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May 26, 2008
Silent Light
I think Carlos Reygadas' Battle In Heaven is a highly imperfect film, but my opinion of it is almost conversely related to the impact it's had on me and the amount of time I've spent mulling over its qualities and deficincies. Its fusion of sex and faith, of the sacred and the profane, compounded by Reygadas' kinetic appropriation of Tarkovsky's style, is hard to shake; that it is ultimately unsatisfying may well be one of its best qualities, even if it keeps it from reaching the heights it at least seems to aspire towards.
Throughout the first five or ten minutes of Silent Light, Reygadas new film, I prepared myself for more of the same. And then, suddenly, it caught me in its steady pace and, by the time it was over, I was thoroughly shaken. I'll have to write more about it later; for now, here's the trailer, which in its bombast calls to mind Reygadas anecdote about how watching his Apple screensaver while listening to Sigur Ros inspired him to make the film.
I can't wait to see it on the big screen; this and Mr. Lonely are the most emotional experiences I've had watching a movie in a recent memory.
Posted by David Lowery at May 26, 2008 12:23 AM
Comments
I'm always glad to hear of the emotional effect Silent Light has on other filmmakers. Lance Hammer went on and on about it when I interviewed him for Ballast. I didn't much care for Battle In Heaven, precisely because its affect was more abstract than emotional. In some cool, detached state perhaps I'll reconsider its abstraction; but, until then, I'm more game for the films that leave me ravished.
Posted by: Maya at May 31, 2008 10:37 PM