Let us agree that to earn the title of “jewel”, a film has to move either aesthetically or through the script. They are some films that do not go out of your head when the lights are on and you leave the room. I start with them:
SUSPIRIA
Many people may think completely the opposite of me in relation to this film by Luca Guadagnino, but it is one of those movies that you either love or hate, there is no middle ground. I loved it. More than a Remake, it’s a kind of personal reinterpretation, more like a tribute to the Darío Argento’s work. It does not compete, rather it is inspired, and we can see the exquisite sensibility of Guadagnino in his staging, taking us to the darkness with a touching aesthetic delicacy. While there is a desire to cover too much in the plot (at the level of having context information that doesn’t contribute to the story and confuses a bit), the beauty and efficiency of the montage make it completely forgettable at the end. I would see it again, no doubt.
CLIMAX
Gaspar Noé manages to show his essence as a filmmaker in this film, which begins as any party: little by little, fun, taking confidence … until it becomes a suffocating and tremendous experience. It is impossible to get out of this trip well, and that is precisely what is appreciated!
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT
Let’s start knowing that this is Lars Von Trier. From then on it can be anything, but simple and soft. This is one of those movies that leave you thinking about it for several days. Hence, it is in the category of “jewel”. And if there is something well accomplished in this film, it is the expression of the null empathy of a psychopath. There is no emotional charge and I think that is what makes the spectators laugh in parts where they should feel horror … I do not know if it is because of disbelief or the inability to react in any other way, but I laughed more than half of the movie. There is a lot of self-reference, many aesthetically beautiful scenes and the end is the only part where you return in some way to the “morally acceptable”, something that is certainly appreciated … as to leave the cinema quietly.
BURNING
Based on a story by Murakami, it is a film that collects all the writer’s style and makes it images: A very restrained protagonist, a story that is slowly getting muddled. Is one those films of which you say: “if it ends here, it’s perfect …” and does so.
LAZZARO FELICE
More than a movie, it is a visual poem that speaks of the loss of goodness as a virtue in the human being. It starts with the story of a young man from the countryside, but then it gives a twist to a kind of fable. This film can be understood as an aesthetic journey through Italian cinema, beautiful and very sensitive. It is not a movie for those who seek action, but for those who are able to enjoy with the long shots that show the little things in life.
Shorts, shortfilms
I appreciate having seen the full session of the New Visions shorts, almost all excellent. Here are my favourites:
The good ones
Come on, they can not be all jewels, but these are worth it, and a lot:
The WTF
There are movies that are really a poem by themselves … or not. Those you cannot say that are bad … until those 5 minutes arrive leaving them on the ground. Or it may be that the script surprises you, but that it does not finish curdling to consider it really good… You might even understand nothing of what they are showing you. In brief, there are some films that at the end you say: WTF!… Some films like these: