My second Mandico after Wild Boys, so I knew what I was getting into. Gender bending adaptation of a classic with an all-woman cast. As singular a stylist as fellow traveler Guy Madden, though without the silent-era nods. But this tale of a cruel barbarian jumping through ages to climax in an homage to Greenaway didn't work as well for me. The overall feel is a fetish gear fashion shoot, but then, that may have been the intent.
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Brimstone & Glory 2017
I expected visual spectacle. But it hit on emotional beats as well.
The tradition of young men braving bulls goes back to Etruscan times, at least. In Tultepec, they breathe fire, and leave leave small burns. There's something very primal here.
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Son of Saul 2015
Harrowing and admirably crafted.
I really think this approach of claustrophobically focusing on the protagonist's experience would work well in other genres. There are some similarly harrowing events in military history (first day of the Battle of Somme, 1916, 1842 retreat from Kabul) that could be filmed with modest budgets by this technique.
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Upstream Color 2013
Close Encounters of the Grubby Kind.
As in Primer, the director provides us with a fairly complete scenario, but understands a puzzle's delight is commensurate with the exertions the solution requires. With negligible exposition, Carruth expects his audience to swim. It is a bizarre scenario, though, and the film rests on two performances that walk a tightrope to avoid the bathetic and suspend disbelief. It was filmed on far less than the catering budget of other films, but mostly hides…
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