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dogsbody11
Reviews
Storytelling (2001)
unruly and ambitious
Sharp pair of vignettes w/ terrific auto-criticism built in.
Don't let the comedic overtones fool you. Like "Magnolia," this picture reaches beyond its own storylines into ponderous territory that applies to the whole of our reality. The film is a reflecting loop, repeatedly illustrating the blurred space between perception and expression, and, more, the perception of expression. Rarely has ambiguity been rendered with such precision. Scene by scene and tone by tone, Solondz urges us to realize how, intuitively or otherwise, we manipulate our own experiences to preserve our self-sustaining value systems. The fact that the movie draws no tidy conclusions is to be appreciated; the movie is a process, a dissection, and a meditation rather than an argument in favor of a pre-baked point (as "American Beauty" is).
Every character onscreen is hinged between the awful uncertainty of experience and the tempting complacency of conclusive perception & interpretation. The movie's intelligence and self-consciousness, its ability to comment upon and chastise itself as it unfolds, yields it critic-proof, if such a thing is possible. Solondz knows how imperfect and vulnerable he is-- he puts it right on the screen-- and to put down this movie is to be effectively redundant.
10/10
Twin Cousins (1999)
Unbelievably Touching
I was also fortunate enough to watch this short film in Cannes. Don't be fooled by the short running time-- this movie is amazingly touching. Rod Gailes is a talent of tremendous sensitivity and promise. Excellent work here. I cannot wait to see his first feature! 10/10