what if all of the movies were this good.

srsly tho, it's a perfect blend of understatement and showmanship. the former stemming from mann's slightly-distanced-from-reality fetishism over procedural rigor and the latter from the luscious colour schemes - the neon is absorbing to a point where it almost distracts from the minimilist conversation around it. i guess the biggest testament to how singular this is - and how well its idiosyncrasies have been cemented, is that this is my first time watching after consuming a lot of other hannibal related media - the tv show, silence of the lambs, the thomas harris series of books, etc. despite all that, i felt watching it like this is the only one that is essential. peterson relaying the horror of the world to his son in a way he can comprehend, yet saving him from the brutal details. noonan being so intensely preturbing and somehow drawing out a sense of sympathy from me. blind joan allen hugging a sleeping tiger. all of this, perfect.