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231 points frogulis | 7 comments | | HN request time: 0.705s | source | bottom
1. hanlonsrazor ◴[] No.44571664[source]
I have definitely noticed the same occurring in North American cinema, but I do not think this is a new phenomenon. Rather, it's just a symptom of the increased commercialization of indie cinema - commercialization requiring film for all to understand.

If one is to broaden their horizons, overseas cinema is still devoid of this literalism. European cinema, Korean cinema, and the famously show not tell Japanese cinema still produce ambiguous stories that compete for awards - just look at recent pictures in Anatomy of a Fall, Zone of Interest, Drive my Car, Decision to Leave.

replies(2): >>44572052 #>>44572294 #
2. mpol ◴[] No.44572052[source]
> a symptom of the increased commercialization

If it's about what people want to see, could it be that people cannot deal with insecurity anymore? We cannot deal with not knowing. We have to know for sure, so we can feel secure.

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3. PyWoody ◴[] No.44572294[source]
For other relatively recent movies I'd add:

  > Evil Does Not Exist
  > Godland
  > The Beast
  > The Worst Person in the World
  > Misericordia
  > The Banshees of Inisherin
  > Amanda [0]
  > Afire [1]
[0] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18469872/

[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26440619/

replies(2): >>44572589 #>>44578028 #
4. jsbg ◴[] No.44572589[source]
are movies like Evil Does Not Exist as popular in Japan as the examples in the article though? there must be a lot of similar niche movies made in the US
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5. BobaFloutist ◴[] No.44573761[source]
I can't speak for others, but I have a pretty limited tolerance for very explicit, heavy depictions of violence, for bad things happening to animals, or for downer endings.

I fully recognize that these don't make for bad cinema. I also recognize that they're often more effective as surprises. But they are going to dramatically cut into how much I enjoy a movie. And movies aren't like books, where if the tone isn't quite what you're in the mood for you just stop reading, they're more immediately confrontational, and backing out is a bigger deal (and almost a faux pas, walking out of a movie is seen as commentary on its quality). Previews are also going to avoid spoiling twists or dramatic moments, which, again, makes sense, but makes them poor tools for assessing tone. This means I'm often tempted to read the plot summary before watching, which feels silly, but if I want to challenge myself and watch things not quite to my taste and things that aren't just kid's movies without just sometimes paying for the pleasure of having a bad time, I'm not sure how else to approach it.

It also feels like other people have almost the opposite perspective, where of a movie doesn't have something really emotionally heavy or challenging to watch they can't take it seriously. I'm not sure what makes sense here, and maybe my tastes are just the problem, but it feels bad to spend fifteen dollars and two hours of my time to be in a space that's too loud, has only very expensive food, and leave depressed by what feels to be to be an overly cynical or myopic message or an artistic vision obsessively depicting the many ways human beings can be physically harmed, in as much detail as possible. Again, I don't think it's bad or wrong, I certainly don't want it to be banned or require disclosure, I just struggle to decide where I fit in the market, and I worry that my purchasing patterns support a narrative that leads to less of what I want.

6. PyWoody ◴[] No.44577292{3}[source]
Evil Does Not exist is Ryusuke Hamaguchi's first movie after the internationally successful Drive My Car, so I would hope there would be some domestic support but that might be pure naivety on my part.
7. idontwantthis ◴[] No.44578028[source]
I thought Banshees of Inisherin was quite literal. Two Irish friends are screaming at each other while a literal civil war is going on around them.

I found it pretty disappointing for that reason compared to McDonagh’s other movies which are much less literal.