Lyle

“What the hell am I watching?” - 50ish year-old man in my theater with 2 minutes left in the movie. had to watch once again on opening weekend; this movie has really been lingering in my brain.

chronically online: the movie

yeah i’m totally floored by this thing.  so rich in symbolism, beautiful to look at, unfiltered in it’s storytelling, and manages to be a good time even when the times are very very bad.  the character of mikey is obviously the centerpiece for this whole film and it was so interesting to see who he really was unravel in the film.  it’s not like he got worse over the course of the film; it’s clear that he was a predatory dick from the start, yet it’s revealed in a way that almost has you fooled into wanting him to win until he has shown a complete lack of redeeming qualities. sean baker’s writing here is the strongest i think i’ve seen from him.  aside from the fact that he seems to have lived many lifetimes in incognito tabs, he creates stories that are so human and easily understood even through the gritty, transgressive, or uncomfortable scenarios on the screen itself.  all the characters had their nuances and personalities so ingrained in the dialogue and it felt easy to understand and remind yourself that despite what part they play into mikey’s story during this 1 month period, this is simply one brief moment in their lives. the addition of the 2016 election being a lingering cloud above america in this film also was absolutely integral in my opinion (the parallels went crazy). not a single bad performance in this. simon rex’s performance should have easily been up for an academy nomination and i think bree elrod could have easily been up for one as well.  suzanna son brought a lot of humanity to her character, who could’ve come off as really one-dimensional and a shallow plot device without the correct actress for the role.  while i’m at it, might as well mention brenda deiss who made me laugh a lot during this. can’t thank sean baker for shooting this on 16mm, it genuinely looks amazing.  his color grading and overall style is on point here per usual as well.  glad that baker finally got the wave of attention and praise he’s deserved for Anora; he is definetly one of the best original storytellers we have in film right now and this movie has further proved it in my heart.