I hesitate to say her movies are âaboutâ masculinity (theyâre actually about sadism), but since AMERICAN PSYCHO is the jumping off point, he r ouevre feels appropo to cite. Random aside⊠One of my fav observations/quips Iâve read about a film was re: ZERO DARK THIRTY, we nt something like âEven though Jessica Chastain is the star, ZD30 fails the Bechdel test. Thereâs only one s cene of her and a woman are having a private conversation, and wouldnât you know it, the conversation is about a man (Osama bin Laden).â
Mar 15, 2025
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saw this film for the first time and i cannot stop thinking about it !! i felt embarrassed to be a man, it is kind of haunting to know almost all men are capable of carrying out such disgusting, animalistic impulses; i can still remember the adrenaline pulsing through my veins as i witnessed *those* scenes
so much to say about this, i put off watching this movie for a long time but i really appreciated the film structure, it would not have worked the same way if structured chronologically
Jan 13, 2025
There were three layers of the storyline that unfolded in this movie:
1. When the incel revealed to the audience how he got himself a companion robot
2. When the companion robot revealed to the audience that she had to kill the incelÂ
3. A frame-up subplot that the incel organized with his friends to cover up a heist and put the blame on the robot.Â
None of these moved me really. But there's one particular scene in the movie that, for me, is thought-provoking: It's when "spoiler alert" Jack (the incel male lead) forced Iris (the companion robot) to shoot herself in the head with a gun.
There was a split second of resistance when she shouted NO before pulling the trigger.
It was a nice touch.
And necessary.
Thanks.
Kinda made me think about how women are treated in our societyâpeople always say women have better options to save themselves in risky situations, but in truth the perpetrator (not all men but often men) manipulates women to choose the worse option.
Basically, this movie, if not political, is sort of a nod to those who haven't felt seen in a long while.
And I, myself, nod back.
Mar 14, 2025
The countless atrocities committed by the Nazis have been well-documented in the media, but I canât recall having ever seen a movie that opted to focus on the cold banality of the lives of the Germans who were actively engaged in or complicit with such incredible cruelty. Filmmaker Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin), inspired by Martin Amisâ novel, has decided to tap into this underexplored area, and the chilling result will haunt viewers for days.
Focusing on Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Freidel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra HĂŒller, both perfectly cast), who are raising their family in a well-appointed home directly adjacent to the camp, we watch them go about their relatively mundane existences. They live better than many of their fellow Germans and have local girls working as servants to help keep up the house, but otherwise much of their time is spent tending to trivial day-to-day tasks, aside from the odd bit of Nazi business that Rudolf attends to from his home office.
Nothing here is truly normal however, a point made very clear shortly into the film when the camera changes its view of the familyâs yard to expose the guard tower just on the other side of the brick wall that abuts the property. Given the proximity to the notorious camp, its noises permeate every aspect of the familyâs lives. The low hum of the furnaces is ever-present, punctuated by screams and gunshots. Frequently trains can be heard bringing more prisoners, puffs of steam appearing over the tree line. Somehow, the Hössâ and their children go about their day as if they donât even notice it.
To celebrate one of the childrenâs birthdays, Hedwigâs mother comes to stay. Initially impressed by the large, well-maintained home and garden, she casually wonders aloud if a Jewish neighbor might be imprisoned next door, complaining that she lost her chance to claim her curtains. As the pair sit on the patio and sounds from the camp impose themselves, she turns to glance at the wall, at least a little discomfited. At night, the sounds of suffering disturb her sleep and she looks out the window, only to see ash and bright flames erupting from a smokestack. She leaves the following morning.
While the atrocities next door are felt throughout almost the entire movie, we never see them. Everything is instead conveyed through Johnnie Burnâs meticulous sound design and the effect is powerful, especially in contrast to the mundanity of everything shown. Cinematographer Ćukasz Ć»alâs striking staging avoids overly prettifying the home while still maintaining a painterly artfulness, often using static, embedded cameras to give the proceedings the sort of voyeuristic feel of reality shows like Big Brother.
A movie may not be the best place to figure out exactly how people can react so blithely to such large-scale inhumanity, so Glazer doesnât really try to do so. It is enough however to be reminded that the behavior is not only something that we as a species are capable of, but that it is necessary for such evil to be enacted. Hopefully the reminder will help to prevent it from happening again. â
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RATED PG-13 FOR THEMATIC MATERIAL, SOME SUGGESTIVE MATERIAL, AND SMOKING.
Feb 21, 2024
Top Recs from @phc
â€ïž DOGMAN, but truly bleak. Very unpleasant, but also entertaining af. Builds to shocking ly sad yet oddly soft & surreal ending. DOGMAN comes to mind for THIS prompt is cuz it's the canonical example me and my gf joke about as like, we thought we were going to see a charming movie about an Italian dogwalker, but left the theatre w crushed souls đ
Feb 8, 2025
Mar 7, 2025
âFade awayâ by GOLD STAR. Heard it on a punker NTS show. Post fire. Every song was an ode to LA. Host said it would be cheesy but we shd EAT THE CHZ. made me weep
Feb 8, 2025