Movies
I didn't know what to expect, except that this was a musical (and that it was doing well at festival/award shows). It's not my favorite combination, but the result was pretty interesting. The staging of the songs and the choreographies were more modern and cinematic than I'd expected. And who am I to deny myself some maximalist pleasure? The performances are good too, the drama is melodramatic but fits the genre and the story is interesting enough to warrant the long(er) runtime. The film never goes into full overdrive as there's a strong, core focus on the drama, but it's certainly one of the more interesting general-praise films of 2024 I've seen so far.Read all
One of those films I watched when I was exploring international cinema for the first time. It explains why this made a bigger impact on me when I first watched it. Two decades later, I'm more familiar with the tropes and the stylistic choices, and that inevitably makes it less special to revisit. That's not to say it's a bad film. The performances are strong, the drama is fine, and the way the music is incorporated is interesting. But the cinematography felt a bit lackluster, and the somewhat dreary mood of the film didn't always feel earned. A solid film, watch it when you get the chance, but far from what I consider a personal favorite nowadays.Read all
