I write this to you from my balcony, the sun in my eyes, a hot tea in my hand, daydreaming about the day Lake Michigan is re-opened so I can once again complain about how cold and un-swimmable it is. I’m in my comfiest true blue baggy pants and a moss green bralette. My hair is hidden under a red silk handkerchief because while I don’t mind my neighbors getting a peek of my lingerie, god forbid they should see my unkempt hair. Ah, the the contradictions of womanhood.
Film has always been a very important part of my life. It can offer us escapism at a time like this just as much as it can indulge us in our feelings of confinement and cabin fever. Today I’ve tried to compile a list of films I deem appropriate for when you need to daydream, laugh, cry, or feel validated. I present to you: My Quarantine Confusion Film List:
The Dreamers Bernardo Bertolucci
The Dreamers takes place during the Paris students riots of May 1968. A month of university occupation, economic halting, and intense upheaval, three students isolate themselves from the chaos of the world around them. Full of wonderful shots, inspired by French New Wave films, The Dreamers is perfect for lounging in your bathtub with a bottle of white and a beard made out of bubbles.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Ana Lily Amirpour
I chose this film for its brilliant shots of lead actress, Sheila Vand, listening to moody electronic music alone in her bedroom before she wanders out to seek her prey. A strange and fun melange of vampire films meets westerns meets art house, we get plenty of cinematic shots of our lone ranger lady vamp wandering the mainly deserted city streets, often on a skateboard.
Daisies Vera Chytilová
A masterpiece of Czech New Wave, this film can only really be described as fantastical and marvelously mischievous. Two young girls, roaming around making a mess and making fun of anything and anyone that suits their fancy, are often seen lounging in their bedroom in adorable outfits and flower crowns. Daisies is an ambiguous film that at the time of its release was almost considered dangerous for its depiction of absolute apathy towards propriety.
Parasite Bong Joon-ho
Of course this would be on my list! Who do you think I am? Not only has this film garnered much acclaim for its cinematography, it’s brilliant actors, and absolutely entrancing storyline, it’s also opened up a larger scale conversation on class conflict and the effects of late capitalism. My personal favorite scenes are the ones shot in the tiny, claustrophobic apartment of the Kim family. The lighting is just to die for. Watch this film on a stormy night with the covers over your head and be prepared to be awed.
You're Killing Me Susana Roberto Sneider
Finally, a lighter film to end my list. Featuring the future father of my children, Gael Garcia Bernal, this dark comedy takes us from Mexico to Iowa, as serial-cheater Eligio, searches for his wife, Susana, who has left him to attend a writers conference. The shots in the various apartments are heart-warming, relatable, and at times, hilarious. As the film is shot in wintertime, I suggest you watch this on a cold grey day, and lament our never ending clumsiness when it comes to understanding matters of the heart.
I do hope you get a chance to enjoy some of the films mentioned above and let me know what you think! Love it? Told you so. Hate it? Who asked you? I kid. That’s the great thing about cinema, there’s always something out there for us.
-N