Silence is nice @xavierkat - Tumblr Blog

"A novel is not life! An author is not her characters." "But an author can express herself through her characters. How can we not see a link?" "Is Stephen King a serial killer?" - Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, 2023 I cannot really explain it, but this film owes so much to Haneke. This tumblr no longer exists because screenshotting no longer truly exists; all that streaming platforms grant us now are blank frames. 20 years ago, we the audiences were promised the (film) world at our fingertips with all the technological advancements; yet all those developments did was to make film less, not more accessible (kudos to the rare exceptions).

#anatomy of a fall #justine triet

Gentle understanding.

Valeszka Grisebach's gorgeous, gentle (my favourite word this year, it seems), brilliant Western, 2018.

#western #valeszka grisebach

Sometimes you watch a film about a girl who destroyed everything, and you feel that it is about you.

Melancholia, Lars von Trier, 2011

#melancholia #lars von trier

Can one laugh at sadness? Yes, and it can be really, really sweet and heartbreaking at the same time.

Tel Aviv On Fire, Sameh Zoabi, 2018

#tel aviv on fire #sameh zoabi

The sadness of identities.

Nebojša Slijepčević's wonderful documentary exploration of deeply rooted identities, hatreds, and fears, Srbenka (2018)

#srbenka #nebojša slijepčević #oliver frljić

Sometimes a film becomes meaningful because others make you see it through their eyes.

I am not a witch, Rungano Nyoni, 2017

#I am not a witch #rungano nyoni

I cannot wait for an opportunity to rewatch (and screenshot all of) this film, which I loved so, so much because I knew every second of it.

The wonderful Thomas Schubert as Leon - and also as a version of some of the most beautiful people I know - in Christian Petzold's Afire (Roter Himmel), 2023

(Image from the vastness that is the Internet)

#afire #roter himmel #christian petzold

Belatedly marking the birthday of one of the great ones (who I only now noticed used to resemble someone I know when he was young).

The incredible Edward Norton in Primal Fear, Gregory Hoblit, 1996

#edward norton #primal fear #gregory hoblit

And what film did you find sexy & beautiful but boring?

Passages, Ira Sachs, 2023

(still from the internet, because Ben Whishaw is gorgeous)

#passages #ira sachs

Sometimes films are gentle because people they portray are gentle (and you wish you could share them - the films, not the people - with other gentle people).

North Circular, Luke McManus, 2022 (image from the internet)

#north circular #luke mcmanus

Sometimes little things can reveal a lot.

Ali Jaberansari's tender portrayal of the desire to be loved, Tehran: City of Love, 2018.

#ali jaberansari #Tehran city of love

Sometimes you rewatch a film with others, and they open up so many new dimensions to it.

Testről és lélekről (On Body and Soul), Ildikó Enyedi, 2017

#ildikó enyedi #Testről és lélekről #on body and soul

More cinema that I am not sure what to do with.

When I first saw this film, I was required to rate it (something I truly dislike) and I gave it 2 out of 5, because I felt it was impossibly cruel: it humiliates one of its protagonists in front of the viewers at the will of another, which I so disliked. I have on second viewing not really changed my mind, but I see it with a little more nuance. This quote in particular almost tries to redeem the (really sad) title character, as if it wants to say: it wasn't entirely his fault either, he too was a victim. It is a fair point - underlined also by the choice of actor, as Adnan Omerović is the face of tenderness beaten and bruised by life, all soft hair and soft eyes and soft voice. But still, was all this necessary for the audience to see?

Najsrekjniot chovek na svetot, Teona Strugar Mitevska, 2022

#Najsrekjniot chovek na svetot #The Happiest Man in the World #Teona Strugar Mitevska

Another film I didn't enjoy that everyone else seems to be finding great. I found it superficial, and I didn't care about the main character, which is a problem when the whole film is about her inner turmoil of failing at finding who she is. Ah well...

Return to Seoul, Davy Chou, 2022

#davy chou #return to seoul