Twenty-seven. Just writing.
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Benedetta 2021
Verhoeven’s Marie Antoinette. A seething repudiation of the Catholic Church’s insular universe, and numerous, ironically blasphemous hypocrisies. The notion of eternal suffering and martyrdom as Godliness chafes painfully against the realities of earthly pleasure and the possibility of biblical mercy and spiritual salvation.
Faith fails to fully flourish surrounded by deceit and greed, but the body and soul never lie. Love is redemption. Through affection for one another, we can be closer to God.
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Saint Omer 2022
The monstrous mother recontextualized as an everyday human; a courtroom drama completely disinterested in guilt or innocence, choosing to find resonance in what’s said and left hanging in the air instead. Who would think a film about a child murderer could have so much grace and humanity, aided by two of the best performances of the year?
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Reality 2023
Claustrophobic, compelling, and (excluding a few swings that unfortunately miss) downright creepy. Satter's recreation of reality (no pun intended) is slippery and suffocating, putting us so close to Winner's punishment for speaking out that it's hard not to start taking those deep breaths yourself. Possibly Sweeney's best performance and some inspired casting for an unassuming and underestimated NSA contractor/whistleblower.
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The Voyeurs 2021
A little too reverse-engineered and nowhere near equipped enough to handle the implications of its Obvious Twist or the ensuing fallout. But it's a bit of a blast until then! And the satisfying ending saves serious face. If Michael Mohan wants to turn Fucking With Sydney Sweeney Until She Fights Back into a new sub-genre, I'm certainly not complaining. The Euphoria star could probably sell life insurance to a dead man.
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Elvira, Mistress of the Dark 1988
Elvira is honestly like a goth Dolly. Glad I got that off my chest.