Weronika Zaród

*The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie *is a satirical dark comedy that reveals the ignorance, absurdity, and obnoxious hypocrisy of the rich. It does so in a fever-dream-like way, completely cleansing itself of any order or logic. It intertwines six people's attempts to have dinner together with their dreams. While hilarious, it also stands as a powerful critique of the ruling class – directed by the same man responsible for *Belle de Jour, *in which we also notice aspects of his characteristic poetry and dramatic surreality.

Might be one of the most devastating films I’ve ever seen. *Morvern Callar *tells the story of a young, lost woman battling grief after her partner's suicide. It doesn’t do so in a conventional way, but handles it from a completely different and unique perspective. It is dirty like depression, quiet like sorrow, and loud like wrath. What I think the movie does perfectly is completely ignoring Morvern's boyfriend, not explaining his past, and refusing to explore their relationship. Some may call it a loophole, or simply laziness, but I think it allows us to dissociate from their connection, and instead focus purely on the character. The character herself has many flaws, which make her realistic and remind us that people who deal with grief aren’t perfect. These negative traits make her relatable and don’t stop us from cheering for her. I’ll forever remember her as one of my favorite complex female characters. Morvern's emotional refusal to face the truth stands as a beautiful metaphor and makes us sympathize with her even more. She’s so scared of acknowledging what happened, both out loud and inside, because then it will become real. That’s why throughout the movie, she runs from place to place, meets new people, and leaves no room for her thoughts. Whether you’ll appreciate the raw, emotional atmosphere, the intimate dialogue, the amazing soundtrack, or the grainy shots, this film sticks with you forever.

*Vampyros Lesbos *is a classic erotic, vampire thriller, full of secrets, colors and surreal music. It tells the story of Linda, a platinum blonde lawyer and her unique, spiritual connection with Countess Nadine. Countess Nadine’s life was full of lesbian eroticism before meeting Linda, but it had a more exploitive nature and had nothing to do with love. After an encounter during one of the vampire's shows, everything changes in both women’s lives… I truly enjoyed this film and its classic, simple story, characters, score, and cinematography. The relationship between Linda and Nadine was so intriguing in its “love to the grave” form, that it was worth all the boring moments. I’m probably not going to rewatch it, but I definitely have to check out more movies like this.