There are movies, and then there are movies. Some fancy people call those "films", as though that term denotes loftier concepts. It might. Regardless of its moniker, an art film, or one that is experimental, plays with structure, content, techniques, pretty much anything... in the face of cinematic conventions.
My kind of alien... Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin
Years ago, if a movie completely escaped me, I blamed the movie... that it was just a boring waste of my time. Poorly made and lacking in anything worth a shred of my attention. I felt better about myself by taking that route. I have put down at least a couple of high-falootin' motion pictures in this way, and so be it. Stalker and Solaris, both by Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, challenged my patience with their extremely long running times. I did not even finish Stalker... though it is regarded as a film - and science fiction - masterpiece. I made it through Solaris, also a sci-fi "art film", but felt depleted and dissatisfied by the end of it. This pair of offenders also explored through ambiguity philosophical and psychological themes. Whew. At the time of their viewing, maybe fifteen or so years ago, I just wasn't up to the task. Who knows, maybe today, after a long re-training of my brain, I could enjoy the films. But they are soooo long.
Over the years, I've learned to appreciate what we call "challenging" films on at least some level, even if I don't immediately see the complete picture. Instead of feeling that I am messing with art so high that it's out of my league, I try to embrace these films when I have the opportunity. Exercise my mind so that I can learn to see what I couldn't see before. Recognize cinematic techniques... the visuals, the music, or whatever I connect with most... the possible intent of this method of storytelling.
I often realize that "Oh, yeah, this strange scene here is symbolic of something, but I haven't a bloody clue what". So I let it go, move on, and sometimes feel confused when the end credits roll. But I thought that guy was dead... how did that kid end up in the attic... so those two people knew each other? And maybe next time I meet such an obstacle, I'll try to figure out what the subtext is to that scene, or the movie as a whole. It's often possible to enjoy a picture even if its intent or meaning is vague. Sometimes I'll figure things out after the fact, re-visiting details in my mind or with other people.
There are times when I realize (or am advised by someone who's already seen it) that I should not try to read into things too much, and just let the film wash over me. Watch it and don't overthink it. A mood, a cinematic experience that is meant to be felt rather than over-analyzed. I found the movies Boyhood and Tree of Life to fit into that category. Big ideas, yes, but not the kind that we, the audience, must necessarily pick apart to understand or at least enjoy. At least that's not how I wanted to approach them. And I liked them just fine.
An unconventional relationship in Before Sunrise,
by director Richard Linklater
Sometimes good old-fashioned discussion and brain-work can whittle out some answers, either satisfactory or tenuous. One of the best examples that comes to mind is No Country For Old Men. This picture was based on a novel by an author (Cormack McCarthy) whose written works I now love. But back in 2007, when the film first played theatrically, it made a huge splash - because of that ending. I didn't see No Country on the big screen, but later rented it on home video. And yes, what a crazy final scene. That might have been the first time I was thrown into a near-rage because of the abrupt ending with no explanation.
I spent perhaps a half hour working the grit out of my mind-gears so I could figure out that ending, then decided I should hash this out with somebody else. So I got on the phone with a friend and he offered up his theories on what happened in the movie. I eventually got to looking at the story from another perspective, and I sort of worked out my own ideas, maybe jiving with my friend's, maybe not. I can't remember. But this post-viewing debate helped settle my nerves.
My need for answers overcame my practically violent surge of confusion. The movie Primer didn't evoke quite as strong a response, but it sure demanded (and got) my full attention as I watched. Thankfully, I clued in to that requirement early on in my viewing. Primer makes you work a bit, but it's worth the effort... a satisfying little sci-fi brain-twister.
Here is a list of many, but probably not all, of the arthouse-type films I've seen in my life. If you want to try something that might make you feel uncomfortable, bring you a bit out of your comfort zone, and test your patience and your logical and creative mind, take a gander at some of these challenging movies:
Lost in Translation (my favourite film of all time), Somewhere... by director Sophia Coppola
Under the Skin... by director Jonathan Glazer... one of my favourite sci-fi arthouse films
Primer, Upstream Color... by director Shane Carruth, low budget sci-fi abstractions
Antichrist and Nymphomaniac (too extreme for me), Melancholia (okay)... by Lars Von Trier
The Lobster, Killing of a Sacred Deer... director Lanthimos is like nobody else. Be prepared.
Tree of Life, Badlands, Days of Heaven... Terrence Malick, master director. Very experiential
The Master, There Will Be Blood, Inherent Vice... Paul Thomas Anderson - required viewing!
Three Colors trilogy: Blue, White and Red, Double Life of Veronique... director Kieslowski created these, among my favourite movies of all time
Boyhood, Before trilogy: Sunrise, Sunset, Midnight (these 3 are faves)... by Richard Linklater
2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut ... and other Kubrick... faves!
Solaris, Stalker... by directorTarkovsky... not my cup of tea
Cloud Atlas... by the makers of The Matrix... a total mind-bender, and very cool
Enemy, Arrival, Prisoners, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049... by Denis Villeneuve, among my faves
Synecdoche, New York... by director Charlie Kaufman, bizarre and hilarious and inventive
Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway... any David Lynch... strange, often disturbing, dark humour
Pi, Black Swan, The Wrestler ..... by Darren Aronofsky... some of my fave movies of all time
Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, Her... by Spike Jonze, odd yet wonderful - more faves!
The Belly of an Architect, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover...Peter Greenaway, strange and amazing
City of Lost Children, Delicatessen, Amelie... by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet... fanciful faves
Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter... by Canadian director Atom Egoyan, very arthouse-y
Memento, Inception, Interstellar... by Christopher Nolan - more than just Batman blockbusters
Donnie Darko... moving, funny and a brain-twister... a bit of a modern classic in my books
Time Bandits, Brazil (both favourites!), 12 Monkeys... by Terry Gilliam, of Monty Python fame
Seven, Gone Girl, Zodiac (three faves), Fight Club... David Fincher, not super arty, but clever and twisty
The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Hour of the Wolf... Ingmar Bergman, the grandmaster!
Videodrome, Naked Lunch, A Dangerous Method... David Cronenberg, originator of visceral horror genre, also versatile with psychological thrillers
Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049... the original was a visual feast but took me over 30 years to fully appreciate; the recent long-awaited sequel is even more stunning while being more immediately accessible
I know there are loads of arthouse-type films I've not seen, such as Salo, or The 120 Days of Sodom, and Un Chien Andalou (both on my To Watch list), but this movie fandom thing is a life-long work in progress, isn't it?
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