Duplicitous Games in Donald Siegel’s The Beguiled
In 1971, three films with Clint Eastwood were released within eight months: the actor’s directorial début Play Misty for Me…
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The psychosexual thriller has survived many iterations, from the highbrow (Eyes Wide Shut, 1999), to the gloriously over-the-top (Dressed to…
The inner chaos of adolescent life: Sion Sono’s Love Exposure
In Sion Sono’s Love Exposure (Ai no mukidashi, 2008), 17-year-old Yu (Takahiro Nishijima) struggles with his sexual awakening. Sono turns the…
Multiple identities in Lola and Bilidikid
In the first sequence of Kutlug Ataman’s Lola and Bilidikid (Lola und Bilidikid, Germany, 1999), a young man is walking…
Todd Solondz: The home as a battlefield in Happiness and Life During Wartime
In Happiness (1998), the ever-smiling Trish (Cynthia Stevenson), in her neat kitchen, is strongly reminiscent of the female ideal as…
Social criticism and the inner journey in Battle Royale
In one of the first sequences of Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale (Batoru rowaiaru, 2000), a group of boisterous pupils on…
Thousand Words: discover Odd Obsession, a Japanese tale of failure and desire
Odd Obsession is a film about ageing, manipulation and sexual games.
Lost Classic: Happy Together (Wong Kar-wai, 1997)
The weight of memory has long been portrayed as an onerous facet of life, and in Wong Kar-wai’s 1997 film…
Lost Classic: Secretary (Steven Shainberg, 2002)
Long before the box office submitted to the inevitable adaptation of E. L. James’ mummy porn juggernaut, another altogether more…
