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Film reviews

Love Lies Bleeding Review

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Going into this movie, my gut told me it was likely to be an unsettling experience. And it was due to the magnificent suspense in the depths of addiction and abruption. Director Rose Glass adds layers of tension that define the terror of reality in Love Lies Bleeding. I was moved by the film’s bizarre dynamics in which everyone has a strange angle within their characterizations.

The film begins at a gymnasium and focuses on a girl named Lou (played by Kristen Stewart). Lou works as a manager at a run-down gym. She is not friendly or focused on customer service and gets into all kinds of trouble in her spare time. Much of her judgment is based upon her harsh upbringing by her father, Lou Sr. (played by Ed Harris). Lou Sr. owns a gun range and is connected to hidden criminal activities. His history over the years has led to turmoil and an estranged relationship with his daughter. Lou is also a lesbian. During one of Lou’s aggravating shifts, she comes across a bodybuilder named Jackie (played by Katy O’Brian). Lou falls madly in love with Jackie in an instant. Jackie is training for a fitness show in Vegas. Lou finds a way to connect with Jackie by giving her drugs to help buff up her muscles. This lapse in judgment will expose the audience to a world of many dangers.

The film caused me to boggle with many questions. Jackie works for Lou’s father at the gun range, so Lou tries to keep their relationship hidden. Another trouble in Lou’s life involves her sister Beth (played by Jena Malone) and her abusive husband JJ (played by Dave Franco). Lou feels so close with her new-found love Jackie and maintains a close relationship with her sister Beth. However, Lou harbors deep hatred for both JJ and her father. With all the turmoil and drug experimentation,Jackie starts to spiral out of control. While Jackie keeps taking the injections to make her look strong and ferocious for her Vegas show, the drugs also fuel her anger and rage. Jackie’s love for Lou leads her to terrible and unforgivable choices which are so detrimental that Lou’s life of insanity and sadness are thrust into a deeper hole. Jackie’s drug-fueled choices set the wheels in motion for things to go terribly awry in Love Lies Bleeding.

The story is packed with treacherous moments and bad situations. At times due to the drugs, the film starts to feel like a David Lynch experience. Some of the more monstrous scenes are bad news for the audience, but at the same time create an invigorating atmosphere stimulated by all the troubles. I found myself thinking about other films where drug abuse is featured, including The Basketball Diaries and Thirteen. In these movies, youth and drugs do not mix well and eventually boil to a point where a illegal substances become intolerable. In this film, thebehaviors of Lou, Daisy, and Lou Sr. all eventually hit a point of no return. In the end, it is an audacious experience where the artistic value in regret, hate, and redemption are featured in a realistic way. There are times when it was all a bit eerie, but overall it’s worth seeing. Three-and-a-half out of four stars Love Lies Bleeding.

Film reviews

Problemista Review

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This is a one-of-a kind creative film with loads of artistic value. Writer/director Julio Torres is also the lead and audiences will enjoy falling into his invigorating world in Problemista. Time is of the essence in this surrealist experience that is attention-grabbing. Problemista addresses real-life struggles and exploresmoments of desperation but leaves a trail of hope. The film is an immersive tale of wonders that succeeds thanks to the innovative direction and performance of Torres.

In Problemista, Torres plays Alejandro, an individual doing what he can to make ends meet as a toy designer. Alejandro comes from El Salvador and keeps hitting plateaus with the opportunities he is pursuing. The harsh world of rejection is very frustrating in Problemista. However, Alejandro gets a chance when he meets Elizabeth, played by Tilda Swinton. She is an inspired artist with a wild and egotistical sense of humor who serves as aa role model for Alejandro. She is also the one person who may be able to help Alejandro overcome his work visa conflict while also finding ways to approach his career path.

The scenes in Problemista are colorful. The writing has anaudacity of grandeur that is deep within the narration of the film. Isabella Rossellini is the narrator, and her voice has a tone which fuels the audiences’ faith in the artistic life of someone who has grown desperate. Problemista is revolutionary and engrossing. It is a portrait of the bigger picture of an artist trying to find work in a difficult field. 

The story provides context which helps demonstrate how who you know in a complex job arena can make all the difference when it comes to landing a job or an opportunity. Alejandro has limits due to his work visa and New York is a complicated and costly city to navigate.  Alejandro must stay close to Elizabeth and keep sucking up her in order toimprove his status and chances of growth and employment.

As someone who loves the arts, the story of Alejandro’s struggles enthralled and moved me. Problemista offered a landscape that caused many questions to come to my mind. Is Alejandro’s art repetitive? Are Alejandro’s ideas not in-demand? Is Alejandro’s voice enticing enough to pitch to the level it needs for fulfillment? While Alejandro’s works to complete his tasks, Elizabeth proves overwhelming for him to work with. Although she provides needed benefits. She provides the benefit of consistency so that Alejandro has someone to fall back on when he hits plateaus with his visa and art projects. Will Elizabeth remain true to Alejandro? Problemista offers a realistic look into an arena where the right voices and connections to the right people truly count. 

There is a long road of irritations for an individual who is hopento broaden his path into something more worthwhile. Problemista shows how tolerance and perseverance matter.Alejandro is destined to find his dream, and Elizabeth is his guide to that. Does art eventually lead to bigger aspirations? Find out in Problemista. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

The Zone of Interest Review

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In The Zone of Interest, director Jonathan Glazer brings his audience on a journey of the despair and psychological frustration of the wartime era of the 1940s. The film is mind-boggling with tensions that will boil deep to its audience’s core. It is a portrait of a daring society during a tumultuous time where there are unexpected consequences.

The Zone of Interest is based on the novel of the same name written by Martim Amis, who died in May of 2023. The film focuses on a picturesque mansion near Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, where Auschwitz camp commandant Rudolf Höss (played by Christian Friedel) lives with his wife Hedwig Höss (played by Sandra Huller) and their children. Their home setting is lovely and elaborate, but very nearby some of the worst atrocities in history are taking place. Rudolf finds his work rewarding, if not quite fulfilling. While many at the camp and around the world are suffering, the Höss family is living an idyllic life in their massive home.

The Zone of Interest builds its enthralling story and continuity by its fascinating cinematography and its realistic writing, both of which emphasize the shocking psychological direction the film takes place. The stressful direction of this film blew my mind and had me wondering how Rudolf could make the choices he made. The ball was in Rudolf’s court about how things will go forward, and history will judge his decisions harshly. The Zone of Interest is simply one of the best tension-filled films that I have seen in a long time.

The Zone of Interest made me realize how impactful having a powerful role in a tumultuous era can be. The life of the Höss family is one of both guilt and luxury—but do they belong in that setting? Rudolf’s frustration is felt throughout the film, and it is seen through Hedwig as well. But will they ever have a life where the harsh era is behind them? The Zone of Interest is absolutely gut-wrenching, and I was hooked on this one-of-a-kind experience.

The direction and plot of this film will lead audiences to assume that it will be all about war and political violence, but there is virtually none of that at all in the film. That era of war certainly had many political factors to it, though, and many of which play into the complicated questions that Rudolf must address. So what happens if Rudolf makes a wrong choice in his position of power? Will there ever be peace for their family or their country? Is Hedwig’s frustration temporary, or will she be frustrated all the time? The tensions in The Zone of Interest rise rapidly, and its hard answers can be found in its daring presentation. Four out of four stars for The Zone of Interest.