🎬 #153 Cinema Of Hope.
First newsletter of 2025. And I suppose hope is a bit of a well worn path to the starts of years but it’s the thing that keeps everyone going when rationality might say it’s all over. Both this week’s films tap into the spirit that keeps us alive and moves us further than we ever imagined. Time to let in a bit more hope and cast away doubt and cynicism.
Happy choosing, happy viewing
Bry
FILM ONE: ORDET
1955 Dir Carl Theodor Dreyer
2 hrs 06 mins
Any Dreyer film I’ve seen I’ve loved, and Ordet is no different. All of them are satisfying in the best possible way. They’re stripped back, appear simple and yet still evoke strong emotions by the end of the final scene. Ordet is approached almost like a stage play, with limited locations, mostly interiors, that act as the stage for the family and local drama to play out. But this doesn’t mean it’s not reaching for the big stuff, the big themes that make Dreyer who he is.
He’s back exploring his favourites - faith, religion and the power of belief even when others doubt. He puts us, the audience, in a position of observing the unfolding events, letting us decide where we stand in relation to events and beliefs that unfold. Is it all just coincidence or is there something greater? Can you believe someone who makes an outrageous claim, even if you believe in things other people might think are outrageous? That’s kind of the film in a nutshell, how people view and express faith or lack of it - visualised in a very monastic, very Dreyer way.
TL;DR: Dreyer’s conflict of faith, family and community is a great film to get in at the start of the New Year.
*Available for a small rental fee on Criterion in the US and Apple and Amazon in the UK.
Fact: There are only 114 shots in the entire film, the average shot number is around 1250. But The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo [Fincher], for example, has 2964.
FILM TWO: FALL
2022 Dir Scott Mann
1 hr 47 mins
I’ve never had such sweaty palms watching a film. At one point I had to turn them palm up and have them by my sides just to get it under control. I don't even consider myself afraid of heights but it’s a testament to the filmmakers that they can illicit such a strong reaction. The frame above is pretty much indicative of the vibe for much of the film’s run time.
Stranded over 2000ft up on a tiny platform atop a broadcast tower, all two friends have is hope. It’s a gripping spin on the ‘survival’ genre - not only because of the uniquely sweat inducing situation, but also because of the dynamics between the friends and what led them to this point.
What makes it compelling is the blend of visceral action, an ‘experience’ kind of film and the emotional backdrop the adrenaline is set against. Get comfortable and get sweaty.
TL;DR: Fall is a survivalist action film that grips you with more than its unique location.
*Available for a small rental fee on Apple in the US and Apple and Amazon in the UK. It’s also available to stream on Netflix in the UK.
Fact: The filmmakers shot on location, building a 100ft section of the top of the tower and positioning it near a 2000ft cliff so they would achieve the effect that the actors were much higher in the air.