I believe Gray is one of the more unique auteurs still working today. In an industry that has, in many ways, become only a distant memory of what it was in the 1970s, Gray’s films have always been shadows of what were once the staples of the past. He’s never shied away from the Coppola, Leone, and Scorsese comparisons; if anything he’s doubled down on them. Continuing to go into his own past and stay as autobiographical. He’s one of the few filmmakers that’s been able to keep playing in his own sandbox, in an otherwise, ever changing environment.
This one, like his others, carries some of his most elegant and striking compositions. Like the bokeh of the police flash lights as they beat down on Bruno, and obviously that two sided meaning that loaded final shot represents. You can sometimes feel itself strain to be more than it is. Gray always is aiming for these expansive, Godfather /Conformist highs, and it’s wonderful to see him reach for those great stars, even when he can’t always reach them.
I believe Gray is one of the more unique auteurs still working today. In an industry that has, in many ways, become only a distant memory of what it was in the 1970s, Gray’s films have always been shadows of what were once the staples of the past. He’s never shied away from the Coppola, Leone, and Scorsese comparisons; if anything he’s doubled down on them. Continuing to go into his own past and stay as autobiographical. He’s one of the few filmmakers that’s been able to keep playing in his own sandbox, in an otherwise, ever changing environment.
This one, like his others, carries some of his most elegant and striking compositions. Like the bokeh of the police flash lights as they beat down on Bruno, and obviously that two sided meaning that loaded final shot represents. You can sometimes feel itself strain to be more than it is. Gray always is aiming for these expansive, Godfather /Conformist highs, and it’s wonderful to see him reach for those great stars, even when he can’t always reach them.
