful, and special book.

I imagine the actors became wise, from merely speaking their thoughts of the character; profound questions are asked, and it gives you questions, like good philosophy does.

It is extraordinary and unique; the levitation scenes, and the one's that follow it...there is nothing like it in cinema; like a steam of memories; of terrifying but profound scenes...truly ethereal.

The fire scene is.....something that is not of this world.

There are filmmakers/directors, and then there is Tarkovsky; he is a pillar; a person, who, him himself, and his films, seem so unreal as to exist.

This film......really makes you believe there is magic in the world; like seeing a Salvador Dalí painting for the first time.

Something, which is like a portal, to another world; something that elevates you to a higher, magical, ethereal realm, and fills you with pure joy as to something like this could possibly exist.
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Nostalghia (1983)
10/10
Nostalgia
8 April 2017
A searing, heartbreaking love letter to Russia. This film should be seen; a film that reaches deep into your soul. It's pure, as Tarkovsky was. The images alone, with no words, can profusely affect me, and can leave you close to tears of beauty. Isn't this Tarkovsky at his most ethereal, and transcendent? The shots move ever so slowly, like waves, pulling in from the tide, slowly lapping on the shore...this is what it reminds me of. It feels very holy, and delicate; like a forbidden fruit; something that we should not be able to see, but, alas, we have had a chance to gaze upon it. It feels as if every slow step, and movement, is a painful and melancholy step into deep, lost memories. The language here, in this, is a rare moment in life, to witness such profundity; here, maybe one of Tarkovsky's Magnum Opus, we see him elevate to the highest transcending level, of language and alike; of one who understands the world deeply, and passionately. Surely, the opening scene is one of the most beautiful humanity has witnessed. Domiziana Giordano here externalizes beauty, almost like a goddess; ethereal. On the screen, we are witnessing paintings.. There's really no other film like Nostalgia. There are so many scenes here that are extraordinary. Words can't begin to describe the fire scene, juxtaposed with Beethoven; words can't capture the essence of this scene in the way Tarkovsky's images can. The candle scene may sear itself into your subconscious; slowly, but it will be there. Tarkovsky has the gift of bringing the beauty, from ordinary things; to make them beautiful, if not more than normally considered beautiful things; it shows he sees the world in a different way, a special way; someone who is truly alive. It truly is in another dimension. The romance, and relationship in the film is pure, powerful, and melancholic; it is awe-inspiring to watch these conversations; they are truthful, and can leave you gasping, as you have never seen emotions, quite portrayed in such a way. The film also brings into question human advancement; how we have come so far from our simple years, when we were merely in nature itself; humanity has changed, and with this, comes the many problems we have now; anxiety and worry plague many; alienation creeps on our minds; because life is so quick now, and everyone must become something important; the pressure is great; a far cry from our simpler days.
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Underground (1995)
10/10
Serbian Realm
1 April 2017
Extraordinary. Profound. Profusely emotional. Is this one of the greatest films ever made?

A special film.

This is a film of absolute madness, immense energy. There are so many memorable moments here; it would almost do a disservice to pick a few out, but the first scene may be the special one, as , when it appeared, I knew this was going to be special; this scene was the first fight scene, where the music gets louder; completely electrifying; insanity; free filmmaking.

There are of lot of seemingly similarities to the great; it evokes Fellini; it meanders in a special way, and has a magic, and energy, of the great Fellini. It also seems to bring into question Zulawski; the great, pure energy he brought; the insane energy he brought to his films, and actors; it is like a synergy of both, the double characters, and the concept of a film within a film. It reminded me at times, of L'Amour braque.

It is truly strange, and surreal, at times; but so energetic, it really is unbelievable.

The atmosphere...transports you to the realm of Serbia; utterly incredible.

The news segments scenes are absolutely genius.

This is rare filmmaking; pure filmmaking.

(The trumpets are utterly unforgettable)

I simply cannot believe this films is not more well known; after all, it did win Palme d'Or!

I implore you to watch this; this is a truly special film.
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Stalker (1979)
10/10
Subconscious Realm
1 April 2017
A film from another planet?

This is a pure stream of profound consciousness. Each frame is created to the highest possible artistic quality.

I just love the notions, and musings, behind the subconscious; how our innermost feelings, and desires, are even unknown to ourselves; we can fake what we think we want to feel, but we can never shake what we truly desire.

This is hardly a film, more, something much more; a philosophical and psychological out-worldly piece of expression.

Like others have said, hardly any words are needed to describe this. It simply is, and it's special to each person that watches it.
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Behemoth (2015)
10/10
Behemoth, Mankind, Destroyer
21 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Wow..

This is a horrific piece; but a piece of art, I believe.

An elegy, a love poem, to mother nature. A sad sight to behold, but a magnificent portrayal of the evil, greediness that is uprooted the earth.

Mysteriously hypnotizing; mystical. Beautiful cinematography, haunting visuals, eerie soundtrack; though the equipment itself plays a soundtrack of it's own: horror. This is a horror symphony of it's own. Though, not a conventional horror; horror, at our own kind; what we can do to ourselves, and our earth. A dreamy, almost ethereal narration. A combination of pure beauty visual, with poetry; help to elevate this to a piece of art; visual poetry.

This may well be, most definitely is one of the best films I've seen, this year.

A masterpiece. A Gem; exposure, to the unsung heroes of our time.

Not for the faint-hearted.

I implore you to watch this piece.

*Spoiler*

One of the last shots, sums it all:

'All the sacrifices, transmuted into steel'

All the pain, sacrifice, and disease, that the workers will go through, to merely create a piece of steel, transmuted, to go into our cities, where people live happily, with huge wealth, and the people in the mines, have sacrificed themselves, for their steel.....
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