Unrelated
I really liked this! A subtle, unnerving family drama from the perspective of Anna, a family-friend who isn’t actually related to anyone else. Kathryn Worth and Tom Hiddleston have great chemistry (both in their feature film debut) and the Italian locales add a beautiful texture. You can tell they shot this on-location (especially on their day trips to Siena, the historical city of Palio fame). Since all three of Joanna Hogg’s features are on the Criterion Channel, I have decided to watch them in anticipation for The Souvenir. Next up, Archipelago…

Cameraperson
“You did a great job. Look at me. You should’ve had that… Don’t get mad, there’s a lot of people watching…”
I found Cameraperson to be a moving and inventive doc that lives and breathes on its own terms. By repurposing twenty-five years of raw footage, Kirsten Johnson examines a life spent capturing grief and trauma, and then learns to cope with it herself. Johnson's cinematography is what makes Cameraperson a great film; her reflexive concept and flawless execution are what make it great art.

Archipelago
The film’s summary on the Criterion Channel declares it “quietly devastating,” and I honestly can’t think of a more apt descriptor. Tom Hiddleston and the other actors are really in full control here, elevating Joanna Hogg’s already immaculate script into the realm of poetic realism. And once again, Hogg’s choice to film on location pays off— the landscapes are even more impressive and immersive than in Unrelated. I’m really really looking forward to Exhibition and The Souvenir.

Exhibition
Though it is more intimate and voyeuristic than Hogg’s previous films, Exhibition is ultimately less compelling. I don’t want to be reductive, but this is one of those films that feels like it would have worked better as a 40-50 minute short. There are a lot of interesting and complex ideas packed in here, but I just never felt the weight that so effortlessly existed in her previous films. Even so, I am looking forward to The Souvenir!

The Lure
This is a really interesting film. The vibrant music and grungy aesthetics are super cool, but the story wasn't fully there for me. I know not every film needs to have a tight script, but I could tell that Agnieszka Smoczyńska wasn’t going full-on experimental with this one. The Lure is a fun and freakish fairytale, but one that surely would’ve benefited from a more cohesive narrative.

Last Hurrah for Chivalry
The narrative is inconsistent, the acting is cheesy (on purpose?), and the action is awesome… so it’s a bit of a mixed bag. But the second half of the film focuses on a cohesive storyline that plays Woo’s strengths, so you can’t help but feel satisfied when that final song starts to play. Last Hurrah is my introduction to John Woo and the martial arts genre in general, so I look forward to diving deeper into the filmographies of both. I’m also looking forward to watching The Umbrellas of Cherbourg so I can see why Criterion chose these two for a double feature. Stay tuned!

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
The sung dialogue? Inventive.
The design? Rich.
The colors? Beautiful.
But…
The story? Basic.
The music? Repetitive.
I don't want to be a downer, but some character development and song structure would have been nice. I guess I liked this, but overall I just found myself wanting more.

Detour
If the whole movie were as exciting as the last nine minutes, I think I’d like this. Unfortunately, it took a whole hour of meandering set-up to get to that good stuff, and then it just ended. I’m a bit disappointed because I really enjoyed Ulmer’s The Black Cat when I saw it a couple years back, and I had hoped this would be just as good.

Touki Bouki
In Touki Bouki, Djibril Diop Mambéty smartly balances gorgeous, real life locations with a quasi-surrealist narrative to create an original fairytale about freedom, class, and colonialism. While I wasn’t totally taken by the film as a whole, I appreciate the way Mambéty allowed me to find a little something in every shot— be it a symbol, a metaphor, or a question.
It seems like African films just don’t seem to be talked about/taught as frequently as films from France, Japan, etc., so I’m glad I finally got to catch this one on the Criterion Channel!

Phoenix
A twisty little period drama with an amazing central performance from Nina Hoss. Reminded me a lot of Cold War— both are war-time European love stories about a singer and pianist who come together after being separated. But the similarities don’t stop there. Both films are intimate, classical, and melodramatic (in a good way), and they both have closing scenes that are undeniably moving. Definitely planning on watching Christian Petzold’s most recent film, Transit, soon.