noxus329 Reviews

Piaffe (2022)

More intellectual than resonant

[7/10 · 21 January 2024]

'Piaffe' is Ann Oren's (the director) exploration of what happens when barriers between modes of existence (or our familiarity with them) blur as a result of the world they inhabit. You may not agree with the way she does so here, having a protagonist with a horse's tail growing out of her body. But there is something to be said for how, in the age of the internet, there are practically no defining lines between ideas.

That being said, this movie isn't badly made. It's well-paced, and you can tell that Oren cares about her subject from the way she is invested in it. She fills her movie with subtle hints: the metaphor of ferns; the juxtaposition of light and dark triangles; the sharing of vibrant colors. The title itself, being the name of a style of horse dressage, suggests a sort of liveliness.

However, it focuses more on making its point than on telling a story, and that takes away from its emotional impact. The characters are not so much flesh and blood as part of a larger tapestry. That creates a feel of lacking, because while the movie has a theme, we don't really get a reason to relate to it.

Overall, this movie is not a waste of your time but isn't exactly resonant either. It's simply there, if you can believe it. You may find the content disturbing, but I assure you that's not Oren's intention.

Nestor (2014)

A boulder in a garden of ferns

[9/10 · 6 December 2020]

I saw this film at the Somewhat North Of Boston Film Festival and it was by far the most impactful movie that was screened there that year. The director (with whom I had the pleasure of discussing the movie afterwards) has a clear command of his narrative and technique, and while watching it I gained a hypnotic feel of the loneliness that the man in the story experienced. You can empathize with him as he knocks his head against the wall of his circumstances and tries to find meaning in a world where he's the only person who exists. Is he a bit downcast? Yes. But I liked him that way. Besides, I'd probably be at least a little foreboding too, were I in his shoes.

I've been to the SNOB Film Festival many times. This was the only movie from the 2014 festival that I remember with any vividness. That should be a testament to its quality.