In 2013 arthouse icon Claire Denis added one of her most disturbed works to her eclectic oeuvre with the pitch-black revenge tale BASTARDS.
The French auteur takes us on a nightmarish journey through the murky underbelly of Paris, as frequent collaborator Vincent Lindon (Titane) sacrifices all to exact revenge on the man responsible for his brother-in-law's suicide and the hospitalization of his niece Justine.
Aided by the film’s dingy digital photography and gloomy score, Marco's (Lindon) efforts forever appear doomed in this volatile dread-filled tragedy. Denis cites Kurosawa’s classic noir The Bad Sleep Well as a major influence but Bastards is its own grisly beast.
Friday Night Film - BASTARDS
Newer
Friday Night Film - SHOWGIRLS
The reaction to this week’s release of Andrew Dominik’s fictionalized Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde has been one of vitriol and disgust from both audiences and critics, a backlash reminiscent of the negativity towards one of Hollywood’s most notorious NC-17 movies, Paul Verhoeven’s SHOWGIRLS.
Older
Friday Night Film - AMERICAN GIGOLO
With Blondie blasting from the stereo of his convertible Mercedes, sex symbol Richard Gere leads as the narcissistic male escort in Paul Schrader's cold neo-noir AMERICAN GIGOLO.