February Movie Week
Seven movies in six days
- Past Lives (2023), Celine Song
- Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (2023), Kelly Fremon Craig
- Where the Crawdads Sing (2022), Olivia Newman
- Somewhere in Queens (2022), Ray Romano
- Drive My Car (2021), Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
- Best Sellers (2021), Lina Roessler
- The Sea of Trees (2015), Gus Van Sant
This is my list of movies I watched during one week in Feb/24. The standout favorite is Past Lives, closely followed by Drive My Car.
Past Lives is an exceptional movie; it epitomizes true “kino.” It is an artistic film that doesn’t overtly flaunt its artistic nature at every turn. A complex masterpiece, it nails the right timing at 1 hour and 45 minutes, features magnificent camera images with precisely framed shots, and boasts exceptional performances by the actors. The acting, primarily conveyed through body language and unspoken words, operates at a remarkably high level. I find myself yearning for the peace and wisdom embodied by the character Arthur.
Drive My Car, an Oscar-winning film, is based on Haruki Murakami’s short story of the same name and other stories from his 2014 collection, Men Without Women. The narrative centers around a theatre director managing a multilingual production of Uncle Vanya while grappling with the loss of his wife. The movie, spanning a slightly lengthy duration of 3 hours, concludes with my realization that I wouldn’t be able to identify parts to cut. I fully comprehend that the directors required this extensive time to narrate the story and establish connections between characters. Additionally, the film excels in camera framing and picture coloration. I want to drive the gorgeous red Saab 900, now!
What captivated me the most in both movies was the music. You must listen to the soundtrack of Drive My Car, composed by Eiko Ishibashi, and Past Lives, crafted by Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen. It’s truly music from heaven. The last Past Lives song performed by Sharon Van Etten (Quiet Eyes) will accompany your sense of final relief.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, is film based on Judy Blume’s 1970 novel of the same name. I’d characterize this movie as a sunbeam, radiating a warm glow into our lives. It’s paradoxical how delving into the journey of a teenage girl growing up sparks both serious and straightforward questions, urging adults to reconsider truths they might have taken for granted. The pastel color palette adds to its charm — it’s a world you’d want to inhabit immediately.
Where the Crawdads Sing is a film based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Delia Owens. I confess, I chose to watch this movie solely because of the actress Daisy Edgar-Jones, whom I first noticed in the short series Normal People. If someone insists, with a hefty dose of nostalgia, that all stories were written and all great actors already lived in the 20th century, don’t pay heed. I am delighted to witness actors like Paul Mascal (in Afternsun) or Daisy Edgar-Jones as they evolve in their careers, bringing joy to their audience. I highly recommend watching this movie, especially for romantic lovers who admire the movie The Notebook.
I didn’t have high expectations for the movie Somewhere in the Queens, but it exceeded them. At times, it’s genuinely painful to follow the main character, Leo Russo, a lifelong underdog (whose body language speaks volumes). Yet, on the other hand, you find yourself rooting for him, understanding his struggle and heartfelt love for his son.
I chose to watch The Sea of Trees because of the director, Gus Van Sant, whose film Good Will Hunting had a significant influence on me while growing up in the ’90s. I can’t firmly recommend this film; it’s not distinctly bad or good — it demands the right timing and mood. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Matthew McConaughey’s subtle performance. Now, search on Google for what Aokigahara Forest is known for.
The film Best Sellers is rather mediocre; unfortunately, even Michael Caine’s performance couldn’t salvage its shallow story.
