Julien Donkey-Boy
As I’ve probably voiced before, I can eventually bring
myself to appreciate aesthetically unpleasant works, but I don’t enjoy watching
them. This was absolutely the case with Julien
Donkey-Boy. I understand this was part of Korine’s intention, along with
serving up every possible opportunity for us viewers to be uncomfortable:
incest, abuse, accidental child murder, miscarriage... and that whole business
with the cigarette party trick. After watching, I can appreciate that such an
absurd film was made, and with talented actors too. And I understand that the
film grain was necessary to bring us face to face with the discomfort and let
us feel the realness of the experience through the rawness. I also appreciate
that it was a sort of bonding experience for the class, like having to sit
through Chelsea Girls together. But
needless to say, I’m glad the week was revived with:
Breaking the Waves
I wrote in my notes that I “forgot my life” while I was
watching this—particularly in the series of events that leads to Tess being
hospitalized. What a beautiful, moving film. This felt real in a wholly
different way than Julien Donkey-Boy.
The characters were extremely complex and I wholeheartedly believed their
relationships. More devastating than Tess’s death was Dodo’s uncensored reaction
to it. The chapter postcards were brilliant, invigorating the senses with
awesome 70s jams and surreal, sweeping landscapes. They may have been
incongruous with the tragic goings on of the film, but I feel they helped
solidify Breaking the Waves as a
tightly wrapped work of art.
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