Seen any good movies lately?
No, seriously
Hey folks. Been ridiculously busy and haven’t posted here much. Planning to get back to posting entries for The Witchvox Project, and more film and TV reviews…soon! It does seem like things are a bit crazy in the world, so why not retreat with some good storytelling and be inspired to weather the storms the world is bringing lately…
In the meantime, I have definitely seen some interesting things in film and TV. I haven’t seen any big blockbusters yet, but we’ll see how the summer goes. My favorite 2023 release so far is a French film called The Five Devils. It’s a drama tinged with magic realism, about a young girl (played by an electrifyingly good Sally Dramé) who has an enhanced sense of smell and creates perfume concoctions in jars capturing the scents her favorite people. When her aunt appears suddenly in her life, Sally’s household is disrupted and she starts having visions of the past, and the future. I don’t want to give any more away but I found it absolutely mesmerizing, moving, and magical.
I also loved Enys Men, a subtly creepy folk horror film made in Cornwall by Mark Jenkin. A middle-aged woman (Mary Woodvine) lives a solitary and simple life on a remote island. When her daily observations of the weather and growing conditions suddenly seem off-kilter, she begins to imagine other people and beings in her midst. This may feel like a slow-moving film to some, but I found it genuinely disturbing and engrossing.
I also rather liked Emily, an intriguing story of Emily Bronte (author of the classic Gothic romance novel Wuthering Heights) and her literary family and difficult childhood and adolescence. With evocative scenery and a good deal of passionate but sad romance, this biopic is beautifully acted by the likes of Emma Mackey (Sex Education) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Haunting of Hill House), directed by Frances O’Connor in an impressive debut.
I’ve seen some really good TV recently too, and will tell you about it my next post!