"Maybe 'life' means something that has an end."
———
Girls' Last Tour — A tender eulogy for a dying world.
Its premise is simple: In a post-apocalyptic world, two girls — Chito and Yuuri — travel across a concrete megalopolis, aiming to reach the city's top-most level in the hopes of finding civilization. Said girls' personalities seem fairly cut-and-dry as well, with Chito being level and inquisitive and Yuuri being carefree and impulsive.
What's peculiar, however, is that there isn't…
The slow death of innocence.
When the Wind Blows holds nothing back as it portrays a sweet elderly couple coping with the fallout of a nuclear attack; they approach the situation with a charmingly naive optimism, almost treating the ordeal like a passing storm. Endearing as it is, it can only stave off the sickening horrors of war for so long, a result of their government's failure to protect and prepare them for the worst.
The end result feels like…
Antoni Gaudí's designs are in a league of their own, with their vivid colors and plant-like geometries. Even within the Art Nouveau realm of architecture, their curvatures and intricacies look very exaggerated, alien even, especially compared to other traditional or classical styles.
It's also worth noting how his faith played a crucial role in his handiwork; his organic formwork stemmed from his deep respect towards nature as God's creation. This could explain the otherworldly quality behind his designs, as if…
"It is your body, Bella Baxter. Yours to give freely."
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Hedonism is a virtue. Sex is a commodity. Promiscuity is freedom, carving the path towards enlightenment. Morality and discipline are social constructs, the collective byproduct of "polite society" that should be tossed aside as prudish obstacles to self-discovery.
The answer to oppression and prejudice is not to even the scales between race and gender, but to tip them in your own favor, as shown through the protagonist's development from an infantile, sex-crazed Frankenstein's monster into a smug and pretentious know-it-all.
So sayeth Poor Things — A pile of depravity disguised as a beacon of empowerment.
"Hail Satan..."
———
I'm a little torn on Longlegs. To kick things off, the film exhibits remarkable command over atmosphere through its lighting, shot compositions, and sound design, especially during its first half. It's an easy film to get lost in, which is ideal for a story dishing out a sense of tension and anxiety.
I also appreciate how the film presents evil (i.e., Satanism) as a deceptive, insidious force, disguising itself as something righteous, innocent, or benign before slowly…
