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Sans Soleil (1983): The Man Behind the Woman Behind the Letters
Sans Soleil is a groundbreaking film by Chris Marker that explores the ethics of documentary filmmaking through the voice of a woman reading letters from a fictional cameraman, Sandor Krasna. It examines the complexities of observation and representation across cultures, particularly focusing on Japan and Guinea-Bissau. Through its layered narrative, the film prompts reflection on…
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About Dry Grasses (2023): The Rupture in the Frame
About Dry Grasses knows precisely what its protagonist is. What it cannot see is what that knowledge costs the film — and who pays the cost. About two hours into About Dry Grasses, Nuray turns and looks directly into the camera. It is a genuine rupture. For nearly two hours we have been inside Samet’s…
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Afire (2023): The Novel He Finally Wrote
Christian Petzold’s film Afire deftly critiques male artistic ego, only to inadvertently mirror its subject. The story follows Leon, a self-absorbed writer whose mediocre work transforms into real art following the tragic death of Nadja, a vibrant woman he failed to appreciate. While visually stunning and darkly humorous, the film reveals a troubling theme: a…
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The Beast (2023): Where the Beast Went
Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast is a film about the danger of suppressing emotion. It suppresses its own most dangerous emotion by putting it in 2044. Henry James wrote “The Beast in the Jungle” in 1903 and it has never stopped being the most uncomfortable short story in the English language. Its subject is a man…
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Paterson (2016): The Humble Genius Who Never Existed
Paterson is a film about an artist who creates without needing recognition. The poems that prove he’s a genius were written by someone who has received enormous recognition. Jim Jarmusch never noticed the contradiction. Or decided not to. Paterson is Jim Jarmusch’s love letter to the unrecognized artist. Its central character — a bus driver…