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Tangerine (2015)
Set in a day, but a story of life
This is a delightful movie. In a modern world, where so many things are allowed and considered normal, Tangerine goes over the limits of what is acceptable, but in the end tells a story about most basic of feelings. How people who are different have to hide their personal preferences in front of the others. Each and every character is hiding something and only when it is all revealed, we can see how it can destroy one's life. Yes, it is energetic and funny, but that is the surface; below it it is a gloomy film. It is relatively short in duration, it covers only one fictional evening, but the message is eternal. Ultimately, it is a film about friendship between Alexandra and Sin-Dee, how people who we can count on in the worst of times are all that matter. Low budget is almost not noticeable, so kudos to the director for that. There are also some extraordinary scenes, such as the fellatio in the car wash - the dirtiest scene of the movie is hidden behind the washing facility - it neatly summarises the delicate nature of being socially isolated. I wish we will be able to live in a world in which all these characters are considered perfectly normal, but until then, we can at least enjoy this tremendous movie.
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987)
About death - but a movie full of life
This is a very charming debut by Todd Haynes, signaling his talent, but it is also understandably raw. The approach is the most fascinating thing here. Having dolls instead of real actors, but filming it as if were made by cameras of the 70's works great. Thus acting is nonexistent, but the conversations are not lacking in spark. In the dramatical context, the minimalistic approach is spot on, but the actual dialogues are too banal for my liking. Also, the messages about anorexia nervosa are not subtle enough, so it sometimes feels like we are in a commercial. Even though I found several significant flaws, I enjoyed the movie on a substantial level. At the end of the day, it is a very original idea, but perhaps not done to its full potential. It is as if the director was 'too nice' to make something even greater, somehow reminding us of the Carpenters themselves.