FIRE

If Claire Denis’ latest film is supposed to be an on-the-spot improvised pandemic-era exercise/experiment - then I’m willing to go easy on it. But if it is meant to be taken like a serious well-crafted film in the vein of her stronger efforts like Beau Travail, No Fear No Die or 35 Rums - then I am a little disappointed. Disappointed as if I’m watching an A+ student intentionally get a C- on a test because they find it amusing. I don’t think Denis has the ability to make a “terrible” movie, and no matter how head-scratchingly vague/empty the movie felt to me at times, it does have me thinking about it non-stop well after watching it. Perhaps that is a win on some level...

For those of you familiar with Denis’ entire filmography, Fire feels like an even more playful & loose iteration of something like L’Intrus. Not in terms of plot but in terms of execution. From the beginning we’re introduced to characters and information in a very “in the know”/speakeasy kind of way. Claire Denis is the queen of hints & implications and with Fire we see Denis pushing that form storytelling to the limit.

As a fan of movie references & homages I should love this. For those that don’t know, the tone of this film is very much in the school of Jacques Rivetter right down to Denis casting Rivette regular; Bulle Olgier. Fire’s most Rivette quality is the way it weaves in & out of being silly/playful and incredibly intense (the film's playfulness also owes a bit to the French new wave while it's intense finale feels like an argument from a Cassavetes film).
A movie from my favorite filmmaker (Denis) drenched in vague homages & movie references from older filmmakers I love (Cassavetes, Rivette, etc) should be right up my alley but unfortunately it just  didn’t click.

Outside of the Rivette homage there is a basic premise/plot that involves a couple’s relationship being put to the test when various outside forces try to come between them. But ultimately this film almost felt like an inside reference that I wasn’t privy to (which is incredibly frustrating considering my love for Claire Denis).
Anyone who knows me is aware I’m Claire Denis’ biggest fan but I’m no authority on her or her work (even if I come off that way at times). I encourage everyone to watch this (Fire is being put out by IFC films so it should be somewhat easy to see). Perhaps there’s something I just didn’t get or understand. I plan on watching this many times over in the future so maybe things will change.

And Fire isn’t without some incredibly positive qualities…

Tindersticks make yet another amazing musical contribution to the cinematic world of Claire Denis (the score is more in line with other “moody” scores like Bastards or L’Intrus).
The cast of Fire feels like a family affair with appearances from almost every era of Claire Denis regular. Watching Alice Houri, Vincent Lindon, Juliette Binoche, Gregoire Colin, Mati Diop and a (mute) Lola Cretan all share the screen feels like watching a fun-yet hastily put together experimental all-star game.

Again - I encourage as many people as possible to see Fire. I know I’m not raving about this like I have other Claire Denis films but I’m really curious to know if there are pieces I didn’t get in order to fully appreciate it.

Please watch and report back. I'm incredibly open to chat about this with any and everyone…

THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER / CACHE

Confrontation in Cache (L) & The Killing Of A Sacred Deer (R)

Much has already been said about The Killing Of Sacred Deer so there’s really no reason to put another “review” of it out in to the universe. We get it. We all know it’s one of – if not the – best films of 2017. What I’d like to delve in to are the strong similarities it shares with another great film in the form of Cache (probably the best film of 2005 as far as I’m concerned)…

In my opinion, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer is essentially Haneke’s Cache without the socially conscious/historical/racial angle. Plus, it’s darkly comical whereas Cache isn’t funny at all. But even with those differences – the films are still similar in the same way that Passolini’s Teorema is to Ozon’s Sitcom. Sitcom is a  loose remake of Teorema. Ozon made quite a few obvious changes like using a rat as the Trojan horse instead of Terrence Stamp (Teorema), but the basic story remains the same in Sitcom.

Actually, all four films (Teorema, Sitcom, Cache & The Killing Of A Sacred Deer) are cut from the same cloth in that they’re all about an outside entity bringing a family’s skeletons & dirty secrets out in to the open. 

In Sacred Deer, Yorgos Lanthimos focused on the part of the story that involves the loss of a father. Fatherhood is a huge part of both Cache & Sacred Deer (there’s also a sub-plot involving class as the two opposing families in each movie are on opposite ends of the class spectrum). For those of you that haven’t seen Sacred Deer – Martin (Barry Keoghan)’s father died on the operating table at the hands of Dr. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell), and is seeking revenge because he feels Steven is responsible for his father’s death. In Cache, Majid's son (this character isn’t given a name in the credits) is seeking a similar form of revenge. Majid's son blames George - his father’s former foster brother - for his father’s hard life. True – Majid's son (Cache) grew up with his father, while Martin’s father died prior to the events in Sacred Deer, but midway in to Cache *SPOILER* Majid takes his own life (something that is also hung over George’s head).

From a visual/thematic standpoint - the similarities are un-debatable...

Both film have a very similar father/son relationship (the sons in both films even look alike)

Cache / The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

There’s an underlying theme of; “attack on the upper class”. Early on in both movies we get the happy families sitting around the dinner table. This is the last time we see both families happy & undisturbed...

Cache / The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

As we've already established - both Martin (Sacred Deer) and Majid's son (Cache) are motivated by revenge...

Cache / The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

The “antagonist” son characters use the protagonist’s children as pawns to put their plans in to play…

Cache / The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

The “protagonist” keeps important secrets from his wife that comes back to bite him in the ass…

Cache / The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

There's a weird relationship between the protagonist’s wife and his close (male) friend…

Cache / The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

Similar spurts of self-inflicted violence…

Cache / The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

Throughout the film you question the morality of the main character/"protagonist"

Cache / The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

Both films end somewhat open & unresolved…

Cache / The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

There are also indescribable comparisons that can be made in that the overall tone/ambiance in both films are incredibly similar (the exception being that Cache doesn't have any funny moments). It should be noted that when Yorgos Lanthimos exploded on the scene with Dogtooth, he was compared to Haneke quite a bit.

Perhaps I have too much time on my hands or perhaps I'm on to something with this comparison. What do you all think?

THE SCHOOL OF CHANTAL AKERMAN PART 5: THE INFLUENCE ON MICHAEL HANEKE CONTINUED...

This exploration in to the visual & (sometimes) thematic similarities between the films of Chantal Akerman & Michael Haneke is a little different from part one (click here to view part one).

Instead of chopping up 2-4 seconds out of a particular scene, I went with 10-12 second long (unbroken) takes to hammer home my theory/belief that Akerman had some kind of subconscious influence on Haneke. And if not that, their films are still similar in terms of; ambiance (both directors explore the sometimes cold ambiance of Europe), color palettes (grays, blacks, dark blues, browns, etc), themes (depression & loneliness) and framing (you'll notice half of the comparisons below are centered)

I know at first glance some of these may seem vague. There's lots of movies with scenes of people sitting in the back of a car or moving around in their kitchen. You're someone who isn't in to slightly abstract thoughts and/or comparisons, perhaps some Kurosawa/Star Wars comparisons are more fitting for you.

enjoy...

Les Rendezvous D'Anna /
The Seventh Continent

Les Rendezvous D'Anna /
The Piano Teacher

Les Rendezvous D'Anna /
The Piano Teacher

Saute Ma Ville /
The Piano Teacher

Saute Ma Ville /
The Piano Teacher

Saute Ma Ville /
Funny Games

Saute Ma Ville /
Funny Games

La Folie Almayer /
Happy End

Toute Une Nuit / The Piano Teacher 

Toute Une Nuit / Code Unknown

And as a bonus, see how Akerman influenced even younger filmmakers like Markus Schlienzer (far right) through Haneke (middle).
For those that don't know, Schlienzer worked with/for Haneke during his Austrian period...

Jeanne Dielman.../71 Fragments/Michael 

HIGH LFE: TIFF 2018 HIGHLIGHT #3

I’ll be writing about this at length in the future but I just wanted to get some quick thoughts out while they’re fresh in my head...

I hate endlessly gushing over a movie without giving any kind of critical commentary but there’s nothing like waiting years to see a movie directed by your favorite filmmaker that actually pays off. Best feeling in the world. I’ve come to the realization that I’m not the biggest fan of Let The Sunshine In, and while Bastards is “cool” & moody, I think about the film’s score more than the actual film (her barely seen short short; Voila L’enchainment is pretty good but it’s more of an experiment. And because hardly anyone has seen it, it doesn’t really count). So it's been almost a decade (White Material) since Denis has made something truly impactful in my book.

At 70+ years old, Claire Denis is still trying out new things. High Life is her first stab at science fiction. Stuart Staples’ score is the most droning thing he’s ever done for Denis, and, with the exception of Juliette Binoche, all her cast members are new faces (Denis almost always stays loyal to her troupe of regular actors). According to a few sources, Denis had Vincent Gallo in mind for the lead but I think Pattinson was the right choice (High Life co-stars Robert Pattinson & Juliette Binoche previously worked together on David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis so perhaps their chemistry oozed over in to Denis’ latest).

High Life has a plot but in my opinion it’s secondary (something about prisoners from earth being experimented on in space in order to preserve the human race). This is a movie that lingers and I love every second of it. I prefer High Life over movies like Moon and even Solaris but they all share the same DNA and have more than a few similarities (loneliness, isolation, losing a grip on reality, etc).

Sorry but I have to be predictable and compare High Life to Solaris real quick...

Solaris / High Life

The biggest thing that sets High Life apart from other sprawling offbeat science fiction movies is it’s strange sensuality and sexuality (one scene involving Juliette Binoche looks like something out of Amat Escalante’s The Untamed or Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession).

While there are quite a few subconscious visual similarities to obvious sources like Kubrick's 2001...

2001 / High Life

To not so obvious sources like Cocteau & Bunuel...

Cloverfield Paradox / High Life

The Blood Of A Poet /
High Life

I know I’ve just seen this less than 24 hours ago but High Life might be my favorite of the festival so far (I hesitate to say that given my bias towards Claire Denis). This isn’t for everyone (and I honestly get that especially if you’re not in to sparse/minimal dialogue, vagueness, semen and isolated moments of sexual aggression & abuse towards women) but true Denis fans should love this.

A FEW WORDS ON FOUR NIGHTS OF A DREAMER

This is a summarized version of a talk I participated in on Robert Bresson's Four Nights Of A Dreamer at Video Revival in Brooklyn.

Enjoy...

The motivation of Robert Bresson's characters seem predetermined. It's as if they're essentially going through the motions without any say or input on their own lives or actions. Bresson is kind of like a cinematic puppet master in a sense. While it's totally understandable that this would be off-putting & unappealing to some folks (Robert Bresson does have his share of detractors) it is intriguing to me and quite a few of the filmmakers he has directly inspired (Four Nights Of A Dreamer is a loose adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s White Nights so it's rooted in influence right off the bat).

The predetermined aspect in Robert Bresson's films were in full force from the late 60's (Une Femme Douce) until his final film (L'argent). That's not to say Bresson hadn't found his footing prior to Une Femme Douce (this is evident in The Diary Of A Country Priest which, in my opinion, is when he finally found his signature style), but it was cemented in the late 60's. Four Nights Of A Dreamer is a prime example of this. Besides the basic plot (two strangers fall in love after one saves the other from a suicide attempt), we're given expressionless faces (even in scenarios concerning intimacy and suicide attempts), emotionless/apathetic gestures (at the start of the film our hitchhiking protagonist is asked where he is going and he throws up his arms, with an expressionless look, as if to say; “I Don't know and I don't really care).

Four Nights Of A Dreamer / Slacker
(In Slacker, the character on the right kills his mother like it was a menial chore. This is very Bressionian)

Like I already said - lack of emotion & spirit could seem unappealing to some people (especially in cinema) but at the same time life can break us and make us apathetic & emotionless. Again – it's understandable if some audiences want nothing to do with that. Movies are supposed to be an escape for some people. The films of Bresson are a reflection of society to some degree and no one wants to spend their time watching their lives on the big screen or on a television. Some people want a momentary escape to make them forget about their (very real) Bressonian problems from time to time (living life set to an alarm clock, boredom, mindless commuting, etc). But at the same time that aspect of life shouldn't go ignored.

Bresson's influence knows no bounds especially in the world of french arthouse cinema. Take Michael Haneke for example. All of his Austrian films deal with the same problems in Bresson's films (depression, broken spirits, existentialism, predetermined lives, etc). Haneke's first three films look like stories from an extended Bresson universe.
In The Seventh Continent we see a family live life in the same predetermined depressed fashion (until they snap out of it and handle in their own way). Both The Seventh Continent & Four Nights Of A Dreamer show the same pointless/banal things we do on a daily basis...

Four Nights Of A Dreamer / The Seventh Continent

The same could be said about Hal Hartley who considers Bresson to be one of his favorite filmmakers (Bresson's Au Hasard Balthazar is one of his favorite movies). The opening scene of The Unvelievable Truth is a clear homage to the opening of Four Nights Of A Dreamer in which both protagonists are aimlessly/hopelessly hitchhiking somewhere...

Four Nights Of A Dreamer / The Unbelievable Truth

Bruno Dumont, who at one point was nicknamed “The Son Of Bresson” due to the similar themes & acting style in his earlier movies, regularly borrows the same scenes from the films of Bresson as well...

Four Nights Of A Dreamer / Hors Satan
Four Nights Of A Dreamer / Slack Bay

I'd also be remiss if I didnt bring up Leos Carax's possible reference to Four Nights Of Dreamer in The Lovers On Bridge (both movies are shot in some of the exact same locations)...

Four Nights Of A Dreamer / The Lovers On The Bridge

Perhaps Four Nights inspired Leos Carax earlier than The Lovers On The Bridge...

Four Nights Of A Dreamer / Boy Meets Girl
(Both films start with pivotal scenes on a bridge and deal with tough break ups. The delivery of dialogue in Boy Meets Girl is also very Bressonian)

there's also Soderbergh's Solaris...

Four Nights Of A Dreamer / Solaris

Four Nights Of A Dreamer / Solaris

It should be noted that all the movies compared to Four Nights Of A Dreamer in this piece have similar plot points & scenarios.
In Soderbergh’s Solaris, Chris Kelvin’s wife tries to commit suicide like Marthe at the start of Four Nights Of A Dreamer (and the characters in The Seventh Continent are successful in their suicide).
Both “Emmet” (The Unbelievable Truth) & Michele (The Lovers On The Bridge) refuse to accept that their respective relationship is over much like Marthe.

So while some of these comparisons could be perceived as vague at first glance, there is some depth & validity behind these images...

LET THE SUNSHINE IN

I’m not into romcoms but the idea of Claire Denis directing one intrigued me (prior to seeing Let The Sunshine In I read quite a few early reviews that described it as such and I kind of have to agree). If you’re familiar with my site and/or my personal movie preferences then it should come as no surprise that I’ll see anything directed by Claire Denis. She’s my favorite filmmaker. One of the reasons she is one of my favorites is because after 40 years of filmmaking (in various capacities) she continues to step outside of her comfort zone. Not completely but enough where it should be recognized. Every one of her films has the same sheen/layer of “Claire Denis-ism” (which is something I like) but she dabbles in different genres from time to time. Trouble Every Day was her horror film. I Can’t Sleep was her murder mystery/noir. Chocolat & U.S. Go Home were warped personal journals/semi-autobiographical tales from her childhood. Friday Night was Claire Denis’ foray in to romance (that’s not to say romance & sensuality don’t flow throughout a large majority of her work but, in my opinion, Friday Night was her first truly romantic film). Let The Sunshine In has a lot of the same elements of Friday Night but it’s a bit more mushy. This might be the lightest movie she’s ever done so far in her career (this is that new territory I was speaking of earlier) but at the end of the day it is a Claire Denis film. There’s plenty of sad moments & crying. But what’s so disorienting (and I mean this in a good way) is that the sad moments and the funny moments happen within moments of each other. One minute you’re laughing out loud and seconds later you want to cry with Juliette Binoche's "Isabelle". It's difficult to keep track of all the emotions. I know that sounds negative but it's not. Let The Sunshine In keeps you on your toes.

Denis also pleases her more rigid fans like myself who like continuity between all of her movies (Agnès Godard is behind the camera once again, Stuart Staples provided some of the music, Alex Descas co-starred, etc). The way Claire Denis shoots Binoche’s (beautiful) naked body is from the same lens that filmed the half-naked men in Beau Travail. I also came to the realization that in the last two decades we’ve watched Nichols Duvauchelle (who plays one of the love interests) pretty much grow up in Claire Denis’ movies.

Let The Sunshine In is the story of “Isabelle” - a divorced mom who still hasn’t given up on love and continues to try and date/hook up even though most of the men in her life at the moment kind of suck (some are still married, some are self-centered, etc). We feel for Isabelle because she is a romantic who deserves love but that doesn’t mean she isn’t frustrating. I enjoyed this movie very much but there were times when I wanted to yell at Isabelle in frustration like a lot of people want to in most romcoms (“WHY ARE YOU GOING BACK TO THAT GUY?! HE'S TERRIBLE FOR YOU!”)
When you take the solid performances and the overall “arthouse” element out of Let The Sunshine In, Isabelle could very well be the 5th friend in Carrie’s entourage on Sex & The City (I'd be interested in hearing theories as to whether or not Claire Denis was slightly poking fun at romantic comedies).


But the plot is secondary to me. I was more fascinated with the (extended) family reunion aspect of it all. I say extended because while this is Claire Denis’ first time collaborating with French cinema legends like Juliette Binoche & Gérard Depardieu, they’re still (distant) relatives that share the same blood/DNA as Denis. It was only a matter of time that they all work together.

Claire Denis is often associated with the Wim Wenders family tree of directors (Jarmusch, Denis & Wenders), actors (Solveig Dommartin, Issach De Bankole, etc), cinematographers (Agnes Godard & Robby Muller) & musicians (John Lurie) but she also belongs to another large cinematic family...

Leos Carax / Olivier Assayas / Claire Denis
Denis Lavant / Juliette Binoche / Alex Descas
Katerena Golubeva / Lola Creton / Mirielle Perrier
Kylie Minogue / Isabelle Huppert / The Depardieus

The Leos Carax/Olivier Assayas/Claire Denis family tree is seldom mentioned but is so quietly prevalent. It’s an incredibly incestuous web of collaborative artists that should be the subject of a book one day. Claire Denis helped Olivier Assayas come up with the story that eventually became Irma Vep (Irma Vep also co-stars Claire Denis-regular/Let The Sunshine In co-star Alex Descas). Leos Carax’s cinematic alter-ego Denis Lavant gave one of his most iconic performances in Beau Travail (a film many consider to be Claire’s best work). Olivier Assayas’ recent stock actor Lola Creton gave a cryptic performance in Denis’ Bastards. Mirielle Perrier starred in the directorial debuts of both Carax & Denis. Isabelle Huppert has appeared in the films of both Assayas & Denis and Kylie Minogue ended up in Leos Carax’s Holy Motors at the suggestion of Claire Denis (Denis & Minogue were supposed to work on a film together that eventually fell through).
There are more examples that I could give but I think you get the idea.

Let The Sunshine In might be the greatest cinematic artifact that shows the connectivity between Carax, Assayas & Denis. Gérard Depardieu’s son appeared in Carax’s Pola X alongside the late Katerina Golubeva (star of two Denis films and partner of Carax). Juliette Binoche, who’s started in multiple films directed by both Assayas & Carax, has become the first and only actor/actress to appear in films directed by all three filmmakers. So even if Let The Sunshine In ended up being bad, “meh” or disappointing (which it definitely is not), it still ties together decades of a specific scene within modern French cinema that is very near & dear to my heart.

I think it should be noted that years before this movie was announced I had a feeling Binoche & Denis would collaborate...

And here we are over two & a half later watching this dream collaboration become a reality (there's a moment towards the end of the movie where Alex Descas & Juliette Binoche slowly hold hands which solidified everything for me).

Don’t get me wrong, as a stand-alone movie Let The Sunshine In is solid. It’s a departure from Denis’ recent (darker) work. I honestly wouldn’t mind this being a novice’s intro in to the world of Claire Denis (besides the fact that it’s a solid film, it could potentially expose someone to so many different avenues of modern French cinema).
But as a diehard fan of Claire Denis (as well as Carax & Assayas) it’s difficult to disassociate the very large web of modern French cinema history attached to it.
To some this may be another solid Claire Denis effort but to me it’s something much bigger.

ZEBRAS IN AMERICA EPISODE 29: THE RETURN OF MARTIN KESSLER!

We were happy to have Martin Kessler join us again to talk about everything from Blade Runner 2049 & Slack Bay to deep-cut comic books & underrated hip-hop lyricists.

Enjoy...

ZEBRAS IN AMERICA EPISODE 19

We talk a lot about Clouds of Sils Maria, and Morvern Callar. 

We also talk about depression and suicide.  If you are ever feeling down, remember that you are love.

You are.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255
suicidepreventionlifeline.org
-Scott Thorough

THE CINEMA OF BRUNO DUMONT TOLD THROUGH IMAGES & STILLS

You can never just enjoy a Bruno Dumont film. There's always some level of struggle or frustration that comes along with the viewing process. I've never heard anyone refer to his movies as "ok" or "pretty good". His stuff is usually considered terrible or masterful. There is no middle ground. You either love Bruno Dumont or you hate him. Even I'm a big fan of his work and there's still a few films that really frustrate the hell out of me (Flanders & Hadewijch).

But that's what I love about him. Bruno Dumont always leaves me feeling intrigued, pleasantly confused & wanting to talk about cinema with my friends (Camille Claudel, 1915, Hors Satan & L'il Quinquin are some of my personal favorites of the decade so far).

While the images in this article certainly represent the cinema of Bruno Dumont, I highly suggest checking out my individual reviews of his films to gain an even better understanding of his work.

L'il Quinquin

Camille Claudel, 1915

Hors Satan

Humanite 

THE HOLY SPIRIT

From the titles of his films and how they’re promoted (The Life Of Jesus & Hors Satan) to all the shots of his characters praying on bended knee (Camille Claudel, 1915, Hors Satan & Hadewijch) – it’s clear Dumont's relationship with God goes deeper than simple fascination (although Dumont claims to be an atheist, I don't think you can make the kinds of films he does and not have some kind of relationship with God). 

We often see his characters take the form of Jesus on the cross (L'il Quinquin & Hors Satan) or struggle with some kind of torturous relationship with Christianity or Catholicism (Hadewijch & Hors Satan).

Both Camille Claudel's brother and Celine (Hadewijch) truly believe they have a personal relationship with God when in reality they're both a little disturbed.

In Hors Satan we follow a mysterious drifter who takes up residence in a small French town. In the first half of the film he helps out a young girl that's being abused by her father (we never actually see the abuse but we're lead to believe that's what's going on). Later on he heals a young bedridden girl who appears to be possessed (he even starts to gain "disciples" at one point in the film).

Camille Claudel, 1915

Camille Claudel, 1915

Camille Claudel, 1915

Hadewijch

Hadewijch

Hadewijch

Hadewijch

Hors Satan

Life Of Jesus

L'il Quinquin

Lil Quinquin

Slack Bay

Jeannette, The Childhood Of Joan Of Arc

LONELINESS, DEPRESSION & DESPAIR

Camille Claudel, 1915 is probably the best example of Dumont’s exploration of depression as the film just oozes with sadness (it's also based on true events). It’s the perfect movie to watch for people who don't get depression or have the wrong idea about what it is (personally, I feel Dumont doesn’t get enough credit for exploring the triggers behind depression). 

But loneliness, isolation & despair are prevalent throughout his entire filmography...

In Humainte our lead character Pharaon struggles with the loss of his wife & daughter. In Flanders Dumont explores the post traumatic stress of war. Our Bonnie & Clyde-like protagonists in The The Twentynine Palms are loyal to each another but at the same time all they do is fight and have aggressive sex which is an indication of some form of unhappiness.

Camille Claudel, 1915

Camille Claudel, 1915

Hadewijch

Hors Satan

Twentynine Palms

Humanite

Humanite

Life Of Jesus

RECURRING SHOT: "DOWN BY THE WATER"

Another example of Dumont’s religious fascination comes in the form of baptism scenes, both literally (Hadewijch & Hors Satan) and metaphorically (Humanite)...

Hors Satan

Hors Satan

Humanite

L'il Quinquin

Twentynine Palms

Hadewijch

Slack Bay

Jeannette

Hadewijch

RECURRING SHOT: A WARM EMBRACE

Flanders

Hors Satan

Hors Satan

Humanite

Hors Satan

Life Of Jesus

L'il Quinquin

Humanite

Twentynine Palms

Slack Bay

RECURRING SETTING: RURAL FRANCE 

Flanders

Hadewijch

Hors Satan

Humanite

L'il Quinquin

Jeannette

Slack Bay

RECURRING SHOT: THE DUMONT GLARE

Flanders

L'il Quinquin

Camille Claudel, 1915

Hors Satan

Slack Bay

Twentynine Palms

Flanders

Hadewijch

Hors Satan

INFLUENCES & INSPIRATIONS 

I don't know if I'm capable of writing about an early Bruno Dumont film without mentioning Robert Bresson (at one point in his career Dumont was nicknamed “the artistic heir to Bresson”). 

It goes without saying that most filmmakers are influenced by each other, but in the case of modern European arthouse filmmakers like Bertrand Bonello, Eugene Green, Miguel Gomes, Manoel De Oliviero and Bruno Dumont, the Bresson influence is so strong that you have to mention it. The dry tone and cinematography within Camille Claudel & Hors Satan contains shades of L’argent & The Devil Probably (with a touch of Maurice Pialat's Under The Sun Of Satan). The nuns in Hadewijch & Camille Claudel come right out of Diary Of Country Priest.

But legends like Tarkovsky & Dreyer rubbed off on Dumont as well. When reading up on Hors Satan (from blogs to legitimate reviews written by critics I respect) Dreyer's name kept coming up. This makes sense as Hors Satan deals with faith, religion and the presence of God just like Dreyer's work (one key scene in the Hors Satan involves a character being brought back to life after they've been pronounced dead like in Ordet). 

Dumont also branches out to non-cinematic sources for inspiration. The scene of the cow being airlifted at the beginning of L'il Quinquin looks like a Salvador Dali painting come to life while the murder scene from Humainte was clearly influenced by the work of Marcel Duchamps…

Humanite

Hors Satan

Hors Satan

Hors Satan

L'il Quinquin

L'il Quinquin

L'Argent/Slack Bay 

Sonatine / L'Humanite

Zabriski Point / Twentynine Palms

Blissfully Yours / Hadweijch

8-1/2 / Slack Bay

Clean, Shaven / L'Humanite

Susanna / Camille Claudel, 1915

Daughters Of The Dust / Slack Bay

The Fall / Li'l Quinquin

Ordet / Jeannette

The Exorcist /
Jeannette

The Devils /
Jeannette

The Passion Of Joan Of Arc / Jeannette

Un Chien Andalou / L'Humanite

The 400 Blows / L'Humanite

Jeanne Dielman /
Flandres

JEAN EPSTEIN'S (POSSIBLE) INFLUENCE

While Dumont's work has many similarities to Bresson, I rarely hear folks mention the (possible) influence of Jean Epstein...

The Fall Of The House Of Usher / Flanders

Mauprat / Flanders

the same could be said about Dreyer...

DREYER'S INFLUENCE

RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE/THE NEW FRENCH EXTREMITY

Bruno Dumont was a varsity letterman of the New French Extremity movement during the late 90’s/early 00’s so you can always expect isolated moments of murder & violence.
He also has a fascination with rape and/or rough unsensual sex. Dumont crafts these scenes of men ramming themselves inside of women (almost as if they're stabbing with their penis). In Twentynine Palms we see both main characters attacked & raped by a gang of thugs (preceded by scenes of hard pounding & face fucking between the two lovers in the film). In Humanite not only does the film center around the rape & murder of a young girl, but all the sex scenes are rough and difficult to watch. In The Life Of Jesus a gang of boys sexually assault a young woman and the last third of Hors Satan focuses on the rape & murderer of another young girl.

Hors Satan

L'il Quinquin

Flanders 

Twentynine Palms

Twentynine Palms 

Life Of Jesus

Slack Bay

NON-PROFESSIONAL ACTORS

Bruno Dumont often casts inexperienced actors with some type of physical disability or awkward mannerism/facial "imperfection" that you almost can't help but notice and, depending on how vein you are, possibly snicker at or comment on. Casting homely-looking lead actors is clearly Dumont challenging the viewer's perception of what beauty is on the big screen. 

In Camille Claudel, 1915 Dumont used actors with real physical and/or developmental disabilities.
The female co-lead in Humainte is often referred to as “overweight” and her figure is sometimes talked about more than the actual movie. 

The co-lead in L'il Quinquin has a hair lip and Dumont doesn't shy away from shooting nonstop close-ups of his face. Sure Stacey Keech, Joaquin Phoenix & Michael Kenneth Williams paved the way for mainstream actors with facial disfigurements, but for every one of them there's a hundred Chris Pines, Chris Hemsworths & Paul Walkers (the other co-lead in Quinquin has uncontrollable non-stop facial ticks as well).

L'il Quinquin

L'il Quinquin

Humanite

Humanite

Camille Claudel, 1915

Flanders

Hors Satan

Twentynine Palms

SEX & THE NAKED BODY

No one is ever really naked for the sake of being naked in his movies (there’s a nude in scene in Hadewijch that might be the one exception). When someone is nude in the world of Bruno Dumont its because they’re about to have sex or they just finished having sex (Twentynine Palms, Hors Satan, The Life Of Jesus, Humanite or Flanders). 

When his camera focuses on a man’s lower body, it’s not to show us his well maintained physique, but to indicate that his female character is looking directly at his bulge (Humanite). 

Dumont almost always casts these R. Crumb physiqued women (Flanders, Humanite & L’il Quinquin) so he can highlight the large natural breasts, butts & hips.
And again – there’s almost never anything sensual or erotic about the sex in his movies. It’s usually rough (Humanite), incredibly rough (Twentynine Palms) or ridiculously rough to point where I have to look away in disgust (Hors Satan).

Life Of Jesus

Humanite

Humanite

Humanite

Twentynine Palms

Twentynine Palms

Flanders

Hors Satan

YOUTH

Young people in Bruno Dumont’s films often find themselves in over their heads. I wouldn’t say he portrays children in the most realistic way (they are sort of caricatures on some level) but he doesn’t rely on their “cuteness” in the way so many other filmmakers do (he isn't afraid to place kids in dangerous & uncomfortable situations). With Hadewijch we see a young character taking on religious responsibilities that so-called god-fearing church-going folks wouldn't want. The kids in L’il Quinquin don’t seem to be scared that a serial killer is on the loose but rather curious. The youngsters in Life Of Jesus seem to be jaded yet they’re so inexperienced and have yet to really do anything important with their lives.

L'il Quinquin

Hors Satan

Hors Satan

Hadewijch

Life Of Jesus

Jeannette...

SURREALITY 

Putting aside all the dry Bresson-esque ambiance, Bruno Dumont’s movies are downright weird at times. That’s a major part of what makes his movies so unique. In the world of Bruno Dumont his characters can levitate (Humanite) and stick to walls (L’il Quinquin). In Hors Satan, some of the women in the village are plagued with an unexplained illness and require exorcisms. And often times, his characters spurt out random lines of dialogue that have nothing to do with the anything…

Hors Satan

Humanite

Lil Quinquin

Lil Quinquin

Slack Bay

STEPPING OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE

Although films like Humanite, Flanders & Hors Satan truly define the cinema of Bruno Dumont, he’s still not afraid to step outside of that Bresson-influenced comfort zone of religious symbolism, non-professional actors & monotone/deadpan dialogue. In films like Camille Claudel, 1915 & Twentynine Palms he collaborated with professional/established actors like Juliette Binoche & Katerina Golubeva.
And most recently he branched off in to the (dark) comedy genre for the first time with L'il Quinquin where for the first time it was ok to laugh at the people in his movies…

Twentynine Palms

Camille Claudel, 1915

Lil Quinquin