— Coffee-cat.NET

Although replete with gorgeous mise-en-scene characteristics of his later works, The Man from London falls frustratingly short to Tarr’s previous works. Tarr’s usual late bag of tricks — richly-textured, gorgeous long takes, Mihaly Vig’s cyclic music (which is rather annoying this time compared to his previous transcendental scores), along with the dance-in-a-bar, unblinking, silent characters staring into nothingness for 30 seconds or more — feels this time way too excessively self-indulgent in the face of the noir-like plot.

Perhaps it’s the lack of emotion-driven issues and “existentialist” themes (usually present in Tarr’s works) that makes the beautifully-conjured melancholia and the story rather incompatible. There were moments of great beauty, sure, but overall, I would rate even his earlier works e.g. Karhozat, Almanac of Fall, Prefab People, even the short in Visions of Europe higher than this one. Just hoping it’s not a sign of a further autumnal decline.

Mysterious Skin (US, 2005)
directed by Gregg Araki

Two boys. One can’t remember. The other can’t forget.

It’s based on a novel by Scott Heim, about two boys subjected to sexual abuse in their childhood, and their different coping mechanism: Brian has nightmares and blackouts accompanied with nosebleeds of five hours he lost—couldn’t remember—when he was 8 years old, believing that it was a result of an alien abduction. Neil, on the other hand, remembers all too well the time he was seduced and molested by his Little League baseball coach. Brian grew socially awkward, while Neil pretty much flaunting (and hustling) his sexuality to anyone interested (and indeed there were many).

誰も知らない
Nobody Knows (2004)
Hirokazu Kore-eda
(Buy the DVD at Amazon.com)

Out of all movies I’ve watched recently, this is by far a favourite (much love and thanks to a friend who sent me the DVD). Apparently it is based on a real 1988 event known as the “Affair of the Four Abandoned Children of Nishi-Sugamo”, fictionally retold. Four children, the oldest aged 12 (Akira), who all came from different fathers, were abandoned by their reckless, immature (though arguably “not unloving”) mother in a tiny apartment. The four children tried their best to survive the helpless descent. Lack of exaggerated drama, awkward captured moments and gestures: refreshing without any farfetched effects or violence. Highly, highly recommended.

Note: Thanks to Dechi for sending me the DVD.