A mysterious stranger works outside the law and keeps his objectives hidden, trusting no one. While his demeanor is paradoxically focused and dreamlike all at once, he embarks on a journey that not only takes him across Spain, but also through his own consciousness.
30 Nov The Limits of Control (2009)
Solarian
This will have spoilers. They are not of the conventional sort. But I urge you to watch this before reading. I do urge you to watch this.
“Ghost Dog,” was an effective experience for me. Others might call it zen-like, or evoking a mood like that. For me, it tapped into a narrative pool of calm style. Japan owns a collection of these pools which they carefully feed and curate and they were referenced in “Dog” without discrimination, and imposed on a cinematic notion of character. It was “Kill Bill” without the juvenile need for motion.
Here, we take another step in this direction. More deeply cinematic. In this case, instead of Kurosawa as reference, it is Tarkovsky. There is a very cool transition in fact at the very beginning. The style of the trip from the (first) airport is identical to a strange section in “Solaris” (the original). Tarkovsky needed some futuristic urban footage for his film so got permission from his Soviet masters to film Tokyo, then thought to be ultramodern.
(Tarkovsky would have been aware that if World War II had gone only a few weeks longer, Tokyo would have been a Russian city.) That Tokyo footage is considered a disaster, a filler that doesn’t work. His largest and possibly only failure as a film visionary. Jarmusch essentially salvages this footage — not literally — as his transition is from Kurosawa to Tarkovsky. Film enthusiasts will recognize this and be on the edge of their seats. It is a remarkable beginning.
Then we move into a middle, espresso/expression section where our surrogate receives queries and information about film, art, music, life… trading gems for mathematical abstractions that he eats. The visual here is a matchbox commerce with diamonds going one way and slips of paper with numbers the other.
Then we move into a final section where his imagination is opened. This is where he kills his mark, using an object that has gathered value throughout the film. The set and general tone is from “Intacto,” itself a remarkable film.
If you were to attempt a Tarkovsky, who would you seek as cinematographer? Why Chris Doyle, possibly the most cinematically intellectual DP alive.
Many find this film too vacuous, or pretentious. But I think you will find it quietly rich and busy. But then hey, “Brown Bunny” worked for me.
Posted in 2010
Ted’s Evaluation — 4 of 3: Every cineliterate person should experience this.
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