Extremely gripping, extremely tough to watch. Especially difficult to watch this as a therapist, as you’re literally just watching trauma occur in real-time as it unfolds, thanks to some truly shocking camerawork by Hetherington and Junger. Wonderful film, but truly abhorrent subject matter. May all those involved find peace.

Didn’t work for me at all. There’s a core here that works–mother drawn to extreme lengths to protect the son accused of a crime. But the first 45 minutes dragged without me building a connection to any of the characters, so then I didn’t feel invested in much that came after. There were some strange… Read More Mother (2009)

There’s just something about the Coen brothers doing comedy that does not mesh with my preferences. I do like O Brother Where Art Thou and Raising Arizona, but usually their efforts fall flat and Burn After Reading is no exception. I didn’t find this funny or interesting, I hated most of the characters, and there… Read More Burn After Reading (2008)

This movie was beautifully made–really lovely animation and visual style throughout. I’m not a comics person, but from what I’ve seen it appears to be really lovingly adapted. I loved the bits of the movie that focused on Iranian history, and felt less engaged to the autobiographical aspects of the character’s story. This is personal… Read More Persepolis (2007)

Thrilling performance by Dunst, who owned this movie from start to finish. Loved the sumptuous, beautiful art direction at Versailles, and I continue to deeply adore nearly everything Sofia Coppola does. This one had some oddball casting choices that I disliked (Molly Shannon?), but overall the direction was wonderful and inspired. I loved the soundtrack,… Read More Marie Antoinette (2006)

Movies shot in Oregon always get bonus points to me, because I can’t help get sucked into the emotionality of the land itself. In this way, Old Joy reminded me of my favorite Oregon movie, Leave No Trace, both of which use the land and the forests to convey a sense of richness in the… Read More Old Joy (2005)

So much more than a simple “message” film (see The Cider House Rules)–I found myself quite moved by this one, thanks to a) Mike Leigh’s improvisational style, which contributed to a lived-in sense of realism; and b) the gut punch of a performance by Imelda Staunton. It was really two performances, as the movie takes… Read More Vera Drake (2004)

I had this mis-filed, so it counts as my 2003 movie for purposes of my 100 years project. Thematic, I’ll call it, to be unstuck from time. This movie was wiiiild, and I can’t say I fully grokked it. I was with it for most of the run time, and then in the last quarter… Read More Primer (2004)

One thing about people who are drunk or high: things are way more interesting to them than they are to outsiders. And this was a movie that left me feeling distinctly aware that I was on the outside looking in, meaning that I participated as a viewer and didn’t find myself feeling a lot of… Read More Morvern Callar (2002)

I tried another Ghibli after how much I loved Grave of the Fireflies, but was disappointed by this one. The animation was beautiful throughout, but I got lost in strange fantasy mythology here. I wonder if there are important elements of Japanese folk tales or other cultural pieces that I’m not familiar with, but I… Read More Spirited Away (2001)