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Reviews
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre (2023)
Underwhelming is an understatement
After the disappointment of watching the Junji Ito collection series of 2018 I was hoping that Netflix would come to the rescue and create a series that made justice to Junji Ito's extraordinary works. Turns out I was completely wrong. The animation style is very underwhelming, the lack of detail made all the episodes very boring and the entire season looked very dull, which is something that shouldnt in any case be associated with Junji ito's original works who leave you traumatized and begging for more. Overall very disappointed and can't see why netflix decided to take on the project if it was going to turn out so bad.
Don't Worry Darling (2022)
"Worry, Darling"
Before I write about this, I should admit that I wasn't really interested in the controversy around this movie, but I inexorably encountered it.
From the start of the film, you can tell something is wrong, but you're not sure what. Its retro-futuristic colour palette, in contrast to real-life industrialism, begs the question: Which life is truly better? A life where consent and freedom are prohibited, but you are free from obligations and can indulge in life's simple pleasures and desires? Or a life of freedommwhere you rely on your exhausting responsibilities to survive?
What this film demonstrates is that while freedom may not always be appealing or ideal, it still carries such weight that, regardless of its reality, it is necessary for Alice's and the other women's wellbeing.
Olivia sheds light on a problem that becomes more prevalent as male misogynistic "characters" appear more frequently in the media and exert a powerful influence on how men view women and expect them to be both caregiving wives, but also sex symbols: All of which are roles created specifically to gratify the desires of men.
There are several inconspicuous clues in the film that suggest Alice is an individual who pays great attention to detail and therefore suggest that in real life she is a surgeon. After learning the plot and what lies beneath the simulation, these small details make the film compelling.
The movie''s plot does have room for improvement, since some important cues weren't explained at all or just completely avoided, but overall it was an enjoyable watch that had great cinematography.
Irréversible (2002)
Gut renching
Once again, Gaspar Noe succeeds in shocking audiences with incredibly real and visceral images that make them want to look away from the screen and take a break to process what they have just seen. Many films attempt to capture the rawness of the film, but few of them are successful. That is what irreversible accomplishes.
The movie begins with utter chaos, both visually and aurally, as a repetitive sound is played nonstop and grows unsettling to the audience's ears. The acts of violence and sex in the opening scenes establish the tone of the entire movie and manage to create a magnuficent introduction to what the movie is about to showcase. The presence of a gay bdsm club with red LED lighting contributes to the ominous atmosphere. If you watch the first scene thinking that it can't get any worse than this, well, you are mistaken. Then comes the most controversial scene of the movie, a 9 minute brutal rape scene of Alex (Monica Bellucci) which seems everlasting and gut renching, making the viewers want to have a bath afterwards. This scene has drawn a lot of criticism, and rightfully so. Nevertheless, it is a raw scene that successfully conveys the nature of rape, power, and violence in a way that viewers can (to a certain extent) feel the pain and utter exploitation of the victim to the point that it makes the viewer want to extend their hand to help or force Alex to take a taxi rather than the underground pathway.
A lot of thoughts come to mind while watching the scene with one of the most prominent ones being what can happen when someones at the wrong place at the wrong time and what that can result in. Taking the undergound pathway rather than a taxi was an act that caused permanent trauma or even death, which is something else the film doesn't inform us about as Alex is shown in a hospital bed while unconscious. With this, Gaspar Noe lets the audience determine whether Alex perished in the brutal assault or whether she will awaken scarred for the rest of her life.
Many times in the film, the scenes have parallel meanings. For example, when Alex's boyfriend jokes about wanting to engage in anal intercourse he does so in a way that is playful and non-exploitational, whereas the rape scene shows how Alex's rapist violently sodomises her without any regard of her consent or even acknowledhing her as a human being.
One thing is certain about this film; It will leave you completely traumatised and disgusted. However, when viewing the film as a whole, rather than just the gut-wrenching scenes, it becomes clear that the film is very intentionally shot to cause discomfort through repetitive sounds, uncomforting environments, lighting, and raw dialogue, all of which are carefully orchestrated and cleverly shot. Gaspar Noe exploits the senses of the audience and makes use of them all to elicit discomfort and revulsion with everything being presented.
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
Disturbing
We need to talk about Kevin is more than just a film; it's a terrible and unsettling truth that we've seen far too frequently. The movies manages to cause spectators a certain level of unease that convinces them that something really horrible is about to happen despite his mother's mentally taxing attempts to make sure he is getting better. Throughout the entire film the question of what I would have done in that position if I were a mother and whether there was really nothing that could have been done to stop the events plagued me. Ezra Miller and Tilda Swinton deliver an astounding performance that is incredibly realistic. This film's realism and its ability to let the audience feel a mother's agony and breakdown as she remembers her son's upbringing are what make it so disturbing.
Suspiria (2018)
Beautifully Captured
As someone who hasn't seen the original Suspiria, I can state without comparing the two films that Suspiria 2018 is a stunningly shot horror film that stands out from the majority of modern horror films that prioritise frightening the audience above piqueing their interest. In order to depict a plot that is too realistic for its own good, Suspiria used a colour scheme that accurately captured the ambiance of Berlin at that time to create a really melancholic and depressing ambience. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who likes true horror or psychological thrillers.