Letterboxd — Your life in film

Wow. Truly exceptional filmmaking. 

Because the film doesn’t rely on the heavy-handed editing typical of so many mainstream American documentaries - unnecessary explanatory voiceovers, jaunty scores accompanying every goddam scene, very obvious postproduction sound editing - the audience, rather than having the narrative spoon-fed to them, is invited to be more present as they watch the events unfold onscreen. It allows the film to achieve moments which are shocking yet restrained, tragic without feeling exploitative. One of the best documentaries in recent years.

Sure, if we judge this by today’s standards, there are many faults to be found. But as an artifact of late 90s American cinema, I’m here for it. Patricia Clarkson. Alex Mapa. Gena Rowlands. Ellen Burstyn. Gillian Anderson. All in the same movie? Yes, please! Plus, there’s a scene in which Angelina Jolie recounts the plot of Suddenly Last Summer to a brooding blue-haired Ryan Phillippe.

Wha??? Is this a real thing?

Soooooo... I guess we’re just accepting that Rosa’s sole purpose was to exist as Maarten’s manic pixie dream girl? Cool coooool.
And his wife? We’re all on board with her never developing beyond a frigid emasculating nag? Ah, okay.

Too regressive in its treatment of gender dynamics. This movie lacks the self-awareness necessary to pull off the subversive humor it hopes to achieve.

Miserablist incel bullshit. It might have held some value as an analysis of wounded toxic masculinity if it didn’t so wholeheartedly buy into its own flawed message.

Melodrama & talking heads. This move is fine. Like most Netflix productions, the heavy-handed editing can be distracting at times, combining an unintentional (?) camp sensibility with the urgency of a campaign of moral panic à la mid-1980s Tipper Gore. Overall, it does a decent job of offering a cursory explanation of the topics explored.

With this, Jodorowski basically became the Gwyneth Paltrow of the alt cinema world.

And I say that while also respecting his contributions not only to alt cinema but to the cinematic landscape in general.

There’s so much going on beneath the mostly inert surface of this film that I mistakenly found myself miscalculating the depth of the narrative during the first 20 or so minutes. I’m glad I ignored my initial impulse to disregard it as dull drivel because it ended up commenting on many issues that are both timeless and contemporary.
Though he endured considerable unprovoked cruelty, I didn’t end the film pitying Fúsi. And I appreciated that. The acting, script, and direction allowed for a more emotionally complete character to exist within the story.

Exasperatingly vapid