Messofanego

"Our kind never dreams."

I was a bit disappointed with Apitchatpong's first English film. There are still his trademarks of a dreamy atmosphere and narrative logic, surrealism, ghosts, memories, and non-linear structure. But I couldn't connect to Tilda Swinton's character who's in Colombia for her sister and keeps hearing this earthquake-level banging sound. The mystery is intriguing and making sense of where the film is going kept me engaged. The most fascinating aspect was when there's a long conversation that Tilda's character has with a local fisherman about memories through sounds, basically time travelling through sounds. There's an undercurrent of nature Vs industrial, and I like the subtle sci-fi tinges until the final shot. I just wish the cinematography was more memorable outside of the still being used of a glass box containing grass with stark lighting. No matter if I don't fully grasp the storytelling, memorable imagery is a certain for an Apitchatpong film and it was lacking here. Maybe a rewatch later down the line will be more fruitful.

"I'm not queer. I'm disembodied."

Incredibly faithful adaptation of William S Burroughs' QUEER gives way to a haunting, melancholic, surreal romance film that goes further than just being Carol for the boys with the focus on existentialism, addiction, communication, bodies, dreams, and memories. This reminds me more of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's haunting and magical realist films. On top of having a phenomenal score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, with an unforgettable piano and woodwind theme motif ("Pure Love" track) and credits song "Vaster than Empires" that references Burroughs' memoirs ("How can a man who sees and feels be other than sad"). There are some other fantastic and anachronistic needle drops, particularly involving Nirvana and Verdana's "Puzzle". The fivesome team of Justin Kuritzkes, Luca Guadagnino, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross deliver an even stronger best film of the year than Challengers, especially when it comes to emotional resonance. I was teary-eyed by the end, and the book never even took me there. The racist edges of Burroughs' characters are sanded off here but this is still about privileged American immigrants drifting about in '50s Mexico and some slurs are still casually thrown out of their mouths and a lot of the dialogue is lifted directly from the book. Jason Schwartzman as Joe in heavy makeup and fat suit as the chubby comedic relief almost steals the scenes he's in. Daniel Craig delivers an amazing Oscar-worthy performance but Drew Starkey as Eugene Allerton is no slouch either, and their aching body language speaks more than any of the words which are often mumbled anyway, particularly a recurring thing of their cuddles and the legs over each other, or how Craig's Lee touches the back and ribs. The dreams have some unforgettable imagery that bolsters the haunting atmosphere, along with the astral projections of his hands reaching out as externalisations of Lee's desires. There is a memorable naked dance in Ecuador when they're on ayahuasca (yage) that reaches Cronenbergian levels as their bodies meld into each other. The centipede signifies the danger of this obsessive romance that has Lee going into teen-like giddy silliness and awkwardness as he pursues a young man and requesting for him to be nice to him twice a week. The painstakingly detailed props and mise en scene add a lot to the character of the sets and locations, and there are some fantastic uses of miniatures (Lee's eye looks into a hotel and sees himself) and painted backdrops that speaks to the surrealist tendencies, along with the unforgettable practical effects when they're high and vomiting scrotums containing organs. There is so much love and pain instilled into this film that it is easily one of Guadagnino's best and also possibly my favourite film of 2024.

The magical realist twist of your older self being able to see your younger self via a high trip and advise them is just a foil for a sentimental, heartfelt story about the importance of closure. Maisy Stella does a fantastic job having to carry most of the film's emotions on her shoulders, supported by the ever reliable indie darling Aubrey Plaza (older Elliott) and Kerrice Brooks stands out as the reliable friend Ro. Percy Hynes White does a decent job as the empathetic and sweet love interest Chad who allows for Elliott's sexual awakening from considering herself as previously lesbian and now contending whether she's bisexual or pansexual. The cinematography won't win awards, but Kristin Correll does a good job particularly with the summery lighting. Megan Park does a great job as the director and writer to make the gen z dialogue believable of a young 18 year old girl and her peers, and the scenarios don't get bogged down with expositions on the magical realism but focus on the themes squarely. While it is kind of an unrelatable premise that Elliott has to come to grips with her upper middle class family selling their farm which they come to for holidays and have fun at the lake each year, the theme of nostalgia and saying your final goodbyes to a place still hits home.