Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir Part II is less a sequel than a drawn-out eulogy for a character we already didn’t care about. It’s a film about filmmaking, which, if we’re being honest, is already a red flag. Nothing says “pretentious detour” like watching a filmmaker make a film about making a film about her feelings. … Read More ““The Souvenir Part II” (2021): Grief, Film School, and the Longest Hangover in British Cinema” »
If you’ve ever stared at a wall long enough and thought, “I wish this had fewer emotional stakes,” Joanna Hogg’s Exhibition might be your kind of punishment. It’s not so much a film as it is a hostage situation disguised as an art installation — the cinematic equivalent of watching two mannequins argue telepathically while … Read More ““Exhibition” (2013) — A Portrait of a Marriage in Purgatory, with Wallpaper” »
There’s a special place in cinematic history reserved for movies that don’t just tell a story — they seep into your DNA, usually sometime around your 13th birthday, when you’re too hormonal to think and too dumb to understand what’s happening to you. My Tutor is one of those films. It didn’t aim to win … Read More “My Tutor (1983): Caren Kaye Made You Believe in Summer, Love, and Rewinding” »
Watching Archipelago is like being invited on someone else’s awkward family vacation, but instead of sun and memories, you get two hours of people whispering passive-aggressively about chicken and self-worth while a cello mourns the concept of emotional progress. Joanna Hogg’s 2010 arthouse darling is a film for people who enjoy the taste of cold … Read More “Archipelago (2010): Joanna Hogg’s Wet Cardboard Symphony of Repressed Whining” »
🏖️ 1. Premise That Promised Soul Searching… Just Gave Us Sand Unrelated centers on Anna (Kathryn Worth), a middle-aged woman tagging along on a luxury vacation to Tuscany with her best friend, Lucy. We’re promised a cultural and emotional journey—a chance to reflect, reconnect, maybe even escape midlife doldrums. Instead, the film slowly drains any … Read More ““Unrelated” (2007) – Joanna Hogg’s Cultural Retreat That Never Finds an Exit” »
🌡️ 1. Promised Political Heat, Delivered Humid Haze Set amid Nicaragua’s current chaos under COVID, the film depicts Trish (Margaret Qualley) stranded—passport confiscated, national crisis looming. In theory: perfect storm. In practice: she spends most of 138 minutes trading sheets with Daniel (Joe Alwyn) in sweaty hotel rooms. There’s mention of extrajudicial killings and political … Read More ““Stars at Noon” (2022) – A Torrid Love Story That Turns Into Moldy Salsa” »
🌌 1. Premise That Simply Spaced Out Claire Denis’s High Life begins with promise: a crew of death-row inmates sent on a deep-space mission, reproductive research their fate, and a child born in eternal darkness. It dished existential dread—Solaris meets Silent Running. But instead of tension or stakes, you get ritualistic pacing, forced philosophical asides, … Read More ““High Life” (2018) – Claire Denis’s Infinitely Bleak Space Odyssey That’s One Small Step for Boredom” »
🌪 1. Premise That Smolders, Then Fizzes Out Bastards follows Marco (Vincent Lindon), a mechanic turned reluctant vigilante, as he scours Ivory Coast and Paris seeking vengeance for his deceased brother. It’s pitched as a high-stakes cross-continental thriller soaked in simmering grief. What we get instead is Marco wandering between green-carpeted rooms and scrubbed highways, … Read More ““Bastards” (2013) – Claire Denis’s Revenge Rendezvous That Kills Time Faster Than Its Characters” »
🥃 1. Premise That Promised Soul, Delivered Silence Claire Denis’s 35 Shots of Rum centers on Lionel (Alex Descas), a shy train conductor in Paris, and his college-age daughter Joséphine (Mati Diop), as they navigate grief, routine, and quiet longing. It’s meant to be a tender portrait of shared solitude shaken with subtle tension. Instead, … Read More ““35 Shots of Rum” (2008) – A Slow-Mo Sake Night That Never Gets Drunk” »
1. Premise That Promised a Verité Dinner Party… Got Freeze-Dried Soup “Friday Night” sets two middle-aged couples—played by Vincent Lindon, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Grégoire Colin, and Alex Descas—around a restaurant table for a long evening of conversation. It’s billed as a naturalistic study of bourgeois intimacies and hidden resentments. But instead of simmering tensions or … Read More ““Friday Night” (2002) – Claire Denis’s Diner-Table Drama That Feels Like Eating Sardines in Chandelier Light” »
