Reality Has Never Been Spookier!
There is something incredibly funny that an announcement of a
local lockdown 3 hours late happened on Halloween, it just put a hilarious
finish to what has been a bit of a bizarre week. The creeping realisation that
we may just be stuck like this for a while is not a fun thought, but hope is
not exactly flooding the streets. This will all be over; normality will return,
and life will be a bit better than it is right now but the glowing incompetence
of this country doesn’t exactly inspire me to think this will be over any time
soon. I'm not a fan of this 'new normal' ideal, I think it invalidates the fact
that is okay to be upset, angry and worried about the situation, telling people
to accept this as the new normal implies they should be okay with it. I'm muddling
my point here, but I want a return to normalcy as much as the next person, but
the reality is that it isn’t just around the corner and it's okay to be upset
about that. There is no denying the announcement that we are returning to
lockdown has really knocked the wind out of me, it’s that depressing 'two steps
forward, three steps backwards' feeling and although it is not exactly square
one, it feels somewhat close to it. The country reopening slowly enough for me
to get a job, move halfway across the country and start university, only to
then be told I'm stuck in my flat for a month is just a real blow to motivation
and my mental health. The reality is that I'm going to be fine, not much has
really changed and at the end of the day it is only a month, but I miss having
more of a grasp over my circumstances than before.
As per, I've started these pieces extremely negative because there
is a never-ending onslaught of negative news flowing through ever week.
however, I realised the other day that it has become a little bit funny looking
at the state of everything. Don't get me wrong, the government's incompetence
in handling this pandemic has caused so much tragedy and death, but last night
our prime minister turned up 3 hours late to his own press conference and the
entire country was more concerned that it was going to run into ‘Strictly Come
Dancing’. It is ridiculous, frustrating, hilarious and an absolute mess, but it
is cathartic to laugh at these greedy idiots who deserve to rot. Personally the
thing that has made this announcement and worries particularly bad is that I've
found a routine, I've found friends and I've been doing so much stuff in such a
short amount of time that to immediately lose that is just crushing. Maybe a
return to 'Zoom quizzes', hour long mandatory walks and digging through
quarantine watches might be weirdly nostalgic because that feels like an eternity
ago. I'm sure it will be fine, positivity is important and I need to keep that
in mind, it’s so easy to be angry and slip into this slum but I want to try and
stay as positive as possible, because although it’s important to appreciate
that it’s okay to go in that slum, it is equally important to at least strive
to stay positive. Lockdown two is going to be very different from Lockdown one,
but it is shorter, more independent and with actual University work to keep me
going. Looking to the future of what this month is going to look like is
important, but let’s have a look at what I got up to this week:
La Ronde
I've had to study a lot of films that people could argue are
'classical films'', I've made no attempt to hide the fact I'm usually not much
of a fan because I find them formulaic and in an essence incredibly dated.
However, when there is a rare glimpse of exciting creativity that creeps
through, I tend to really appreciate it more. 'La Ronde' is a delightful little
film, whimsy and playful whilst being insightful and entertaining, I really
loved it and found its style to be a refreshing moment in these studies. The
film follows a mysterious narrator who presents the film in this glorious
opening monologue, shot in basically a single take as he assumes the role as
the film's compare and introduces the film's brilliant concept. An anthology
film following small tales of love, as each couple betrays the last and it uses
that Monty Python structure to delightfully explore the inconsistencies and
levels of honesty in this world. The compare pops up in disguises, revelling in
the melodrama with each couple and just dressing this film beautifully. Some
segments work better than others and it can feel a little repetitive towards
the end but I think it is an ambitious film and a small little delight.
La Cienega
There's a weird brand of cinema that I always kind of struggle
with, it is this notion of 'art cinema' that is aggressively realist and revels
in creating drama by just presenting life as it is. Having characters just
wander through their lives and evoking ideas by kind of just touching on themes
is something that has to really work for me to love. I like to feel a director's
hand, not too overtly, but just a sense that they are making decisions with a
purpose, you can evoke so much with such a simplistic activity if it is
portrayed with a purpose. 'La Cienega' suffers from feeling very directionless,
perhaps I didn’t give it quite enough time and attention, but I got absolutely
nothing out of this film. The issue is that there is a very kind of surface
level idea that is quite explicit, the plot revolves around seeing this upper-class
family be kind of bad people and it isn’t subtle about this fact. Greed and
wealth distribution has been a trope abused in films since the dawn of cinema
and I wish this film had more to say than 'this is bad and this shouldn't
happen', it reminds me of a bad Ken Loach film in many ways.
Saint Maud
Now I usually do the three films I've studied and then finish with
the films I’ve watched for pleasure. However, the third film was so dull and
nothing that I'd rather talk about A24's 'Saint Maud' which I saw at the BFI
Southbank this week and still haven't recovered from. The highest compliment I
can give this film is how insanely effective this film is, it may have a bit of
an issue of being 'another A24 surreal horror film', but there is no denying it
is a fantastic one. I was drained coming out of this, I was shaking, I was exhausted,
and I fell in love with this film. The story of a Catholic nurse caring for an
ex-dancer suffering from cancer is not exactly original, but the way Rose Glass
directs the focus on the protagonist is rarely seen in most horror films. First
and foremost, the film is a character study, a slow unfolding piece about the
way religion can be a comfort and a delusion but the film uses highly
disturbing horror elements to evoke these ideas. Some moments I could barely
watch, the score is overwhelming and cuts to the bone and some of the imagery
is truly haunting. A slow burn but an effective one that I fell hard for,
especially during that phenomenal third act. Well worth it if you are a horror
fan.
Everything Else
Starting this week by watching the iconic ‘Tampopo’ has probably
explained why nothing has felt weird this week. It is a bizarre film to say the
least, it starts as a crime drama, becomes a romcom and occasionally dips its
toes into sketch comedy. The film is entertaining, it is absolute madness, but
the simple idea of just showing people enjoying food in different ways is
quaint and somehow occasionally moving. I wouldn’t recommend it to those (like
me) who are quite squeamish, but I understand why it is so beloved. If it weren’t
for another national lockdown than I would probably be spending so much money
at the BFI over the next month because I'll take any opportunity to visit. This
week (as well as Saint Maud) I went to see another iconic beloved film: Ingmar
Bergman's 'Persona'. This was a lot. The film is heavy, disturbing, gut
wrenching and utterly horrific in places, it feels like watching someone's
entire soul being studied in front of you with a gruesome dissection. I felt
overwhelmed, exhausted, and honestly it made the rest of Halloween feel like
some sort of lucid dream. A genuine masterpiece that I never want to watch
again. Other than that, I've just being going by watching my usual comfort
British Comedy and it has helped balance an overall quite heavy week.
And that about does it! Next week is Reading Week and what a
perfect time to have to spend half of it locked in my flat. Thanks for sticking
with me, look after yourselves and thanks for reading!