Level Five @ Metrograph
This week (in about an hour) I’m going to a members-only viewing of Level Five at the Metrograph! I’m going to the 8:15 showing and I don’t believe any of my subscribers have Metrograph memberships so this email is more of a loose update. (If you’re considering getting a membership to a theater, reach out to me and I can give you recommendations based on what movies you like!)
Level Five is a French pseudo-documentary about a grief-stricken software developer attempting to complete her late husband’s video game reimagining the Battle of Okinawa. It earned $24k at the box office so this is likely the most obscure movie I’ve seen in this series of films. It’ll be introduced by the lead actress Catherine Belkhodja which I am very excited about!
Last week’s viewing of EVIL DOES NOT EXIST was incredible. It featured absolutely spectacular cinematography, one of the most sophisticated soundtracks I have ever heard, and a great sense of how to intersect changes in soundscape with changes in scene composition. I was also struck by its extremely efficient use of set design, translating an immense amount of character with very little set creation and relying on soundtrack and nature to do the heavy lifting.
I loved this movie and its wonderful music and beautiful shots and sophisticated character design and strangely engrossing plot. The way a young child manifested her father’s quirky aloofness seemingly as a result of her lack of mother figure. The difference in two characters’ perspectives on marriage and the associated hinting of very different social backgrounds. The way (spoilers) the ending is nonlinear and allows for interpretation depending on how you’ve held the characters. Wonderful. Highly recommend.