I don’t think you could experience a more contrasted day at the Mostra – not in terms of quality but in terms of content and style. We indeed went from the most classical to the most experimental.
There are also some similarities: both movies are slightly too long (I take back my yesterday’s compliments) and both are contenders for the Golden Lion – with a higher probability going towards Lanthimos, because of its originality and creativity.
“Bastarden” is a pure historical drama to be definitely seen on the big screen because of its picturesque quality. It’s one of those that (just like, for example, Jane Campion’s “Power of the Dog), if you watch it on a small screen, you loose half of the experience.
Cinema is definitely not dead, people.
It’s a story of rivalry between two men from very different social backgrounds (and mentality/psychology) in the roughest of the Danish land. It’s austere, ruthless and beautiful. Mads Mikkelsen is a perfect match with this scenery. And I do have to admit that enjoying his physical presence in the Sala Grande during the screening added to my experience. I’m just a girl, after all 🙂
Now. “Poor Things”. Impossible to summarize the plot. The festival website presents it as follows: “the incredible story of the fantastic transformation of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by Doctor Goodwin Baxter, a brilliant but unorthodox scientist”.
Right. But we have to factor in that it’s a Lanthimos movie (remember “The Lobster”, “The favourite”?). So when you enter the movie theatre, you kind of know it’s going to be, let’s say, an experiment.
Well I knew it. Though I had warned my movie buddie, I don’t think she was ready for it.
To give you a little bit of context, my relationship with Lanthimos has been less than ideal until now. I tend to be part of the half of the room that really doesn’t get it and does not laugh. Hence, I was ready to suffer for two and a half hours and get out of there still wondering what people see in it that I do not see. It started as expected. Halfway through the movie (factoring in as well my movie buddy’s face), I was ready to let it go and get out. We (smartly) decided to give it a bit more time.
That’s when the miracle happened. Lanthimos suddenly won me totally over. I don’t know how but I caught myself laughing so hard at the absurdity of the scenes and dialogues combined with such clairvoyance about human nature. It’s so weirdly brilliant, it’s genius (though my movie buddy is still wondering what just happened to her yesterday evening). Emma Stone (who honestly had to work hard to win me over as well) holds the role of her life. If it does not get the best movie, she should definitely get the best actress. Well the cast (Mark Ruffalo, Willem Daffoe), in general, is great.
So I would tell you to run to the movie theatres. You might end up getting out of there wondering what on earth was that (just like my movie buddy), but I don’t think you will ever regret going through the experience.
Klara's cinema 