franzrebs Reviews

Climax (I) (2018)

Not falling short of this genius filmmaker

[9/10 · 13 January 2024]

Holy hell. This is my 4th Gaspar Noe film, and I am never disappointed. Each one had its own prevailing style, but a common thread links them making each one attributable only to this director.

He has this unique vision including that he does not care to adhere to what works (though that approach has yielded great films as those by Nolan and Scorsese for example).

The fact that Noe introduces you to characters you will just hate, does not deter me. What is good is a film for if it does not at least provide unsettling emotions?

The film offers us a sense of comfort in the familiar in the first half of the movie, then it suddenly veers off, elegantly but shockingly. From this moment on i am pumped, even moreso with the credits in Gaspar fashion. I had missed that.

This film frames long-debated subjects in simplified visuals:

• snappy moves of the dancers - almost as if like puppets
• top down angle as if you were looking at playthings, or a simulation

Below are the notable moments for me in the film, which deliver a heavy subtext, not always explicitly though, as the meaning can be wrestled with among the audience. Take from it as you will:

• "Do you want to see my anaconda?" threw me off and i burst out laughing (in relation to the earlier conversation between this character and another)

• I stopped laughing when the pregnant woman started hurting herself. This scene was heavy; the group goading her into questioning her self worth, her decision to keep the child, how she got into that situation in the first place, and into killing herself even. The message here is almost too obvious.

• The woman feeling trapped from putting her hands in her own stockings. Then breaks free and tries to wash her hands and head vigourously

• The camera starts spinning while a guy is still throwing his limbs around, dancing alone in the hallway, contorting his body, and this continues later in the film, in the backdrop, meant to remind us of the absurdity of the state everyone was supposed to be in, with the purpose of excusing the extremes being committed

• the woman suffering from the kids' screaming, a mental torture from the drug's reckoning on this poor child

• the men of african descent spreading white cream onto their bodies, in the midst of the blind aggression coming from this group

-Things stopped being funny again when the kid got "fried". Then I had to remind myself this is what he does in movies

-The music continues "from the Ghetto player" because its soulless rhythm is what carries the movie through to the end

• A woman leading another woman, distressed, into a dark room and starts her sexual advance. I was starting to see it as harassment, until the other eventually reciprocates? The man in Adidas sweats, who in the beginning had wanted to bone everyone, arrives weeping, and sees the door shut in his face. He is told, in passing, "leave the girls be"

• He stumbles on to see the brother, persistently under the guise of protection, before and after he tries to have sex with his sister

• That same man who had wanted to bone everybody, seems to have been suffering from something, as he continues to wail, never becoming intimate with anyone, since the drug hit

• the final shot, upside down, represents the reality in relation to the events that took place in that room

• and the most poignant of all - why, it seems, that all casualties were those who least deserved it?

• In the end we see the culprit revealed (i felt this was no longer necessary) and also exposing slyly - a book titled "LSD Psychotherapy" which explains for us exactly why that person did that. It all starts to make sense then. This is what a hero dose of psychedelic will do, albeit being therapeutic in the end, when it's not taken in a proper setting, inside and outside of yourself.

What makes this even more astounding is the fact which I derived from the wiki:

"The film is notable for its unorthodox production, having been conceived and pre-produced in four weeks and shot in chronological order in only 15 days: although Noé conceived the premise, the bulk of the film was unrehearsed on-the-spot improvisation by the cast, who were provided no lines of dialogue beforehand and had almost complete liberty as to where to take the story and characters. Climax features unusual editing and cinematography choices, and includes several long takes, including one lasting over 42 minutes. The cast of the film consists almost exclusively of dancers who, aside from Boutella and Souheila Yacoub, had no previous acting experience."

After every film, I have this sentiment, which I hold only for a few filmmakers - I wish he made more films, and that he was immortal for the purpose of that. A grand statement I know! And an unpopular opinion, but if one must be reminded, the purpose of auteur cinema is not to give the audience what they want but for the creators to express one or multiple messages either explicitly or subliminally, which may or may not appeal to certain audiences.

Paris Is Us (2019)

Not a romantic film. This is deep, dark, poetic and explores the psyche

[10/10 · 19 January 2020]

I was looking for a movie about Paris, and by sheer luck Netflix gave me this. It was more than I had asked for and now it's one of my favorites. It's the kind of film that you can watch many times over and you leave with something new each time.

The poster, and the first few scenes lead you to think it's a love story. It is not. Soon enough it descends into deep existentialism and an exploration of the subconscious.

I love the camera work in this, the persepective is intimate as if I was watching a Terrence Malick film though it also has the surrealism of a Lynch film or Eternal Sunshine.

The script is superbly written, the dialogues are raw and the monologues poetic.

I don't understand why this film has such a low rating here or why I never heard about if before. Perhaps some disappointed viewers who wanted a romantic drama.

The Face of an Angel (2014)

Ambitious... And under-delivered.

[5/10 · 11 October 2015]

Only one-thirds into the movie did I realize what it was supposed to be: a multi-layered, poetic piece with lofty characters. I should've gotten the hint from the opening scene and the narrative prose throughout the movie. Unfortunately it all ended up as too pretentious and cannot even be filed under the pool of psychological thrillers.

It's got a lot of lost potential; we've got some good actors caught in their bad moments, as if they couldn't afford another take. It was difficult to empathize with any of the characters. Eventually I got tired of watching Thomas (Daniel Brühl) going on impulsive snog fests with Simone and sniff cocaine because god knows why... it's hard to figure out what kind of character he's supposed to be. The only two characters true-to-form were Edoardo (Valerio Mastandrea) and Melanie (Cara Delevingne), and I'd have to give a special mention to Delevingne mostly for actually doing well in her first speaking part in a feature film.

Promised Land (2012)

No propaganda. Give it a chance.

[10/10 · 25 August 2015]

Okay. So I was hesitant about watching this movie because of its relatively low rating. I checked out the trailer - looked good - so I gave it a shot. And it was way above my expectations.

Of course, Gus Van Sant took care of the medium. Visuals looked great as expected. Intimate colors with a bit of grainy texture to add to the atmosphere. Acting was superb. The subject around which the story revolves shed light on a topic I find very interesting, though it may not be the same for the general audience.

Upon checking the rest of the reviews here, it looks like most of the low ratings were affected more by political dissidence rather than the cinematic experience itself. What they have to understand is that the movie is not made to point to a conclusion; it simply tells the story of the land owners, so we can hear the side of the very people who are directly affected by the movements made by these corporate giants. The statement this movie is trying to make is a far cry from the aggressive strategies they have been using on these small towns. If you find something disagreeable then start your own arguments elsewhere. No doubt this movie was well done. They did a great job.

The World of Kanako (2014)

Playful. Daring. Beautifully executed.

[10/10 · 20 August 2015]

I don't understand how this movie can only get a 6.8 rating. There's not much to say about its cinematography except that it's brilliant and beautiful. A lot of people somehow complained that it was "dizzying" which I cannot attest to. The scenes do cut so fast sometimes and there were instances were I had to catch up with the distinction between flash backs and present scenes. One tip is to pay attention early on, but a second viewing is not at all discouraged.

The story was well thought out. There are many layers that can engage the viewer and put you on the edge of your seat. A lot of questions are asked, you're not sure if you should love/hate the character, different possibilities are played out, and when you get to the revelation near the end you get mind blown but not so much that it seems absurd; in fact it fits in perfectly and the tragedy is justified. Basically there was no dull moment in this movie.

Not all questions are answered for you, though, especially with how the father feels about his daughter. He keeps calling her a bitch but it's hard to buy into that and you know there's so much more, be it a simple paternal love or something darker and more complex, if you dare to consider that.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who can stomach the violence and often repressed side of the human psyche for the sake of cinema and let the mastery of visuals dominate your experience. I won't get tired of watching this movie over and over again. I hope its gets released internationally and get the recognition that it deserves.

To the Wonder (2012)

It is what it is.

[7/10 · 22 July 2015]

If you have watched any of Terrence Malick's movies before, then this one should come as no surprise. You either love him or hate him. What I like about this guy is that he doesn't really need validation, he doesn't cater to the general audience. He keeps doing what he loves and cannot care less if you approve of it or not.

This movie, like his others, is not meant to follow the story-driven archetype. It is a poem, albeit a long one. It is for the perusal of people who, once in a while, would like to lay back and enjoy the seamless visual poetry and narrative overlays that translate and make concrete the invisible throbs and hums of the human condition.

Swimmer (2012)

You are the swimmer

[7/10 · 6 May 2015]

You can take whatever kind of idea out of this film, or you can take it as it is. For me, it was the fine stream of images and sentiments woven among each other that ultimately provided a pleasurable reflective experience. I just let the film flow through me. The rich gradients, the glimpses of life and activity, and the preserved loneliness are very good tools for introspection. This is the kind of film I'll get back to watching every once in a while to keep myself afloat.

Lynne Ramsay is a promising director. This is the second film I've seen from her and her other movies are already in my queue. Looking forward to hearing more from her in the coming years.

Life Partners (2014)

Not that bad

[7/10 · 13 November 2014]

This movie was easy enough to watch and decently entertaining. The acting by some characters leaves much to be improved, and the transition was too quick on most parts so it feels like watching another one of those comedy flicks. However, a lot of issues tackled on the movie were very realistic and very relatable (growing out of a phase, postponing one's passion for a more conventional and menial job to afford time for creative study but end up rethinking your priorities and looking at your life from a different perspective). As a lesbian myself, I also appreciate how they treated the lesbian characters "normally" and not have their roles blown out of proportion (you know how Hollywood uses straight girl-on-girl kissing as bait). All in all, a good film worthy of staying up for on a weeknight!

Ways of the Sea (2010)

Believable

[8/10 · 18 January 2012]

The acting in this film was genuine. I'm always amazed at how our indie films have no-name actors that can perform really well, while mainstream (Filipino) movies don't.

The visuals were also rich with emotions. It managed to give us an accurate sense of what life in those villages was like. The wise selection of background sounds also helped make some scenes more engaging.

At the beginning of this movie, I was expecting to see the part where they reach Sabah and be shown the entire story of how their lives (or that particular chapter of their lives) pan out. However, the entire movie was focused on the journey and the personal traits of each character. It made us sympathize and actually hope that they find what they were looking for in the foreign land. When the film ended the way it did, I was stunned yet thoroughly impressed. I don't think the film can be made any greater if it had ended differently.