The Women Directors Hall of Fame

No, you must have watched the Willy Winks boat scene.

Really, I don't remember that.

__________________
Letterboxd

This was a really well made film. It’s shot in a stark, washed out black and white which is suitable and effectively conveys the icy landscape but quite draining to watch. The experience of the film as a whole was similar, undeniably good but incredibly harrowing.

It begins with scenes of physical suffering - cold, hunger - but moves on to moral questions, the suffering of the soul. What price survival in this sort of environment? What is the cost of integrity?

Spoilers follow:

At first, Rybak seems brave and heroic, volunteering for the mission, helping his friend and compassionate not shooting the headman but it all unravels. Later I thought back on that scene and wondered whether it was compassion, cowardice, or whether he recognised something in the headman that was also inside himself.

Did Rybak do the right thing in surrendering to the Germans in the loft? Was he a coward? Or just a survivor? “Who doesn’t want to live?”

There’s a really interesting moral discussion between the two of them in the basement - is it better to stick to principles and die, or compromise and live to fight another day? Which really helps your cause the most? But they are in different positions - Sotnikov is wounded, possibly dying anyway. Does that make the decision easier for him? Has he got less to lose? Rybak says he wants to play them, but is he just kidding himself? Sotnikov: “Don’t crawl in ****, you’ll never wash it off.”

There are lots of really tense scenes, the loft hiding but also particularly the first interrogation from the Nazi officer with its underlying menace to begin with and then the torture. I’m glad I didn’t see this big screen, I had to watch some of it almost out of the corner of my eye, it was almost too much to watch. Not because its particularly graphic, just that it’s quite raw. There are times when characters stare into the camera and its almost too much

Portnov is one of the most chilling on-screen Nazis, alongisde Ralph Fiennes as Schindler’s List’s Amon Goeth. “Now you’ll see what true scum is. It won’t be me but yourself.” Chilling manipulation.

I wondered about the title The Ascent, and whether it was literally about that long walk up the hill, or whether it had some religious connotations. I’m not sure whethe it is a literal translation of the original Russian title. There’s a sort of religious imagery in the film - the ascent of the hill, the mentions of Judas. Sotnikov is almost lit up towards the end, like a painting of a saint or martyr. He seems young and uncertain at the beginning but older and wiser at the end, it’s interesting to watch the change and the reversal between the two men. Sotnikov attempts to sacrifice himself by confessing - without betraying his principles, there’s no artifice in it he’s proud of himself and his role in the army. While Rybak betrays himself and the others.

At the end even the Nazi investigator drops his sneer and can’t quite look dignity and integrity in the face.

There were some really powerful images in this film. The empty noose. The way you see the bench and the feet but not the deaths themselves. The power of suggestion. Lots of long and unflinching close-ups as well. Shapitko doesn’t let the characters or the viewer dodge the moral questions and the implications of the characters’ actions.

The music I thought was very suitable - or rather soundscape as it’s not especially musical.

Didn’t remind me of Tarkoskvy, really, actually the film it reminded me of most was Come and See.

I quite liked that the Germans are actually hardly in it. They're a distant presence, in human terms. There's very little interaction with them beyond shoving them around with guns which is what soldiers presumably would do to prisoners. Of course their actions here are inhuman, but the film isn't really interested in their humanity or lack thereof, it's all about the question of the humanity of the Russians and whether they betray that to the Germans in exchange for their lives. The investigator is Russian, the police are Russian, it's the collaborators who are the main villains.

Your review of The Ascent is the one I agree with the most, Thursday. You said everything I thought but have a hard time putting into words.

I've been real busy with work and duly stressed out too, so haven't had the time to comment on the last two reviews of The Ascent (a film that is one of my favs so far).

Agreed, and it's shot underexposed, which instead of making the snow a bright glistening white, it made the snow a dull, cold looking gray. Very effective film exposure.

I like that what you wrote there, you get right to the heart of the film and it's underlying themes.

Myself I'll go with, "Who doesn't want to live".
As much as I liked the movie that scene bothered me, as the two Russians had guns and were only surrendered by a few Germans with guns...I mean damn it's war, shoot them already! and don't surrender! But of course we couldn't have the ending and the movie's theme, if they went all John Wayne
I know what I would say to that, in that situation. I'd love to hear other people's take on your question. Anyone?


I thought that Sotnikov's march up the lonh hill to the gallows that awaited him, was like Christ being marched to the mount to be crucified. I loved the way the camera shoots them from behind and from afar, as they struggle up the hill, it's their Ascent to their fate.

ok thank you for the responses

__________________

Regarding the moral question in the cellar, I must say it is a hard question. It would be easy, siting warm and safe to claim I would stand by my convictions. But could I? I don't know. Wounded and tortured WOULD definitely help one's resolve in following through. Or, who knows? Perhaps I would cling tighter to life, or maybe, that would give me the grit to finish it and walk those final steps.
I'm terrified to think I would follow Rybek's path to avoid the pain of torture and, of course, death.
Of course, Rybek's path would be such a prolonged horror considering all that he would be forced to do as a police officer working for the Germans against fellow Soviets.

One other aspect I do wish to remark on regarding them surrendering so easily in the attic. They were actually sitting ducks regardless of the nearly even odds. They were laying flat without room to move and no visible shot while the soldiers below would simply fire into the ceiling until eventually hitting and killing them. It was a fish in a barrel situation.

Don't want to delve to much or I'll have nothing to write about when I DO post my review lol

We Need to Talk About Kevin

SPOILERS AHEAD BRO


I'm a sucker for films with unique style and interesting techniques used to tell a story, especially when it's an interesting story. The chaotic interspersing of the timeline really sucked me in, and knowing before hand what the story was about, the opening sequence of the tomato festival felt even more icky than it looked. From that moment, I was hooked. The usage of the color red might have been a little right-on-the-nose, but even so, it didn't bother me too much. Citizen had a problem with fancy editing creating the tension instead of the story itself, but I don't really get that as a criticism, because the fancy editing was really well done and did its job perfectly. There is a reason the move was made and edited the way it was instead of a straight-line story. There is a reason the film opens up on the curtains that Eva walks through near the end of the film. The reason the film tells its story in fragments and bounces around is because it is giving us the details we need later on, and even though I knew some of the things that were going to happen, I still was on the edge of my seat when Eva got home after she went to the school. When she went to the curtains, I felt my stomach drop. There is something about John C. Reilly, because I was bummed to see him with those arrows sticking out of him. When you know what is about to happen, everything you see can take on a new meaning. Hearing the things you hear and seeing the things you see beforehand leads you on this path to the inevitable ending, and all the parts line-up perfectly for me. Whoever was in charge of cinematography deserves a pat on the back too, because it really is a good looking film. The after parts look grimy, dingy, and depressing, and the before parts look a lot more appealing. It really shows the cliff Eva's life fell off of. That's not even to mention the story-book, dream-like quality of the scenes that showed Eva and Franklin falling for one another. The look of the film helped tell the story the same as the editing. I thoroughly enjoyed this film.

Has it been mentioned yet that it was her husband that directed Come and See? I've been meaning to ask the folks who've seen both how they compare, but it looks like you've saved me the trouble.

I was mentally comparing this to Europa Europa. That was much more sympathetic to the survivor character, but the situations are different.

The other thing I thought of was 1984, how they use 'room 101' to break people and get them to betray others. Rybak wants to take it back but it's too late, they've broken him. The investigator has succeeded in his threat to Sotnikov, in a way.

Yes, I almost thought they might make him carry the bench but that might have been taking it too far.

I'm not sure it has. I didn't realise that until afterwards, it's an interesting connection, I think The Ascent must have influenced him a lot.

Had you seen it before?

No, but I was aware of what it was about.

The scene at her place was very romantic. The follow up with them in the car with the cat in the rear window, looking silently at one another before driving off was quite lovely as well.

Yes! I loved that shot too. So many great shots in this movie... Another well done one was through the port hole of the T-Bird's hardtop. OMG cool car too, I got to drive one of those once, it's very hard to get into because of the way the windshield post are so far back.

Knew someone who had a Thunder Bird when I was a teenager. SWEET cars.
And yeah, so many great shots in that movie

My problem with the depiction of the Germans wasn't that they were evil i said i can accept them as evil and cruel, it was that they were IMO cartoonishly so. Before they got to the camp they were all singing and laughing and gleefully being evil bastards, it took me out of the film. I'm not really concerned with the films intentions when i feel like i'm watching Looney Tunes for a brief period in the middle of an otherwise serious and effective WWII film.

Everyone except Yam and Jal have reviewed two. According to Letterboxd Jal watched We Need To Talk About Kevin before New Years but he hasn't reviewed it here yet.

The Ascent

There as been some excellent reviews about this incredible movie with some great points which I'll be repeating and/or simply agreeing with. Especially with the last two reviews by camo and Thursday Next, to the point I could easily paste links to them with a blanket statement "WHAT THEY SAID"
Like others have stated, the harshness of the winter really hits hard throughout the entire movie. While a small part of my empathy may be the freezing temps that's been going around my area - the real reaction is from the cinematic talent at hand. Citizen remarked on the technique used to make the snow feel dismal and the effect truly worked. The overwhelming force of biting cold and snow made me continually shiver, watching it. (Especially those scenes in the cellar/prison with the open barred window where I could FEEL the wind and cold rushing in and my old man voice kept saying "Somebody close that d@mn thing!")

Thursday spoke about the heart of the movie and its moral discussion between the two leading men "regarding is it better to stick to principles and die, or compromise and live to fight another day?" which becomes it's focal point without ever crossing that line of being preachy, IMO. Even with, and I wondered if anyone felt the same and then camo mentioned the "christlike imagery" which, at times, was just a little excessive, but ONLY a little and I found the transformations of the two men as they make their decisions and how they are perceived as they follow through with them was very well crafted.
The final third of the movie was very intense and kept me glued to the screen as it played out.
That final scene of Rybek staring out the gates to a wide open field as it closes really made for an incredible closing scene after such an emotionally taut hanging.

A very intriguingly symbiotic and emotionally taut movie that I am VERY happy to have seen and would not have if not for this HoF.
THANK YOU Jal40 for nominating it!!

American Psycho


Patrick Bateman is a wealthy 80's wall street guy who in his private time kills people. He has a deep affection for the cheezy pop music of the era and whatever restaurant is trendy. He lives a shallow existence but when given even the smallest failures his facade breaks. He's almost empathetic in his fragility and narcissism.

American Psycho is a movie I like but I don't love. I think it's because in a novel you still follow all of the peripheral characters while with a film they cut all of that stuff. I enjoyed the world building and I wish that it would have had a better resolution.