Not a Bunch of Film Reviews

When I write a short story, I would like the story to have details that linger with the reader. That’s the goal – to write so that traces of the tale stay alive after the reading. Like a good meal leaves a taste in the mouth. Or how a song echoes through memories.

The experience I get from watching movies is similar.

There are films, I may or may not have enjoyed, but have left something for me to ponder. Fragments, thoughts, memories about the experience of being in the audience.

Here are some examples of the remnants left by films I’ve watched this year. There may or may not be spoilers, so read with caution.

1. Triangle of Sadness

This is a funny, stylish film that is slightly over-long, but an excellent commentary on the wiles of the wealthy and a perspective that wilfully blocks out others’ suffering. It includes some high slapstick comedy about seasickness, and some dark jokes about the arms trade.

But the moment that lingered – the last scene with Abigail holding a rock above the head of YaYa. I still think of that scene as a metaphor for the key workers of the pandemic. Hailed as heroes during the crisis, but then fighting for credit in the “post-pandemic” world. I understand why Doctors are going on strike.

2. Hard Truths

At the closing credits of Hard Truths a woman sitting next to me just said, “Fuck off.” It was a perfectly succinct review and I loved its brevity and honesty. I had wanted to love this film. Mike Leigh and Marianne Jean-Baptiste reunited. I wanted this film to be great, but like the woman next to me, I just found it hard work and then it ended with no resolution.

3. The Salt Path

Writing of audience reactions – when The Salt Path finished a woman in the audience turned to her friend and asked, “What did you think?” Her friend replied, “I thought it was long and boring.”

I heard that exchange with a sense of relief. Because the film just felt so worthy, like I was supposed to get some sort of epiphany from it. But yes, she said what I thought. Despite the beauty of the English countryside and coast, the film was ponderous and joyless. It was some real, self-involved, turgid rubbish.

I feel vindicated that the real story of Raynor and Moth Winn is being exposed, because two scammers on the run would have made a much more entertaining film.

4. La Cocina

This is a beautiful film. It is a tense, violent and striking piece of choreography about the life of a busy restaurant. What stayed with me, was the sense of betrayal from managers, lovers, immigration officials, that produced a claustrophobia. I remember gasping for air at the few shots that are taken outside of the kitchen.

5. The Ballad of Wallis Island

In this gentle comedy, Carey Mulligan as Nell Mortimer is terrific. She plays the feeling of being caught in the middle, with dexterity. And the writers were solid enough to refuse an ending where she capitulates. Instead, she gets to say, “I’ve had enough of this bullshit” and walks away. It is savvy acting and writing that refuses the usual rom-com tropes.

***

These are not full reviews, but they have each left me with a keen sense of what I want to achieve or avoid in my own stories.

I’ve learned from Hard Truths and The Salt Path, that a story shouldn’t be hard work or too self-congratulatory.

But from the other films here, I’ve learned comedy, caring for your characters and throwing in atmosphere and unpredictability can produce the lingering, haunting memories I’m aiming for.

What interests me most is that I wanted to share these thoughts, ensuring these observations aren’t just trivial, ephemeral and then dismissed. I watched these films and had my feelings validated either by the audience reaction or the story the films told.

In my own writing, then, I am not aiming for every word, character or twist in the tale to be remembered. Instead, I want to make some link that matters to my readers. The hope is that one day, someone will look up from making a cup of tea or other mundane task, because a fleeting moment from a story that I’d written was just playing with the edges of their minds.