Based on a short story by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Devi (The Goddess) is a landlord who is convinced that his daughter-in-law is a reincarnated version of a goddess as his delusions become troubling. Written for the screen and directed by Satyajit Ray, the film is an exploration of fanaticism in late 19th Century India where this young woman is caught in the middle of a conflict involving religious ideals and the emergence of rational, modernist ideals. Starring Chhabi Biswas, Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Purnendu Mukherjee, Karuna Banerjee, Arpan Chowdhury, Anil Chatterjee, Kali Sarkar, and Mohammed Israil. Devi is a mesmerizing and entrancing film from Satyajit Ray.
Set in late 19th Century India, the film revolves around a 17-year old young woman who is convinced by her father-in-law that she is the incarnation of a goddess he worships where he and other follows believe she can save everyone while her husband is skeptical about all of this following his return from his studies in Calcutta. It is a film that explore this idea of religious beliefs as it reaches elements of fanaticism and its conflict with rational thinking during a crucial period in India’s history under British rule. Satyajit Ray’s screenplay explore this family dynamic under the rule of this landlord in Kalikinkar Roy (Chhabi Biswas) who is a devoted worshipper of the goddess known as Kali while his younger son Umaprasad (Soumitra Chatterjee) is studying to become a teacher as well as learn English as doesn’t agree with his father’s beliefs but doesn’t challenge them. Leaving for Calcutta to finish his studies, Umaprasad leaves his young wife Doyamoyee (Sharmila Tagore) with his father, older brother Taraprasad (Purnendu Mukherjee), his wife Harasundari (Karuna Banerjee), and their young son Khoka (Arpan Chowdhury) whom Doyamoyee is fond of.
When Kalikinkar has a dream about Kali, he sees Doyamoyee’s face in his dream where he ponders of she is the goddess Kali. It would take a few small things for Kalikinkar to be convinced as does Taraprasad and a few of Kalikinkar. Yet, Harasundari is skeptical for much of the film where Doyamoyee is given her own room but it also comes with a sense of isolation and an identity crisis. Even when a man whose grandson becomes ill where he prays to Doyamoyee and beg her to heal his grandson as it is a key moment in the second act that play into Kalikinkar’s own faith but also Doyamoyee’s identity crisis as she becomes more confused. When Umaprasad returns from Calcutta, he is baffled but also troubled by the throngs of people going to his wife knowing that she’s just an ordinary young woman.
Ray’s direction is definitely ravishing in not just the intimate moments that occur in the film but also the scope of the locations as it is shot largely in the Bengal region in India. While there are some wide shots of the locations in the areas near the rivers and long grassy fields, Ray does maintain some simplicity in his compositions in the way he presents Doyamoyee as she is in the middle of this shrine being worshipped through close-ups and medium shots. The scenes at the home are simple with the rooms being also claustrophobic as it play into Doyamoyee’s isolation as well as the tension that looms in the house with Kalikinkar making the home a place of worship with servants treating Doyamoyee with caution fearing they might cause trouble. Even as Ray keeps the close-ups tight while creating some unique imagery that play into this sense of fanaticism including a wide shot of people walking on the beach of the river as they line-up to meet Doyamoyee.
The film’s third act that relates to Umaprasad upon his return from Calcutta where he is troubled by what he is seeing as he is this representation of someone that is rational and is worried about his wife’s psyche. Even as he tries to get her out of his family’s house, Doyamoyee is just unsure where Ray’s camera is fixed upon this shadow of a shrine as if it is telling her something while Umaprasad is confused as he goes to his professor (Kali Sarkar) who gives him some advice as it relates to this conflict about rationality and faith. Even as it play into its climax where Ray definitely makes some commentary about the idea of blind faith and its fallacies where the end results are tragic. Overall, Ray crafts a riveting and somber film about a young woman who is seen by her father-in-law as the reincarnation of a goddess that leads to chaos.
Cinematographer Subrata Mitra does amazing work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its natural lighting for the daytime scenes along with some unique schemes for some of the daytime interiors as well as scenes at night. Editor Dulal Dutta does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into some of the drama. Art director Bansi Chandragupta does fantastic work with the look of the home where the family live in as well as the shrine that Kalikinkar has created for Doyamoyee. The sound work of Durgadas Mitra is brilliant for its natural approach to sound in how some of the music is presented on location as well as the sparse moments in the river. The film’s music by Ali Akbar Khan does incredible work with the film’s score with its usage of sitars and percussions to play into some of the dramatic tension as well as how some of the music is played on location including a song sung by a man that becomes a key moment in the film.
The film’s superb ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Anil Chatterjee as a friend of Umaprasad in Bhudeb who go to him for advice in pursuing a widow, Kali Sarkar as Umaprasad’s professor who gives him advice on how to confront his father but also to not create further chaos, Mohammed Israil as an old man who renounced his faith in Kali until his grandson becomes ill, Karuna Banerjee as Taraprasad’s wife Harasundari who is skeptical about Doyamoyee’s persona as well as what her father-in-law believes in, Purnendu Mukherjee as Umaprasad’s older brother Taraprasad who is skeptical about Doyamoyee until he becomes convinced that she is an avatar of Kali, and Arpan Chowdhury as Taraprasad and Harasundari’s son Khoka whom Doyamoyee is fond of as she often plays with him until he deals with her new role as this goddess. Chhabi Biswas is excellent as Kalikinkar Roy as the patriarch of the family and a landlord as he is also a devoted follower of Kali where he is convinced that Doyamoyee is an incarnation of Kali where he loses sight of rationality while also is blinded by his delusions.
Sharmila Tagore is brilliant as Doyamoyee as Umaprasad’s wife as a 17-year old woman who is believed by her father-in-law to be this incarnation of Kali where she becomes confused by her identity as it added to some emotional and mental torture over the new role she’s playing. Finally, there’s Soumitra Chatterjee in an amazing performance as Umaprasad Roy as a young man who is hoping to bring a good life for his wife while he goes to Calcutta for his studies to become a teacher while learning English where he later deals with the chaos his father has brought and the anguish his wife is dealing with.
The 2021 Region A Blu-Ray release from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a new 4K digital restoration in its original 1:37:1 aspect ratio with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack that is also restored in its original Bengali language with a new English subtitle translation. The Blu-Ray release feature two special featurettes relating to the film as the first is a sixteen-minute, twenty-second piece from 2013 with interviews with two of the film’s stars in Sharmila Tagore and Soumitra Chatterjee where they both talk about the film, their experiences working with Ray, and the controversy about the film following its release in 1960. Tagore was only 14 when she made the film as it was her second collaboration with Ray as she was aware of the subject matter as well as what her character was going through. Chatterjee revealed a lot of the conflict that the film discussed as it was also happening in the late 1950s/early 1960s as it relates to the view of orthodox Hindus and their ideals which Chatterjee described as backwards. Tagore revealed that the film upon its release wasn’t well-received by both critics and audiences in India yet Ray was undeterred knowing that he was going to cause problems with that audience.
The 17-minute video essay by film scholar Meheli Sen discusses the film and its themes as well as the original short story that Ray would expand upon. Notably as it play into some of the social tension that was happening with modern ideals and the views of orthodox Hindus as it still happens in the 21st Century but on a smaller scale. Sen also talks about the role that women had to play in the late 19th Century and how the character of Doyamoyee was someone who never had any independent thoughts until she met Umaprasad. Sen also talks about the clash between rational thinking from the modern world and the irrational ideas from orthodox Hinduism as it relates to the film but also the times in which there were people wanting to break from these ideas in society in the hope they can create a better future despite being under British colonial rule.
The Blu-Ray set also features a booklet that includes an essay entitled Devi: Seeing and Believing by Devika Girish, who is the co-deputy editor of Film Comment magazine as she writes about the film. Notably as she describes the film as Ray’s most political film as it relates to the conflict with post-colonial India, just years removed from the Partition, from the orthodox Hindus and young people wanting a more rational idea that doesn’t believe in superstition. Girish felt that Ray would use the source material of the book to comment on this current conflict by setting the story in the late 19th Century as well as how Ray portrays women who are stuck in a certain identity they have to play. Even as it would begin a new theme that Ray would explore in his films about women trying to find their own voice in India as it is a great essay to read about this film.
Devi is a sensational film from Satyajit Ray that features great performances from Chhabi Biswas, Sharmila Tagore, and Soumitra Chatterjee. Along with its supporting cast, ravishing visuals, its exploration of religious fanaticism and loss of identity and rationality, and its haunting music score. The film is definitely a mesmerizing yet somber film that explore a family being undone by an old man’s delusions towards his daughter-in-law as she struggles with her identity and her husband trying to make sense of all of this chaos. In the end, Devi is a spectacular film from Satyajit Ray.
Satyajit Ray Films: Pather Panchali - Aparajito - (Parash Pathar) – The Music Room - Apur Sansar - (Teen Kanya) – (Rabindranath Tagore) – (Kanchenjunghar) – (Abhijan) – The Big City - Charulata - (Two) – (Kapurush) – Nayak - (Chiriyakhana) – (Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne) – (Aranyer Din Ratri) – (Pratidwandi) – (Sikkim) – (Seemabaddha) – (The Inner Eye) – (Ashani Sanket) – (Sonar Kella) – (Jana Aranya) – (Bala) – (Shatranj Ke Khilari) – (Joi Baba Felunath) – (Hirak Rajar Deshe) – (Pikoo) – (Sadgati) – (Ghare Baire) – (Sukumar Ray) – (Ganashatru) – (Shakha Proshakha) – (Agantuk)
For the 36th week of 2022 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks as part of mystery month. We go into the world of technological and media mysteries as it play into the world where new things are emerging or set in a futuristic world that play into new mysterious elements. Here are my three picks as they’re all based on the early days of the internet and were made in the 1990s:
1. The Net
Starring Sandra Bullock as a system analyst who liked to go online and chat with other people where she meets a smuggler on vacation and things go wrong. Even as someone else took her identity as it involves a lot of government conspiracies and all sorts of shit. It is a film of its time considering the technological limitations it was dealing with but Bullock’s performance is what makes the film work despite its many flaws.
2. Hackers
Another film that was a product of its time in terms of some of the tech language and people had to use to get on the internet. It does a remain a cult classic in terms of its stakes that involves a securities agent trying to steal money with an executive only for that scheme to be discovered by a group of young hackers. The cast that features Angelina Jolie, Jonny Lee Miller, Jesse Bradford, Matthew Lillard, Laurence Mason, and Renoly Santiago as the titular characters with a supporting cast that includes Fisher Stevens, Lorraine Bracco, Alberta Watson, Wendell Pierce, Penn Jillette, Felicity Huffman, and Marc Anthony all offer something while it has one of the most underrated film soundtracks of the 1990s that helped introduce audiences to electronic music.
3. Enemy of the State
An underrated film from Tony Scott that is about a lawyer who discovers a conspiracy and cover-up involving NSA agents is a film that has a lot of thrills and intrigue but also some incredible work from Will Smith and Gene Hackman. The film obviously takes a few cues from Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 film The Conversation that starred Hackman yet it also involves the world of the internet and its growth at that time as it does serve like a modern update of Coppola’s film but it is also a film that can be part of a great list of films involving surveillance and intrigue.
Directed by Luca Guadagnino and screenplay by Michael Mitnick in collaboration with Pier Paolo Piccioli of Valentino, The Staggering Girl is a 37-minute short film made in collaboration with Valentino in showcasing their new fashion line through a story involving women and their encounters with fashion. Starring Julianne Moore, Marthe Keller, Mia Goth, KiKi Layne, Alba Rohrwacher, and Kyle MacLachlan. The Staggering Girl is a gorgeous and somber short film from Luca Guadagnino.
While the film is mainly an advertisement of sorts for Valentino’s haute couture line led by its current leader Pier Paolo Piccioli, the film does feature a narrative about a woman dealing with her ailing mother as she travels to Rome to be with her as they also think about the past. It is a film that doesn’t have much of a plot yet it does play into women thinking about their work but also a woman dealing with blindness as she is convinced her days as an artist is over. Yet, there are all of these mysterious things that occurs in the film along with flashbacks of the young woman with her daughter and other friends while they’re tended to a man throughout the film.
Luca Guadagnino’s direction is stylish as it is shot on locations in New York City and Rome as it play into these two worlds that its main characters live in. While there are some unique wide and medium shots, Guadagnino does play into this air of intrigue but also isolation that looms throughout the film while the flashbacks are lively in the scenes set in Rome. There is a sense of simplicity for the scenes in New York as well as the moments between mother and daughter in the present scenes in Rome while there are moments that are surreal. Notably as there’s a woman walking around in Valentino designer clothing as the clothes do play a key role in the story leading to its climax. Overall, Guadagnino crafts a rapturous and compelling film about a writer and her ailing artist mother thinking about their art and the next stage of their lives.
Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key natural lighting for many of the daytime interior scenes as well as the usage of little lighting for some of the exterior scenes in the evening scenes. Editor Walter Fasano does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few montage cuts in some bits of the film. Production designers Roberta Federico and Olivia Peebles do amazing work with the look of the homes of the woman in New York as well as a place she goes to for a party as well as the home of her mother in Rome. Visual effects supervisor Luca Saviotti does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects that play into some of the mystical elements of the film. Sound mixer Valentino Gianni does superb work with the sound as it is largely straightforward to play into the way everything sounds in a room. The film’s music by Ryuichi Sakamoto is wonderful for its low-key, piano-based orchestral score that help play into the drama as well as the sense of longing throughout the film while the soundtrack include a couple of pieces by Bruno Lauzi.
The casting by Francine Maisler is marvelous as it feature appearances from Sergio Di Nitto as an old boyfriend from the past, Arianna Pesce and Camilla Martellino in their respective versions as the young and teenage version of the protagonist Francesca, Edoardo Gabbriellini as a party host in Patrizio, Alba Rohrwacher as a friend of Francesca in Vera, and Mia Goth as a younger version of Francesca’s mother Sofia. KiKi Layne is excellent in her small role as a mysterious woman Francesca sees as is she a ghost or her neighbor in New York who is dealing with issues of her own. Kyle MacLachlan is brilliant in a trio of roles as a party guest, an old lover of Sofia, and Sofia’s caretaker where MacLachlan brings a lot of different personalities and sensitivity to those roles. Marthe Keller is amazing as the old Sofia as an artist who is going blind as she deals with aging but also isolation and the past as she looks back with sadness. Finally, there’s Julianne Moore in an incredible performance as Francesca as a writer who deals with her own struggles and loneliness where she goes to Rome to help her mother as well as aspects of her own past.
The Staggering Girl is a remarkable film from Luca Guadagnino. Featuring a great cast, amazing costumes, dazzling visuals, and a somber music score by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The short is a fascinating way in how to sell fashion design as well as tell a story about two women dealing with loneliness and creative drought. In the end, The Staggering Girl is a marvelous film from Luca Guadagnino.
Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) – I Am Love - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) – A Bigger Splash - Call Me By Your Name - Suspiria (2018 film) - (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Bones & All – Challengers (2024 film) - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)
Directed by Luca Guadagnino and screenplay by Guadagnino, Barbara Alberti, Ivan Cotroneo, and Walter Fasano from a story by Guadagnino, Io sono l’amore (I Am Love) is the story of an industrialist’s wife who begins an affair with a chef that would bring trouble to her family during a crucial period in their life and their future. The first film in a thematic trilogy on desire where a woman seeks to find love in her rich and aristocratic environment. Starring Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, Edoardo Gabbriellini, Alba Rohrwacher, Pippo Delbono, Maria Paiato, Diane Fleri, Waris Ahluwalia, Marisa Berenson, and Gabriele Ferzetti. Io sono l’amore is a ravishing and mesmerizing film from Luca Guadagnino.
The film is the story of an aristocratic family whose lives begin to change through some changing times relating to their textile business while its Russian-born wife falls for her son’s new friend in a chef. It is a film that play into this life of a family in Milan as they deal with their patriarch’s decision to retire and his choices for his successors as they deal with a new business world with his grandson introducing his family to a new friend whom his mother falls in love with. The film’s screenplay isn’t just this exploration of desire for one person but also the desire of a family just trying to find themselves as they embark on a new chapter. Notably as the film opens with a birthday dinner during the Christmas holidays for its patriarch in Edoardo Recchi Sr. (Gabriele Ferzetti) who announces his retirement from the textile business where he names his son Tancredi (Pippo Delbono) and grandson Edoardo Jr. (Flavio Parenti) as his successors as the latter brought in his new girlfriend Eva (Diane Fleri) while a man he lost to in a race in Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini) is a chef who came late to the party with a present for Edoardo Sr. where he is seen by Edoardo Jr.’s mother Emma (Tilda Swinton).
The film’s first act is about the dinner and Edoardo Jr. wanting to help Antonio create his own restaurant in his home near San Remo while there is family drama where Edoardo Jr.’s sister Elisabetta (Alba Rohrwacher) goes to London to study as she also has fallen in love with another woman and wanting to break-up with her boyfriend as it was discovered by Emma. The film’s second act that takes place months later where Emma goes to the restaurant run by Antonio’s father with Eva and her mother-in-law in Rori (Marisa Berenson) as Emma eats a plate by Antonio that she loves as she becomes fascinated with him where she later runs into him in San Remo where they begin their affair. The third act doesn’t just play into Emma and Antonio’s affair intensifying but with Edoardo Jr. dealing with the world of business as he becomes overwhelmed with his father’s decision and other things as it lead to some revelations for the family.
Guadagnino’s direction definitely has some stylistic compositions and such yet keeps the film grounded in its exploration of aristocracy in this family. Shot largely on location in Milan as well as San Remo and parts of London for a few scenes in the film’s third act. Guadagnino’s usage of tracking shots for the way characters walk into a room through the Recchi estate as well as close-ups and medium shots to play into the intimate moments in a room as Guadanino also uses wide shots to get a scope of the dining hall or the front lobby at the estate. The film also play into this struggle of tradition with the modern ethics of business as the former is something Edoardo Jr. wants to do as he learned a lot from his grandfather in understanding the business but also the workers so that they can maintain a sense of trust. Edoardo Jr. also wants to help out Antonio knowing how good he is as a chef but also as a way for Edoardo Jr. to make his own mark and prove that he can be a good businessman.
The scenes in the second act that include these sequences of Emma and Antonio longing for one another has this element of fantasy until they actually meet again as Guadagnino use the locations of San Remo as a character as this place that reminds Emma of her old life in Russia where she recounts how she met Tancredi. The film’s third act is about Edoardo Jr.’s resistance on what his father wants to do with the family business as it culminates with this dinner that has Antonio as the cook who creates a special dish that is a favorite of Edoardo Jr. as it leads to some revelations and chaos. Notably as it relates to these ideas of change in the whole family and their lifestyle with Emma also coming to terms with who she is and what she wants. Overall, Guadanino crafts a rapturous and entrancing film about a woman whose affair with a young chef would unknowingly create chaos within the world of her aristocratic family.
Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux does brilliant work with the film’s luscious cinematography with its naturalistic photography from the look of the snowy exterior in the film’s first scenes as well as what Milan looks like on a summer day to the usage of low-key and stylish lighting for some of the interior scenes at night. Editor Walter Fasano does excellent work with the editing with its stylish usage of transitional dissolves, jump-cuts, and other stylish cuts to play into some of the drama and this mixture of fantasy and reality. Production designer Francesca di Mottola and set decorator Monica Sironi do amazing work with the look of the Recchi family estate in its many rooms and interiors as well as Antonio’s own home and some of the exteriors at the estate which is actually the Villa Necchi Campiglio that is at the center of Milan. Costume designer Antonella Cannarozzi does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish clothing that Emma and many of the women in the family wear including some of the casual look of Elisabetta in London as well as some of the designer suits the men wear.
Visual effects supervisor Stefano Marinoni does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it play into a few bits of fantasy including a brief flashback of Emma as a child. Sound editor/mixer Francesco Liotard does superb work with the sound as it does play into natural elements along with a few bits that play into the elements of fantasy. Music supervisor Jen Moss does incredible work in cultivating the music’s soundtrack that largely consists of classical pieces by John Adams that feature some unique orchestral piano bits as well as other lush music pieces while other contributions include a piece from Gustav Mahler as well as original pieces from editor/co-writer Walter Fasano with Nathalie Tanner, Elliot Smith, Tony Esposito, Arto Lindsay, and Marco Armani.
The casting by Jorgelina Depetris Pochintesta and Francesco Vedovati is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Honor Swinton Byrne in a brief bit as Emma as a child, Waris Ahluwalia as an Indian-American businessman who wants to by the Recchi family business, Maria Paiato as the Recchi family’s main housekeeper Ida whom the kids see as a second mother while is also someone very loyal to Emma, Diane Fleri as Edoardo Jr.’s new girlfriend Eva whom much of the family seem to neglect despite Edoardo Jr. and Emma welcoming her, Mattia Zaccaro as the youngest of the Recchi children in Gianluca who doesn’t do much with his family business as he’s still a student, Emanuele Cito Filomarino as Elisabetta’s boyfriend Gregorio whom she dumps for another woman, Marisa Berenson as the Recchi matriarch Allegra aka Rori who loves her lifestyle but also tries to distract herself from some of the chaotic elements of her family, and Gabriele Ferzetti in a superb small role as the Recchi matriarch Edoardo Sr. as an old man who is celebrating his birthday as well as make announcements for his retirement and the people who will succeed him.
Pippo Delbono is excellent as Tancredi Recchi as Edoardo Sr.’s son who is given the chance to succeed his father as he becomes concerned with the future while also having an idea of doing things that he knows his father and son wouldn’t approve. Alba Rohrwacher is fantastic as Elisabetta “Betta” Recchi as Emma’s daughter who is known for her drawing but is switching to photography where she studies in London and falls in love with another woman where she would guide her mother to follow her heart. Edoardo Gabbriellini is amazing as Antonio as a chef whom Edoardo Jr. befriended following a race that wants to create his own restaurant while he falls for Emma unaware of the chaos they create as he is a man that brings an air of simplicity that Emma had forgotten. Flavio Parenti is brilliant as Edoardo Jr. as Emma and Tancredi’s son who is also named as his grandfather’s successor where he tries to instill ideas into the business while wanting to maintain its integrity as he also deals with new things in his life such as a new friend and a new lover but also contends with the ways of a new world that overwhelms him.
Finally, there’s Tilda Swinton in a phenomenal performance as Emma Recchi as the Russian-born wife of Tancredi who falls for her son’s new friend as she becomes the centerpiece of this conflict between doing what she feels and doing what she needs to do for her family. It is a performance that has Swinton speaking Italian for the entirety of the film with a bit of Russian as she brings an air of radiance into her performance as someone that is in love with not just Antonio’s cooking but also what he offers in life instead of this aristocratic world that she’s in where she has to play a certain role that doesn’t really allow her to express herself only to find inspiration through two of her children instead of her husband.
Io sono l’amore is a magnificent film from Luca Guadagnino that features a tremendous leading performance from Tilda Swinton. Along with its ensemble cast, ravishing visuals, luscious locations, its theme of tradition vs. feeling and tradition vs. modernism, and its incredible music soundtrack. It is a film that doesn’t play into the conventions of a romantic drama as it is a study of a woman and her role in an aristocratic family. In the end, Io sono l’amore is a tremendous film from Luca Guadagnino.
Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) – A Bigger Splash - Call Me By Your Name - Suspiria (2018 film) - The Staggering Girl – (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Bones & All – Challengers (2024 film) - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)
For the 35th week of 2022 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks as part of mystery month. We go into the subject of historical mysteries as there is always something intriguing about key moments in history or something is happening at the moment that is crucial to history. Here are my three picks:
1. All the President’s Men
Alan J. Pakula’s film about Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s investigation into the Watergate scandal isn’t just one of the great films that explore a key moment in history but also the power of journalism to not only tell the truth. It is also in going into great risks to uncover some dark truths into corruption within the White House as they meet a mysterious figure named Deep Throat who would give them a lot of startling information. It is a film that anyone who loves history need to see.
2. JFK
Oliver Stone’s drama about the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas is about a district attorney trying to uncover a conspiracy relating to the assassination. Even as it play into events leading to the assassination with this district attorney believing that a New Orleans businessman is involved with this conspiracy. It is a film that showcased Stone in his prime as well as someone that is willing to ask big questions about a major event in American history.
Clint Eastwood’s drama about a woman trying to find her son after he went missing only for the LAPD to give her another boy claiming it is her son forcing her to fight against them. The film’s historical context explore the corruption within the LAPD at the time as well as what they do to women who question their authority as it features Angelina Jolie in one of her best performances as well as John Malkovich as a priest who also questions their authority as it also raises question into the whereabouts of Jolie’s son as it relates to something much darker.
Directed by Andrew Dominik, This Much I Know to Be True is a documentary film that explores the collaboration between Nick Cave and Warren Ellis as a follow-up of sorts to the 2016 documentary One More Time with Feeling. The film explores the collaboration between the two men as they perform songs from both the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ 2019 album Ghosteen and their newest work at the time in Carnage as they’re joined by legendary British artist Marianne Faithfull. The result is a visually-enchanting and engaging film from Andrew Dominik.
Shot in the spring of 2021 in London just weeks before the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds were to tour the U.K., the film is a look into the collaboration between Cave and longtime Bad Seeds member/collaborator Warren Ellis as they perform songs at the Battersea Arts Centre in London. Much of the material isn’t just from the Bad Seeds’ 2019 album Ghosteen but also their most recent collaboration in Carnage where Cave and Ellis perform these songs with a string quartet, a trio of backing vocalists, a session drummer, and Bad Seeds guitarist George Vjestica for one song. The film also feature scenes at Brighton where Cave and Ellis live in separate homes as they talk about their collaboration with the former also going back to the art of creating ceramic pottery and statues as the film opens with some of his creation including a story about the Devil.
Director Andrew Dominik is featured throughout the film as he asks Cave and Ellis about their collaboration as well as creating some unique compositions that include some dolly-tracking shots while utilizing different aspect ratios for some of the performances while much of the interviews are straightforward. Even with cinematographer Robbie Ryan keeping the visuals straightforward while the performances are shot with unique lighting presentation that include some unique lighting design with a few visual effects bit from Sam Brady in the lighting. There is also a scene where Marianne Faithfull does some poetry to precede a performance where Dominik shoots as she is getting ready while also showing that she is still dealing with an illness that she is trying to get over.
Editor Matthew C. Hart provides a straightforward approach to the editing as it include the performances in which he allows a lot of the shots to linger for more than 30 seconds while also showcasing the interviews that include Cave reading questions from The Red Hand Files that he runs as a way to communicate with fans. Sound recordist John Currie and re-recording mixer Adam Scrivener do amazing work with the sound in not just capturing many of the instruments that are played for some of the songs as well as some of the intimate moments and some of the chatter that goes on during the rehearsals.
This Much I Know to Be True is a marvelous film from Andrew Dominik. The film isn’t just something fans of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis should see but it is also a film that explore not just their collaboration but also their love of music as well as wanting to express themselves following the events of the COVID-19 pandemic whether it’s through music or art. In the end, This Much I Know to Be True is a remarkable film from Andrew Dominik.
For the 34th week of 2022 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. It is mystery month as we focus on caper films that often have elements of mystery. Even as people are wondering who they’re stealing from and what else is going on. Here are my three picks:
From Jean-Pierre Melville is a heist film that revolves around two criminals who team up with a former police officer while one of them is being tailed by an investigator who is trying to figure out what they’re planning to steal. It is an unconventional heist film that features a thirty-minute heist sequence that takes a lot of time but it is worth it into how meticulous the planning is. Even as it’s about not making mistakes and make sure everything goes right as it is a film everyone who love heist films must see.
Michael Mann’s theatrical film debut isn’t just this engaging study of a man who is good at what he does but is willing to go straight for a new life upon completing a job he’s asked to do by a crime boss. Yet, it is a film with intrigue into what this thief has to steal and for what as it features the late, great James Caan in one of his iconic performances with an aftermath that is about the fact that a thief is always a thief no matter how much he wants to go straight. Even in a world that is often cynical and violent as it is one of Mann’s finest films.
Steve McQueen’s adaptation of the short-lived British TV series from the 1980s is an intriguing film that is remains one of the more overlooked films of the 2010s. Notably as it revolves around three widows whose husbands were killed following a botched heist as one of the widows found instructions for another heist in order to pay back a criminal whose money was stolen as he is running for office in a bid for legitimacy. Featuring a great ensemble cast, the film is filled with a lot of mystery and suspense in these women having to do something that is out of their depth but also deal with loss and political turmoil around them.
Summer is coming to an end as it’s been somewhat of a tiring one but also with an air of sadness that came in earlier this month. After 42 years of service, Scalini’s is closing its doors for good and this was something I hope to never see as it is a sad one. It’s a place just a few minutes from my house that is a family staple as birthdays are celebrated there or special dinners during holidays and such. It was a restaurant that myself and my siblings grew up on as we were notorious for ordering francese plates as my mother and sister would sometimes go for the shrimp francese, my father would often order the red snapper francese, and myself the chicken francese while my youngest sister would just have spaghetti or fettucine alfredo.
It wasn’t just the main course but also the salads and the rolls as we would order it plain with butter instead of having it drenched in garlic. There is a legendary story in the 80s as one of our longtime family friends in Jose was there with my parents and their friends as he hate about 50 or more of those small garlic rolls. The food was one thing that made it special but it was also the atmosphere and also the wall of eggplant babies as it featured pictures of babies on a wall supposedly because pregnant women would eat eggplant parmesan late in their pregnancy and it would cause them to go into labor. It is a great legend though my mother never age eggplant parmesan but I’m definitely sure there were pictures of myself and siblings as babies in that wall while I’m unsure if my nephew and niece are in that wall as well though they have eaten there. I think the last time my mother and I ate there was earlier this year but I have no idea when but I do remember the Christmas before the pandemic as it was Mateo’s first trip. He had spaghetti without sauce as his meal but it was really to play with it as he just loved it as it’s why spaghetti is something he and Adalina love.
Of course these things are inevitable but it never had to be that way as I think the pandemic did a lot to hurt that restaurant’s business though it kept going in doing deliveries and such but eating the food at your home instead of being at the restaurant wasn’t the same. There are rumors that the reason the restaurant is closed is a staff shortage and that is probably true but it still sucks as I hate the fact that it is closing. Now there’s no real reason to come to that area in Cobb Parkway as the only other long-standing local business that is there across the street is House of Chan. Yet, that place is being dwarfed by the Asian buffet place that is next to Scalini’s as I have no interest going in there as my mother didn’t like the food there at all. I don’t like buffet places either as I feel like it is a breeding ground for obesity and I don’t want to be a part of that. Sure, there’s Carraba’s and Olive Garden nearby for good Italian food but it will never top Scalini’s. Thank you Scalini’s for being a big part of my life.
There is a lot going on around the world as Florida is becoming more of a Fascist enterprise as that’s not a place I hope to go to for a while and things at that shithole that is Mar-a-Lago is getting really fucked up. It’s not just Florida where things are bad as there’s a bunch of awful things happening here in the U.S. while there was someone that was at my father’s wake that I didn’t know of had killed herself a week or two ago after she had been reported missing. There was also this recent stabbing of Salman Rushdie as the guy who stabbed him is going to be charged yet I’m sure those who still support the fatwa on Rushdie are upset that he’s still alive and that the guy who stabbed him didn’t finish the job.
Then there’s the shitstorm involving Warner media and Discovery as I had hoped to be subscribed to HBOMax as I’ve heard great things about that streaming service because of its content that included films on Turner Classic Movies and some films from Criterion as well as shows I had hoped to watch like Peacemaker. Well, that’s not going to happen as I’m astounded into why Warner tends to put themselves into bad business deals. Back in 2000-2001, there was a merger between Warner and AOL that ended up being a bad business deal as AOL is almost obsolete and that deal didn’t do either company any favors. This deal with Discovery+ to create a new streaming service that is set to come in the summer of 2023 is going to feature all of the stuff from HBOMax but also stuff from Discovery as I’m not interested in that. I don’t watch Discovery channel and have no interest in what they offer.
What I’m upset about is the fact that this new merger has gotten rid a lot of things. Animation specials, laying off animators, cancelling lots of projects including shows and some films including Batgirl which was nearly finished with a $90 million budget that was to feature Michael Keaton returning as Bruce Wayne/Batman and directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah with Leslie Grace in the titular role and Brendan Fraser in the role of the villainous Firefly. They announce this while one of those directors was on his honeymoon and it really sucks for all of those people involved to see that a film that is close to completion just be thrown away as a tax write-off. The bigger question I have is this. Why cancel a film that cost $90 million that features a legendary actor reprising a role that he became famous for yet still plan to release a $200 million film that is likely to cost more with its marketing budget starring an actor who has already been in trouble with the law despite his bullshit apology?
That makes no fucking sense as it’s not just Batgirl and a Scooby-doo animated film that got cancelled upon their near completion but also other programming that include children and family programming including episodes of Sesame Street. It takes a special kind of evil to do that as it is clear that new CEO in David Zaslav is making a bunch of bullshit excuses and such as he’s also has a reputation of someone that hates LGBTQ content, anything geared towards Latinx/Hispanics, and all sorts of things while is OK with losing a lot of money in order to save his own ass. There is also this supposed 10-year plan for what is going to happen for DC Extended Universe and nothing has been revealed while there are some concerns that there’s only enough marketing budget money for two films coming out of Warner. Black Adam and Don’t Worry Darling as that is concerning.
Another thing about this merger that concerns me is what will happen with AEW as there had been rumors that AEW is trying to get a deal with HBOMax as possible home to stream their pay-per-view events as they only do 4-5 a year but also as a home for Ring of Honor. With this new regime, it isn’t likely to happen as it has me thinking back about what happened to WCW in 2000 during the time of the AOL-Time Warner merger as that was the year WCW lost $60 million in one of its worst creative period. Months later in 2001, WCW shut down because some asshole TV programmer named Jamie Kellner decided not to have wrestling be part of this new idea for Warner TV programming. Yet, in fairness to Time Warner at that time. WCW was just draining money and was on its way out.
With AEW, the timing of this is bad as there’s already some drama behind the scenes as well as lack of communication between wrestlers and Tony Khan as he’s hired people to try and help smooth things. Even as I have become concerned with some of their recent decisions as I really didn’t like that last episode of AEW Dynamite due to that awful unification AEW World title match and what it might lead to for All Out this coming Sunday in Chicago. The timing of all of this is bad with WWE starting to regain some momentum with HHH running creative with reports that morale has been high and everyone is starting to enjoy working again as there’s been some good stuff in WWE.
In the month of August 2022, I saw a total of 33 films with 19 first-timers and 14 re-watches with 9 of these first-timers directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. Similar to the previous month but there was a feeling that I managed to do more but also feel energized as one of the highlights of the month has been my Blind Spot film in Flowers of Shanghai. Here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw for August 2022:
The 11th film as part of the documentary series from Marvel doesn’t just showcase the work that is put into making Ms. Marvel but also a lot of attention to detail in having Bangkok used as Karachi as a lot of credit should go to the production design team in wanting to create something authentic. Even as this was a show made with a lot of people on board including those who wrote the comic series while the cast also talked about their characters and such. The subject of the Partition is touched upon that includes scenes from the fourth and fifth episode with a lot of detail into the migration problems. This documentary is definitely one of the best entry of the documentary series so far while it is further indication that for next year’s Emmys. GIVE THIS SHOW ALL OF THE FUCKING EMMYS!!!!!
Nest
One of several short films on MUBI that I watched this month as this one from Hlynur Palmason as it is shot entirely on one camera position in the course of an entire year. It is about a trio of brothers trying to build a tree house as they go through moments of triumphs and struggles including bad weather and other awful shit. Yet, it is an incredible short that says a lot in just showing so little.
Squish!
This short that mixes animation and live action that relates to Thailand’s history with animation is a mixed bag. It does play into people channeling their illness through art though it tends to meander at times where it wants to be one thing but also another thing as it is kind of weak.
The Recorder Exam
From Kim Bora is a 27-minute short film about a young girl trying to practice her recorder for an upcoming exam as she deals with neglect and indifference from her family in 1988 Seoul during its Summer Olympics. It is a somber yet touching film that really play into a young girl just trying to get some attention but also just wanting to feel like she matters. It is 27 minutes of pure cinema that reaches for the soul and so much more as it is a film that everyone should see.
Easter Eggs
An animated short by Nicolas Keppen that is about a couple of guys trying to get money to buy a mountain bike by trying to find some exotic birds. The short is really a study of toxic masculinity where one guy is giving orders and is a real dick to people as he also forces his friend to do things as he would often get hurt. It is like a Belgian version of Beavis & Butt-head except that one of them is an even bigger dick than Butt-head often is towards Beavis who at least has some balls and compassion. Still, it is a fascinating short to seek out.
Autofiction
From filmmaker Katie Lambert in collaboration with Suede as a promotional short of sorts for their upcoming album is a film about the ups-and-downs of a gay couple as they deal with a lot of things. It moves back and forth from them being young and being big fans of Suede to them as adults where one of them is hoping to see the other at a major club show with Suede as the band of the night.
Cycling the Frame
From Cynthia Beatt is a 27-minute short shot in 1988 during the final years of the Cold War that is essentially Tilda Swinton riding a bike in West Berlin to see the Berlin Wall and how much it covers. There are glimpses of East Berlin from afar with Swinton going to certain sites and such as it is this intriguing and fascinating film that also has a sequel set 21 years later with Swinton doing the same to see where the Wall used to be.
I Am Groot
From Disney+ and Marvel is a collection of five shorts directed by Kirsten Lepore as it all play into the misadventures of Baby Groot. With Vin Diesel doing the voice role of Groot with James Gunn and Bradley Cooper providing voice cameos for an episode each. The shorts play into Baby Groot’s development as he grows up from the moment he takes his first steps to discovering a tiny civilization and being challenged to a dance off. There is also an episode where he takes a mud bath with great results where he proves to be fashionable while he also shows what he can do in order to make great art. This is a series that I think is great for kids to watch as I’m also happy to learn that there’s five more shorts that are in development.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (episodes 1-2)
I’m not surprised by some of the review-bombings the show is getting from a bunch of salty fanboys with sand in their vaginas as it is clear that there is a certain audience that really don’t want to watch shows about young girls or young women. Well you know what? FUCK ‘EM!!!! This show, two episodes in so far, is fucking awesome. Notably as Tatiana Malsany is just killing as Jennifer Walters as she just provides a lot of personality and nuances to the character as well as being She-Hulk while also showing some reluctance in having to be a superhero. I love the moments where the 4th wall is broken while the appearances from Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Smart Hulk is a joy to watch while I also feel for him given that he’s lonely and is need of companionship while is trying to help his cousin. It never takes itself seriously while there’s some great meta-jokes in there while I also love the tone and visuals of it as I’m liking the visual effects as I thought it helped bring a lot of attributes to the She-Hulk character.
Wrestling Match of the Month: Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia (2 out of 3 falls) AEW Dynamite
Despite all of the shit that is happening in AEW right now, there was a great match they did pull off this month as it is leading to an angle for the soul of Daniel Garcia who is becoming one of the best young wrestlers working today. He’s in his 20s and already, he’s cultivating a collection of great matches as well as being in the main event on several episodes of Dynamite and Rampage. Having tied 1-1 against Danielson who is already known to the world as the best technical wrestler out there (unless you count Zack Sabre Jr.), it was inevitable for these two men to meet again as the match also included the legendary Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat as the guest timekeeper. What they did is put on a clinic in terms of what technical wrestling is and what it should be. Though Danielson won the match two falls to one with Garcia winning the first one, it is Garcia that became the star here as he is now going to be at the center of a big match between Danielson and Chris Jericho on who does Garcia side with. Does Garcia want to be a pro wrestler or be a sports entertainer?
Well, that is all for August. Next month, I hope to see Moonage Daydream while watching out for what is happening at the film festival circuit in Venice, Toronto, and San Sebastian as it the preliminary for awards season. My next Blind Spot will definitely be Devi as I will watch a bunch of films by Satyajit Ray during that time as well as other films on whatever I have on my DVR or in streaming. On a final note, while there has been some notable figures that have passed on. One in particular has been Olivia Newton-John who is truly one of the greatest singers ever and a truly lovely person who will definitely be missed. The idea of her not being around anymore is unthinkable as she just lights up the world whenever she smiles and we smile with her. We will miss you ONJ. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
