By Tilda Sutter
Movies open up worlds we would be unable to experience otherwise, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are my top recommendations for this week:
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Spike Lee’s tribute to the Black soldiers that fought in Vietnam can only be described as monumental, it somehow recounts an immense chronicle of the war while centering the intimate stories of five Black soldiers. The story begins as four Black veterans return to Vietnam to search for the body of their former leader Norman, a symbol of power and dignity fittingly played by the late Chadwick Boseman, whose memory consumes them. On their tremendous journey the veterans encounter French and Vietnamese citizens as they all try to come to terms with the global and personal impacts of the war. Da 5 Bloods is absolutely incredible, and should only be watched on a big screen without distraction. Available to stream on Netflix.
Stranger Than Paradise (1984)
Jim Jarmusch’s Stranger than Paradise is stark and sarcastic, featuring a great cast of apathetic characters, most notably: the incredibly aloof East Side in the 80s. The film stars the captivating John Lurie as Willie, an almost caricature of a young offbeat New Yorker, as his impossibly more idiosyncratic cousin Eva moves into his apartment temporarily. The two rebuke attachment, but end up on the road for the majority of the film as they, specifically Willie, seem to long for the meaning found in each other’s company. The cinematography mirrors the cast, seemingly cool and detached, but on closer look tends to pay considerable attention to the inconsistencies of the characters and beauty of the austere landscape. Available to stream on the Criterion Channel and for rent/purchase on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
The quintessential German Expressionist film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari resembles a magical storybook. While the plot is engrossing, the real star of the movie is the landscapes: each constructed with impossibly curving lines and unsettling depths. The actors match the extravagance with expressions that are almost comically melodramatic, as the film is silent. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is haunting, twisted, and off putting; it truly transports the viewer to a medieval fairytale in which no one can find any affinity. Available for rent/purchase on Amazon Prime.
Grey Gardens (1976)
Big and Little Edie Beale are irrational, tacky, outrageous, and the stars of the incredibly odd documentary, Grey Gardens. The Beales live in a rotting, insect-infested house in East Hampton, where they reminisce on their days in high society and spontaneously break into song. While the documentarists indulge the Beales in their theatrical flairs, they also uncover the intimate story of two women who have been forgotten by the modernizing society outside their decrepit mansion. Hilarious and poignant, Grey Gardens remains a cult classic. Available to stream on the Criterion Channel and for rent/purchase on Amazon Prime.
Saute Ma Ville (1968)
Chantal Akerman, the acclaimed feminist director of Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, turned the camera on herself for Saute Ma Ville; an inordinate short about a young woman who finds amusement in destructing her household chores. Directed when Akerman was just eighteen, Saute Ma Ville documents the rage, joy and creativity of the often overlooked teenage girl. Available to stream on the Criterion Channel and Youtube.