Thursday, July 26, 2018

ZEBRAS IN AMERICA EPISODE 64



On the latest episode of ZIA, Scott & I talk about some topical issues centered around outrage culture (don't worry - there is some movie talk)

enjoy...



Friday, July 20, 2018

ZEBRAS IN AMERICA EPISODE 63!



This week Scott & I were joined by our friends Bill & Carlo to talk about the rare & underseen film; The Ice Rink.

Make sure to check Bill out on the I Don't Get It Podcast, and you can listen to Carlo on his own podcast; Women On The Screen

enjoy...

THE CINEMA OF SARAH POLLEY TOLD THROUGH MOVING IMAGES & STILLS




I don't like to write about the non movie-related/personal stories surrounding most filmmakers. But it's kind of impossible to avoid that when it comes to Sarah Polley. To say her films are personal or semi-autobiographic would be an understatement. Her films are a direct extension of her & her DNA (literally).
But I didn't realize any of this until Stories We Tell, which, in my opinion, is the movie she has been working towards thus far in her career as a filmmaker.

After watching Stories We Tell for a second time, her filmography made so much sense. Both; Away From Her (2006) & Take This Waltz (2012) have to do with infidelity. Sarah Polley is the product of an affair (a fact she came to find out later on as an adult which eventually became Stories We Tell). I’m surprised I didn’t catch the connection right away but after listening to Polley's interview on the treatment podcast with Elvis Mitchell, it turns out that she didn’t even catch the most common thread that connects all of her features.

But Sarah Polley's movies are about more than just affairs. Throughout this piece you'll find that she has her own common shots & regularly explored themes just like any other filmmaker in this series.

Enjoy...


TROUBLE IN PARADISE
Couples often seem happy in the films of Sarah Polley. But very early on we learn that's not exactly the case. She quickly digs beneath the surface and shows that things aren't all what they seem. That's not to say our couples don't love each other. Hardly. There's plenty of love. But that love is usually put to the test..
Stories We Tell
Take This Waltz
Away From Her

TEMPTATION & INFIDELITY
Temptation from an outside admirer is a common theme in Sarah Polley's cinematic universe. We always see characters fighting off the urge to cheat on and/or leave their significant others.
Stories We Tell
Take This Waltz
Away From Her

RESENTMENT
Infidelity eventually leads to obvious things like distrust & resentment. And what's interesting is while Polley's female characters certainly have their own resentments (especially in Away From Her), we usually see said resentment through the eyes of the men in the relationships...
Away From Her
Stories We Tell
Take This Waltz

LONELINESS & REGRET
Infidelity, distrust & resentment usually lead to separation which leads to loneliness (again - with the exception of Take This Waltz - Sarah Polley shows us loneliness through the perspective of our male characters)
Take This Waltz
Away From Her
Stories We Tell




(POSSIBLE) INFLUENCES & VISUAL SIMILARITIES 
Since day one, Sarah Polley has always had a unique eye. Her directorial debut, The Best Day Of My Life, shows a lot of visual similarities to everything/everyone from Luis Bunuel to Jean Luc Godard. I highly doubt these examples below are intentional (except the L'Age D'or comparison) but they are similar nonetheless...
L'Age D'or / The Best Day Of My Life
Boy Meets Girl / The Best Day Of My Life
A Married Woman / The Best Day Of My Life
Elephant /
The Best Day Of My Life
U.S. Go Home Home /
The Best Day Of My Life


other various visual similarities...
The Faithful Heart / Take This Waltz

Away From Her / Amour
The art of Vincent Van Vogh / Stories We Tell
Cache / Stories We Tell
Rene Magritte / Alias Grace
Take This Waltz / Max Ernst

The Deep End / Take This Waltz




RECURRING SHOTS
Take This Waltz (top)
Away From Her (bottom)

Take This Waltz (top)
Away From Her (bottom)

Take This Waltz (top)
Away From Her (bottom)

Take This Waltz (top)
Away From Her (bottom)




THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SARAH POLLEY
As I already stated in the intro, Sarah Polley puts a piece of herself (or her mother) in every one of the (female) characters in her feature films...
Stories We Tell
Away From Her
Take This Waltz
The Best Day Of My Life




A FEMALE'S PERSPECTIVE
While Polley does focus on the sensitive side of men in all of her films, they're still female driven stories at the end of the day. Motherhood, hormones & womanhood are always at the forefront of her movies...
Away From Her
Stories We Tell
Take This Waltz
The Best Day Of My Life
Alias Grace



CANADIAN PRIDE/CANADIAN LANDSCAPES
Sarah Polley is extremely Canadian (that's a compliment). At an early age Sarah Polley has been a staple within the modern Canadian film scene working with everyone from Cronenberg & Egoyan to appearing in Kids In The Hall sketches...

eXistenZ
The Kids In The Hall
The Sweethereafter

Polley's Canadian pride shows in all her films from the snowy rural landscapes (Away From Her) & classic architecture (Alias Grace) to the colorful neighborhood of Little Portugal (Take This Waltz)
Away From Her
Away From Her
Stories We Tell
Take Thus Waltz
Take This Waltz
Alias Grace



PARTIAL RESOLUTION/OPEN ENDINGS
Sarah Polley doesn't put a period or a nice little bow on any of her films. While she does offer some relief & resolution, she also leaves a lot of things open. Sarah Polley's films are an extension of her own life & personal stories. She's still discovering things about herself (both in front of & behind the camera). Her life is still in motion and her work represents that...
Stories We Tell
Take This Waltz
Away From Her


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