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Nomadland (2020)
A superb heart felt quasi-documentarie
Nomadland is a movie that touches in many dark themes: inequality, poverty, loneliness, grief yet you still get a feel good sensation at the end of it. It's a bitter sweet experience that encapsules the experiences of some north american workers that happen to be down on their luck. The movie portrays the fallout of the 2009 crisis and its dire consequences over the weakest links on our society, the menial job workers. The protagonist, after losing her house, her husband and her community "decides" to live a nomad life. And I mean "decides" (between quotes) because she has no other viable option that wouldn't make her a inconvenience to her family or friends. So she picks the cheapest possible option to maintain her independence and autonomy: The nomad lifestyle.
The movie worked for me on two levels, individual and social (macro and micro).
On the individual level, the main character called "Fern" has to deal with the lonely life of a modern nomad, that searches for seasonal jobs scattered all through the country. The liquidity of her personal relationships is evident through the movie, since people on the road are always coming from or going to somewhere, but still she manages to link up and maintain a bond with other people.
And here is where the movie gets sweet from the almost only bitter experience. The relationships that Fern gets to experience, are nothing but immensely positive. Even though all the people that she finds during her travels also are in deep turmoil over present or past experiences. In that aspect the movie feels like a Dickens piece of literature. Even though these people seems to be in unfortunate economic conditions their heart are always on a good place. They are funny, happy, moral, helpful people. Against all odds, the humanity, in a micro social level prevails. And it does it beautifully.
On the macro-social level, the movie certainly explores the horrors produced by modern day social-economical developments. You can't help but ask yourself: Is this moral? Is a 60 year old woman in deep need to retire see herself obliged to work and live in a van in order to get a better retirement deal? It's certainly feels immoral and tragic.
The cinematography of the movie is superb. The director uses mainly natural light and records using a wide lens (which seems to shown the main character even smaller in the screen) focusing mainly on the ever changing scenery resulting from the nomad lifestyle. The director's recording style will eventually immerse you in the scenes and provoke a distinct fell of universal awe.
Intimate, beautiful, and deeply humane, Nomadland is certainly worth a watch!
A Serious Man (2009)
Prepare to get lost
A serious man portrays the life of middle aged mild man Larry Gopnick during a couple of days. His menial suburban lifestyle is little by little turned upside down due to events that seem to be completely out of his control. During the movie, Larry becomes more and more helpless due to the events, nd because of that he is convinced by a friend to see a rabbi that is considered a wise man. There, Larry could open up and maybe get some guidance. Larry tries to get hold of the old rabbi (called Marshak), but never gets the chance to talk to him. Instead he talks to the available rabbis. They both give unsound and general advice letting Larry even more confused.
By the end of the movie Larry thinks his life is going to get back on track,for a second, just to (probably) receive some devastating news from his doctor some minutes after the movie ends.
I've watched the movie more than one time and I've read and I've watched some reviews. The movie has a very open and interpretative path to get to the meaning behind it. Some people take Larry as Job from the old testament, supposedly getting punished just to test his faith. And since Larry has some sins portrayed (repressed sexual desires that come out as dreams) on the movie and gets corrupted by the end (accepting money for illegal activities), then according to that interpretation his suffering is justified. But this interpretation seems to me as a mistake, because Larry (that seems to be the most moral character in the movie) is punished even before everyone of his sins happen on the screen. In the first 3 minutes of the movie (cutting out the old folktale) Larry is at the doctor. There he takes some X rays. At that moment, Larry's fate is set. We try to fit forcibly some religious interpretation ad hoc but it just does not seem to fit. If Larry is a good, moral man before the film starts, which is implied that he is, then it would not be fair that he would get a serious (possibly terminal) disease even before his first appearance( since the x-rays only serves to diagnose his disease not to cause it).
For most people all the rabbis in the movies are portrayed as buffoons that try to solve Larry's problems through:
(1) general common place advice that can be giving to anyone by pretty much anyone, because there is no psychological or theological background needed to say "try to see things in a new perspective" and "God is everywhere you look you just need to want to see him" and "you have to see those things as expression of god's will".
(2) Convoluted parable; that take five minutes to tell Larry that "we can olny know what god wants us to know"
The third rabbi (Marshak), supposedly the wise one, does not talk to Larry during the movie. Although, he speaks to Larry's 14 yo stoner son (Daniel) after his bar mitzvah. And boy, what disappointment that was. I though that the old rabbi was going to talk about the profound and obscure side of our human nature through many historical and religious references that would make Daniel a more thoughtful and mature young man. Then, the rabbi recites part of a song from the airplanes, forgets the name of one the members of the band(what betrays his senility due to old age) and to close it off with the most original thought provoking advice: "be a good boy".
The world is truly a bleak place. Apparently, even the most sage rabbi is as confusing and useless as the other ones.
To me the movie "a serious man" tell us that religion in general is a secure shelter that we run towards when we truly are in despair. When the world seems to make no sense, we face the senselessness of the world through embracing the senselessness of religion. Larry is a rational man. As a professor of physics, he developed a scientific, rational psychological framework. For Larry, just like for newton, Actions have consequences. That's sound a lot like Newtonian physics(that have religious roots). It's a consistent morality for a consistent universe. IF for every action there is a equal opposite reaction THEN the universe is fairly predictable. If we adapt that for a religious moral framework we have: IF Larry did not do anything wrong THEN everything will be fine. But still, for Larry, there is always a bad consequences. This seem not to fit in the religious/Newtonian psychological framework(where good people are blessed and bad people are punished) that Larry follows. This happens because it follows the new XX century quantum physics framework, where the chaos ensues. Not even Larry's rationality can really understand the fundamental truths derived from it expressed in non mathematical language. Because there are fundamentally none or there are many. Everything is probabilistic. Only through math we can really proof what seems to be going on the universe. There is no complete consistency, If and THEN definitive statements seems to have no place here. Sometimes causes and consequences seems to be switched. That is one way of interpretation that seems to justify Larrys suffering. That can be interpreted in two ways:
(1) Either Larry suffered because there is no god nor divine justice and under the hood of daily reality things are (fundamentally) chaotical and senseless. We do what we can and hope for the best, but no guarantees.
(2) or Larry suffered because god knew in his infinite wisdom that Larry was a corrupt man even before Larry corrupted himself. God knew the cause of Larry's suffering before the effect.
But, to be honest this second religious explanation is a apologetic way of trying to fit religion again into the new scientific theories of the last century. It also heavily relies upon the incapacity of the viewer to know much about the real quantum physics. In the quantum world causes and consequences do seem to be switched in some instances, but they are restrict to only the micro verse of atoms and molecules. They are not applicable directly in our daily lives. Sean Carrol and Lawrence Krauss, are two serious physics professors that have said many times that quantum mechanics are often used to justify mysticism. So let's disregard the option number two because it is usually used by gurus trying to sign you up in a cult or sell you something. (The option number two also create great philosophical problems with free will that were never solved for church philosophers) and so we conclude that we are stuck with option one.
The option one is not the one we'd like, but is the one we have, In the movie and in life. God help us.
Dorogie tovarishchi (2020)
When becomes impossible not to see what you're not supposed to
The story happens in 1962, on a small Russian town during the cold war. The people of city seems to be getting angry and impatient with the central government due to wage cuts and general raise in prices. These changes cause tensions to build up rapidly between factory workers and the communist party members until explodes in a gruesome way.
The movie follows a member of the communist party called Lyudmila Danilovna (played by Yuliya Vysotskaya) that works for and represents the central government in the city. 'Lyuda' (for short) is an ideologue that believes on the party propaganda even thought she might express mild dissatisfaction privately from time to time. Her father, an ex party member, is a melancholic retired man that seems not to believe in the party lines anymore. Her daughter is a "full-of-life" Leninist factory worker, that believes that Stalin is an assassin dictator. The tension that sprouts from those different generations, personalities and occupations inside a highly unstable political regime leads the main character to restore and reinforce her personal relations(family, neighbors and friends) instead of the party propaganda.
Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (2019)
A painting on the movie screen
The story of the movie happens in what looks like XVII to XVIII century britain in a semi-populated rural island. The main characters are Marianne and Heloise, two young girls that happen to come together due to the circumstances of the marriage arrangement of marianne. In the story, the suitor's family will only agree to marrie his son to marianne if they see her first (and like her beauty). Hence, a painter is hired (Heloise) to portray her.
The plot of the movie is most of the time slow with a few scenes as exceptions. The side stories, serves to support the main narrative and give more depth to the characters portrayed.
The movie is superbly shot! The scenery shown appear to be taken out straight from a oil painting, and even the most intimate scenes are shot whit gentle artistic touch. The main plot (in general) may be nothing ground breaking, but what the movie lacks in innovation it pays off by being gorgeous.
The dialogues were too short for my taste. Maybe that was the director's intentions, to make us spectators earning for more. In some scenes, I did not understand what the dialogue was referring to, maybe the problem here was my subtitles version or maybe the writers should have been more clear about what they are trying to say.
Both actresses (Noémie Merlan and Adèle Haenel) are extraordinary in their roles. Their performances are natural, subtle and delicate most of the movie, but when it's needed more from them, they deliver a powerful moving scenes.
It is certainly worth a watch.
Sideways (2004)
The more I think about the better it gets!
The movie portraits perfectly two archetypes of highschool boys but now as middle age men: the nerd and the jock. Although it does so without overindulging in hollywood clichés, which is refreshing.
The plot at first seems like nothing special, two men plan to journey into local california wineries for a week before one of them marries, but due to a series of events they found themselves with everything getting out of control, "hence sideways."
What surprised me the most was the down to earth sensibility in which the innumerous themes were approached by this movie: Lust, Depression, aging, frustration, love and much more.
It has a terrific dialogue; a beautiful setting; and interesting plot accompanied with great performances by the actors. Although it lacks a little bit in the cinematography in some scenes and the ending is pretty much on the nose, the movie is superb.
If you haven't seen it yet, watch it! It's the original "the hangover" but with a lot of heart, a little bit of sadness and loads of comedy.
Sincerely Louis CK (2020)
He still got it
Unsurprisingly, he still got it. It may be not his best work, but by far is one of the best sets I've seen on the last 2~3 years, together with the stand ups of Bill Burr, and Chappelle. Ultimately, I'm glad he's back.
Amy Schumer Presents Mark Normand: Don't Be Yourself (2017)
Great comedy, don't let the down votes fool you
Mark Normand is a quick, smart and thoughtful comedian. His fast style comedy is composed mostly of set up followed by joke; It's clean and extremely precise. You can still see that Mark sometimes is not confortable with silence, because even after brilliantly well written jokes he rushes to the next one; unfortunately giving no wiggle room for the joke pack a bigger punch.
Personally, his style kinda remminds me of some bits of young of Louis CK on tv, but a little bit more awkward. Just know you're in for a treat.