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My first Catherine Breillat film and I chose her most complex, controversial, 2004 Anatomy of Hell (Anatomie de l’enfer ) which was, adapted by the director from her novel Pornocratie. Its groundbreaking, and formidably genius, as BBC film critic, Jamie Russell put it an example of “feminist existential porn”. It has also been hailed as a “feminist fairytale” which is how it initially caught my attention. Most if not many may argue Anatomy of Hell is not a film but a porno which is understandable given the explicit and visceral context. Personally, I see it as an art film that…
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Catherine Breillat 2001 drama Fat Girl also titled À ma sœur! is the story of two sisters Anaïs played by (Anaïs Reboux) and Elena (Roxane Mesquida) spending the summer with their parents at a seaside house in France. The two wander off to a café in town and meet an Italian law student Fernando (Libero De Rienzo) where he’s immediately taken with Elena while her sister Anaïs orders a banana split. Elena develops a curious yet sexual relationship with Fernando who pressures her to sleep with him through numerous ways eventually convincing her into having anal sex with him. There’s…
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In continuing my coverage on women in the entertainment industry, I got the chance to chat with Courtney Daniels, an actress and producer for production company Busted Buggy Entertainment. Daniels comes from a classical background from the British American Drama Academy in the UK. She’s acted in films such as The Girl in the Book, Magic Hour, and most recently Rescue Dogs. One of Busted Buggy’s main focus is on female driven content which currently includes a web series in production called OR DIE TRYING that was developed by producer Sarah Hawkins. It was helped by Seed and Spark, a…
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Damnation (1987) has that dark noir vibe with incredibly breath taking cinematography. The story is about a married woman ending an affair with a very gloomy-eyed barfly. And this entire narrative revolves around him confessing his I-can’t-live-without-you saga which somehow convinces her to stay in the lopsided affair. But at one point the woman breaks it off because she wants to focus on her singing career in this very dilapidated town where everyone likes to dance and drink. Then of course the gloomy-eyed barfly convinces the manager of the bar to employee the married woman’s husband to smuggle illegal drugs…
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Julie Taymor’s film Frida (2002) is infused and enriched with arty flair along with a zealous story that explores the extraordinary and spirited life of Frida Kahlos, the infamous painter from Mexico. My eyes can’t help but fall in love with this film. Taymor showcases her badass splendor and indulges us with compelling cinematography. From the inciting moment of Frida’s bus accident leading her life into an ongoing battle of physical pain to her rocky marriage with Diego Rivera, but ultimately it’s her talent and passion for painting that garnishes this film with great tragic beauty. The film itself is…
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Patty Jenkins’ 2003 film Monster is a crime drama about the “supposed” first female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos played by Charlize Theron. In reading up on the making of this film, I was curious to learn how it all came about. After attending school at AFI’s director’s program Jenkin’s first feature film is Monster and wins a slew of domestic and international awards including the Independent Spirit Award for best feature. And, yes Charlize Theron basically won all the awards for best actress that year too. But, what I love about Jenkins is her belief that film can do things…
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Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette is the story of a very young 14-year old girl (Kristen Dunst) brought to France under the arrangement of marriage to Louis the XVI (Jason Schwartzman). They’re basically two young kids running Daddy’s company; the aristocracy of France, however most of the story focuses on Marie Antoinette’s accession to queen and her prominent, grandiose, idiosyncratic lifestyle in Versailles. It’s a fun movie in a teeny bopper kind of way with the hip music intertwined with the story and at times it feels like you’re watching a music video from the 90s. This is one of the…
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American Psycho (2000) directed by Mary Harron is part horror, part thriller, and a dark comedy about Patrick Bateman, (played by Christian Bale) a wealthy stock broker who indulges in killing people while prescribing to the lavish 80s materialistic lifestyle in New York City. When I first watched this film several years ago, I didn’t know what to think of it. My first impression was this entire insanity took place as Bateman’s wild inner fantasy, but after assessing it a few more times, I feel like it’s not as it seems. Yes, the entire ending is oddly ambiguous and no…
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Jane Campion’s Holy Smoke! (1999) is an indie film about a determined, headstrong, woman named Ruth (Kate Winslet), who’s under the influence of a guru from India. It’s basically about her spiritual awakening and self discovery and not necessarily about “joining a cult”. However, her parents don’t see it as such, and freak out and hire a “cult exiter” named PJ (Harvey Keitel) to extract her mind from the power of Baba (the guru). Ruth tells her mother that something amazing has happened to her in that Baba’s magic has lead her to enlightenment which prompts her mother to take…
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Okay, so I’m still taking a break from writing and viewing some Bela Tarr films. I’ve had the most random urge to rewatch some films as of late. So, there’s been a massive heat wave this week and yes it’s the middle of summer, so what better movie to watch that really captures the essence of this blazing hot weather? Michael Mann’s 1995 film, Heat is in the top 10 of best heist movies that I’ve come across after scouring the internet. What makes Heat so incredible is the caliber of professionalism between Al Pacino’s character Lieutenant Vincent Hanna chasing…
[Film Reviews from a Female Brain]
MARISSA THE CINEPHILE 