If you have been following my account for a while, you may have seen my 2 {star} review for Jacque Rivettes’s OUT-1 — his twelve hour long magnum opus inspired by Balzac’s THE THIRTEEN. I had my reasons: lengthy run-time, pretentious commentary, and lack of narrative flow. And I’ll stay by my claim of it’s challenging nature, but I won’t mark that as a flaw, but instead a token of what makes this film so legendary.

For the past week or so, I have been reading up on Out 1: looking at trusted critics takes, rewatching certain scenes / “episodes” and most importantly, putting my past beliefs aside and opening up my mind. Though I don’t know if this is the most re-watchable thing ever, I finally understand it’s greatness and dare I say, brilliance!

For starters: everyone, (even people who didn’t love the film), should be able to appreciate the ambition needed to make this — name just one movie, that is twelve hours long AND about a secret society, besides Out-1. I think I got you stumped. You also have to take into account how brilliant the casting was behind this. Jean-Pierre Leaud, Juliet Berto, and many more, all being actors from earlier French New Wave / Godard movies. Any person who has seen a decent amount of French films will recognize at least 2-3 people in Out-1.

Another great thing about the film is the mind-bending story-structure. It’s hard to explain the structure to anyone who hasn’t seen it in action, but envision this: secret societies, con ladies, long-takes of people having sex with mannequins, characters going crazy, bizarre performance pieces, and at last: TWELVE hours of it. Even then, my brief summary doesn’t do *any* justice to how insane the movie is, if anything, I under-spoke.

Even after that: Out-1 is a masterclass in world-building. A brilliant showcasing of Paris / big-city secrets. Within the first hour, (though not much is revealed) you are completely taken into another world, and it literally feels like you ARE in Paris. It’s just an entirely immersive experience, unlike anything ever made. And after seeing The Emoji Movie, unlike anything that will ever again be made.

As much as I have grown to love this film — it feels wrong trying to declare it’s specific meaning. Especially considering how wide scoped Out1 is, and how there are *so* many different layers & meanings to it all. But at it’s core, hidden beneath the mannequin sex & borderline mockery. It is an experiment in time, a love-letter to art, and a tediously unfolded French New Wave classic. You’ll never see *anything* like it.

OUT-1 is like a roller-coaster. Rough, fun, and sometimes, you don't like it. But right when your done, you just can't help yourself from wanting to do it again.