On this note, I started watching Melancholia with some mates and we ended up sacking it around the 40 minute mark. The utter reprehensibility of all the characters, indeed the complete uneasiness that enveloped the piece was (whilst impressively well maintained) making it quite difficult to give half of a fuck what happened to them. I might watch it on my own to find out how it progressed. I'd imagine it could be decent in the cinema too, but it was quite a difficult watch with very little to draw you in.
this is excellent, and you are right that this kind of filmmaking is missing, but i don't think it was ever common. it was financed by the government of algeria (an anomaly) and i believe used non-professional actors, which explains why it feels is so real, in particular the incredibly emotive final uprising.
yes this name rings loud in my mind as i think it was suggested to me by trusted sources before, but i managed to forget until now, so thanks!
not enough films use non-actors -- of course my favorite contemporary director, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, always uses them (exclusively?) anyone catch his latest Uncle Boomee? it was pretty great as all of his films are, but i'm sad to say the day i finally saw it in the cinema i happened to be so utterly exhausted i fell asleep half way through...
films like these* which use non-actors to such amazing naturalistic and un-self conscious effect, their raw and in-the-flesh "performances" so real as not even seeming like performances at all (perhaps they really are not), and the viewer is made to feel like someone standing right there in the scene, observing from first person perspective or even participating in it ---- films like these simply pull the rug out from under bullshit celebrity famous actors culture. not that this is the case all the time with every kind of film making, as non-actors probably can't pull off, say, Matrix, but very often some random person pulled off the street with zero experience in front of the camera does it much better than george clooney or julia roberts.
* the best example ever of course probably Dreyer's Passion of Joan of Arc
thai filmmaker, now there's something interesting. i'll see what i can find, thank you.yes this name rings loud in my mind as i think it was suggested to me by trusted sources before, but i managed to forget until now, so thanks!
not enough films use non-actors -- of course my favorite contemporary director, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, always uses them (exclusively?) anyone catch his latest Uncle Boomee? it was pretty great as all of his films are, but i'm sad to say the day i finally saw it in the cinema i happened to be so utterly exhausted i fell asleep half way through...
films like these* which use non-actors to such amazing naturalistic and un-self conscious effect, their raw and in-the-flesh "performances" so real as not even seeming like performances at all (perhaps they really are not), and the viewer is made to feel like someone standing right there in the scene, observing from first person perspective or even participating in it ---- films like these simply pull the rug out from under bullshit celebrity famous actors culture. not that this is the case all the time with every kind of film making, as non-actors probably can't pull off, say, Matrix, but very often some random person pulled off the street with zero experience in front of the camera does it much better than george clooney or julia roberts.
* the best example ever of course probably Dreyer's Passion of Joan of Arc
