Blind Chance (1981)

I first heard about Krzysztof Kieslowski's Blind Chance (1981) at some point in the 1990s, when movies like Pulp Fiction, Sliding Doors and Run Lola Run began playing around with alternating timelines. (Also, remember that the year Pulp Fiction came out, Kieslowski was being celebrated in the U.S. for his Three Colors trilogy, and especially Red, which would turn out to be his final film.) But, to the best of my knowledge, Blind Chance wasn't available to see here at that time, and indeed, it hadn't been released even in its native Poland until 1987. But now the Criterion Collection has given it a striking new Blu-ray release, with most of its censored scenes restored (although one scene in particular apparently couldn't be rescued). read more...

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• Optimistic ▶ No thanks
• Comfort Level ▶ Distressed, disturbed, unsettled or unresolved
• Originality ▶ Different or novel for its time

Zama (2018)

The great Argentinian filmmaker Lucrecia Martel returns to the screen after a far-too-long absence with her new Zama. Based on a 1956 novel by Antonio di Benedetto and set in an 18th century filled with flouncy shirts and three-cornered hat, it's not exactly my favorite genre. In fact, given that most costume movies are dry and serious, I did not pick up on the idea that this was supposed to be sort of absurdist. It's not exactly a comedy, per se, and not at all laugh-out-loud-funny, but certainly absurdist. Like Martel's earlier films, it's a challenge — certainly images of 18th century slavery are not easy to watch — and casual viewers will be quickly put off. read more...

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Krisha (2016)

Thanksgiving is always a good time for families in movies to come together and fall apart, but few of them are as penetrating or as vivid as Trey Edward Shults's Krisha. The title character (pronounced "KREE-sha"), played by Shults's real-life aunt, drives up, parks, forgets something in her car, can't find the house, steps in a mud puddle, and arrives on the doorstep, sweaty and out of breath. Long, silvery hair, overweight, and draped in yards of flowing curtain-like garments, she's a mess, apparently recovering from alcoholism, or worse. Even her own son is wary of her presence. It's a tour-de-force performance, needy and unhinged, and barely holding it together. Other members of Shults's family also star, as sympathetic, exasperated versions of themselves, some of them colorful characters, some of them adding to the background chaos. Especially notable is Krisha's mother (and Shult's grandmother), 92 year-old Billie Fairchild, who helps push Krisha around the bend. Shults writes and directs, based on his own short film, and films in a kind of hybrid of long-take realism and nightmarish insanity, plus merry-go-round pinwheels, and car-crash slow-motion. This is boldly independent work, with more than enough painful, searing drama to leave a mark. read more...

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• Anxiety Level ▶ I like my stomach in knots
• Optimistic ▶ No thanks
• Originality ▶ Different or novel for its time

Safe (1995)

Safe is an American masterpiece depicting an average housewife (Julianne Moore, in a great perforamance) who develops an allergy to all kinds of everyday chemicals and must be shuttled out to a New Mexico detox camp. Writer/director Todd Haynes treats the material with a subtle touch, allowing the horror of the situation to creep through and playing on the cult-like behavior of the cure-all compound. Though the film had a miniscule budget, it looks outstanding with its dull, muted colors and godawful lite-rock soundtrack. It was voted in the Village Voice's poll as the best picture of the 1990s, and with good reason. read more...

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• Overall Depth ▶ Deep or penetrating

Time Out of Mind (2015)

People don't generally go to see movies about homeless people, but Oren Moverman's Time Out of Mind is something different and deserves to be seen. Director Moverman, recovering from a slight stumble with Rampart and returning to the glories of The Messenger, directs Time Out of Mind in an unconventional, appealingly immersive way. read more...

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• Boldness ▶ Surrender, endurance, struggle, supression or restraint
• Originality ▶ Different or novel for its time