Originally appeared in The Coldest Issue # 1

“Anna”, a 2019 film directed by Luc Besson

Not a very good movie. The timeline is very confusing with multiple jumps into the past and future for the purposes of a ‘reveal’. There are so many I thought maybe the director was referencing that Rick & Morty episode where they parody the Ocean’s Eleven franchise. I’m pretty sure it never leaves 1985-1987, but it was so difficult to follow that as I thought we were in a universe where the USSR lasted into the late 1990s. The lead actress, a supermodel in real life, recites her lines in a robotic, monotone fashion. She sounds like an Eastern Bloc version of Amazon’s Alexa. The dialogue is mostly throwaway and forgettable. There’s a few good action scenes. The plot is not believable if you’re used to somewhat realistic depictions of Cold War-era spy capers. Bleh.

“La Petit Soldat”, a 1963 film directed by Jean-Luc Godard

Primarily about a non-committal bohemian-type French army defector in Switzerland caught between French intelligence and Algerian revolutionaries.

My girlfriend did not care for the film and thought its focus on the obnoxious character played by Michael Subor was to the detriment of other characters who were more sympathetic and interesting in her opinion. I thought its focus on Subor’s character was purposeful, to avoid making either a pro-French or pro-Algerian propaganda film. Like most French New Wave films, I don’t necessarily understand the purpose and style of the dialogue and like all old films, it’s hard to get into the mindset of its intended audience, what they would have understood, what they would have required explaining, etc. Overall thought it was worth watching but wouldn’t watch it again unless I wanted to see cool late 1950s/early 1960s European cars.

“La Terra Trema”, a 1948 film directed by Luchino Visconti

This is an Italian neorealist film. It’s about a poor family in a fishing town in Sicily and their struggles to maintain some kind of decent level of survival and independence. Their efforts are thwarted by the domineering and powerful merchants of the town. Apparently the film was originally conceived by the Italian Communist Party as a documentary to use as election material. It turned into a fictional story, using uncredited non-professional actors, many from the same extended family.

I liked this movie. Despite its use of non-actors, the acting was for the most part believable. Some of the critiques it makes are relevant today. The one I thought that was particularly sophisticated was the message that becoming yet another small business person is not necessarily a good solution to escape an impoverished and exploited working class life.

Because it is an Italian film from 70 years ago, there were some things I did not get at first or did not get until I read more about the film after. But I’m glad I watched it.

“Mississippi Grind”, a 2015 film directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden

Starring Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn, it revolves around two gambling addicts as they make their way down the Mississippi from Dubuque, Iowa to New Orleans.

It did a good job of portraying the meaningful, if temporary, relationships one might find with shared self-destructive behavior. I thought that Mendelsohn was believable as an isolated loser from Dubuque that gets swept up in the excitement and newness of an out-of-towner who is seemingly free of the same problems and worries as him. Also found that character sympathetic and personally familiar as someone who grew up in that area.

There is a haunting sparseness to this film that I’m unsure whether it was purposeful or because it is a lower-budget affair. Either way, it adds to the aesthetic.

“My Brother’s Wedding” a 1983 film directed by Charles Burnett

This follows the son of some dry cleaning owners in Los Angeles, as he works for his parents, prepares for his over accomplishing brother’s wedding and hangs out with his dead-end friend who just got out of jail.

Most of the actors seem nonprofessional and sometimes the acting isn’t great. However, I found myself really drawn to the story and the characters. It has a neorealist feel to it in that it features just regular, mostly working class life. I thought this slice of black Los Angeles from right before I was born was really interesting. Days later, I was thinking about this film and the relationships portrayed of the family.

“Suburra”, a 2015 film directed by Stefano Sollima

A really excellent film. It is about the tangle of relationships between real estate, organized crime, former neo-fascist terrorists, the Church, politics and socialites in Rome. Everything in the movie is both extravagantly decadent and beautiful. The scene involving the socialite and his father is one of the most haunting scenes I’ve ever seen. The plot seemed realistic, and unsurprisingly, is based on true events. There is also a Netflix prequel series.