Todd Haynesā SAFE is one of the best films of the nineties, and itās a film we referenced a lot during our time on SOME KIND OF HEAVEN for its visual language. Julianne Moore plays Carol, a LA homemaker who inexplicably becomes ill with what seems to be a chronic and extreme aversion to her environment. When mainstream medicine offers no answers, she has to search elsewhere for help. The movie plays as a horror film where the only villains are Carolās environment and frail body. The movie is engrossing and enigmatic, refusing easy answers and tidy resolutions. And lord knows, itās become far more relevant today.
This was the first movie I watched in Covid lockdown for obvious reasons, but its theme hits even harder now in the midst of the LA fires and resulting toxic air. Starring Julianne Moore, who I think is one of our last living movie stars. She plays this composed and delicate woman, and refers to herself as āa bit of a milkaholicā lol. Itās setting in late 80ās San Fernando Valley is meaningful to me having grown up in 90ās SoCal suburbia and also believing that my way too comfortable surroundings were trying to kill me.
Painterly ambivalence~~~ Giuliana (Monica Vitti) struggles to hide her increasingly fragile mental state from her abscent husband in a post-industrial landscape. Corrado, a visiting business man, promises reprieve through an affair. Lots o' fog, gorgeous framing of empty space, a heightened colour palette and a minimalist electronic sound score. The small fairytale sequence is amazing so i've linked^^ watch: if you're into Safe (1995)
My favorite Todd tune. Hauntingly cinematic. This was a big reference for us on our score. We attempted to combine elements of Toddās psychedelic breakdowns with exotica and romantic noirs (Nelson Riddle and Hermann) to capture the mental and emotional landscapes of our subjects. This song felt that way for us. Something that felt more like a dreamscape.
š¬ SHORT CUTS (1993) - Robert AltmanĀ š¬ GLORIA (2013) and GLORIA BELL (2019)- Sebastian Lelioš¬ COCOON - Ron HowardĀ š¬ THE BEACH BUM - Harmony KorineĀ š¬ MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION - Douglas SirkeĀ š DAYS OF PERKY PAT (1963) - Philip K. DickĀ šµ SURFBOARD - Esquivel!
Two tracks from my composer Ari Balouzianās band. Textured with hints of lounge music and swooning strings, both of these songs contain the same pleasantly disorienting unreality as The Villages itself.