Quima

At first, the combination of Stanley Kubrick and a period film didn't quite convince me, but after watching it, I'm afraid I can't say that anymore. Although the film bears Stanley Kubrick's signature everywhere, it manages to feel different from the rest of his filmography. From the cinematography, where every frame could perfectly be a 17th-century-painting, to the costumes and the setting, everything stands out. In the end, even though the film might not seem to deal with a theme taht directly concerns us, it still works as a kind of fable about the rise and fall of a man in a manipulative and perverse society. The film feels like a roller coaster: every time life seems to smile on him, you can't help but brace yourself for the inevitable setbacl that will knock him down again. As always, Kubrick is unbeatable.

Horror in its most captivating pure form. I think it’s an adaptation that does justice to the reality and cruelty of the stories we’ve been told since we were kids. Even though there were scenes where I had to look away because of the distress, it was precisely that kind of unsettling intensity that feels so missing in modern horror. The fact that it comes from a more alternative, foreign studio probably also helps it feel more realistic and more magical, like a story that gradually darkens and becomes more and more disturbing. Overall, it works well, although I think there were moments where some scenes felt unnecessary or a bit too on-the-nose for my taste but I suppose that’s part of the discomfort the film wants you to feel. It’s a spiral where, even though you know at some point everything will come crashing down, when it actually does, it still hits hard. I needed the whole afternoon to process everything I had seen. That said, I can confirm that the prince, indeed, wasn’t really worth it.

This > Twilight

*In-yun*