This week I’m seeing Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge at Metrograph! I’m going to the 6:30 screening on Tuesday. The movie is about three hours long so it should get out around 9:45. It’s also in Hindi and will have English subtitles. Metrograph has assigned seating so if you’re interested in joining, let me know and we can coordinate seats! Normally I would offer a discounted ticket through my dual membership, but that ticket has already been taken :)

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema, having run continuously at the same theater in Mumbai for over 30 years. The film features two Londoners who fall in love on a backpacking trip in Europe, which made me think of one of my favorite films Before Sunrise and that was enough to secure my eyeballs for an evening.

However, that’s where the similarities appear to end. It’s a richly colorful Hindi-langauge musical overflowing with exuberance, charisma, and showmanship that Bollywood at its best can offer. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anything like that so I am very excited to get exposed to something totally new!

Last week, we saw The Balconettes at the IFC. That film was insane. Modern French feminism at its most evocative, it was one of the most graphic films I’d ever seen in a theater, but never in a way that lacked humor (certainly some content was very dark with its violence but that was never directly displayed on screen). I think the interplay between what they did and did not show was fascinating, an attempt to reclaim female nudity both on and off the screen. I thought the taken-for-granted solidarity of the female characters in the film was kind of awesome as well. A fun film with a lot more going on than could possibly be shown in a trailer, and one that consistently managed to surprise me - in content, tone, and delivery.

Another direct consequence of going totally blind into a film! That is very much the vibe of this newsletter though, I hate spoilers and would rather have a few rough edges to the experience than risk missing the exhilaration of a plot twist well executed. Join at your own risk!