I went into Annette with tempered expectations, removing my Adam Driver tinted glasses and bracing for the mental gymnastics surely required to unpack what I’d seen… My track record with Carax to date has been mostly “liked the movie, didn’t love the experience.” (I doubt I’ll feel compelled to revisit Holy Motors, but damn did I love the big swings that film takes.)

Well… true to chaotic Carax form, my expectations did not align with reality. I unequivocally loved this. The music slaps, the performances are pitch perfect (while Driver’s singing voice decidedly is not) the plot is hammy and melodramatic, flip flopping from tender to horrific to goofy and back again. Annette teeters on the edge of disaster but never falls overboard (sorry, had to). I loved this campy mess and will absolutely be watching it again.