scene but not herd

Last night I watched a film called SWIMMING POOL and it reminded me of how much I like seeing something completely cold. I thought I knew about the director, but I had him confused with the director of IRMA VEP. So it turns out that SWIMMING POOL is the first movie I have ever seen by Francois Ozon. I really want to see it again now because it really has had me thinking for the last twenty-four hours and how often does a movie do that to you? The film is quite slow, but in a good way because that pace really builds a tension that you can "cut with a knife." There is tension based upon what is going to happen as well as a sexual tension between some of the characters. Charlotte Rampling stars in the film and her character is wound up very tight and it is interesting to watch her loosen up and even unravel a little bit as the film progresses. As I watched the film I kept thinking of Patricia Highsmith for some reason. She was the author of Strangers On A Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley and this film has a certain perverse thriller aspect to it which reminds me of her work. The ending of the film made me question everything I had seen prior though. I guess I'm being really vague here, but I really don't want to give anything away on the slight chance that someone will read this and be interested in seeing the film. All I will say is that it ended up making me think of how film conveys meaning. The way a film is shot and how that can make you assume things that aren't necessarily true. The Charlotte Rampling character is an author who is trying to write a novel and in the film you see her creative process at work. If you neglect the narrative completely, the film, I think, can also be seen as being about Francois Ozon's creative process. How he manipulates the tools of cinema to manipulate an audience.

A while back I saw a Japanese film called CURE and once again I knew nothing about it before I started watching it. I guess that is part of the attraction; I know nothing about it as it starts, but I'm immediately sucked in because I then do want to know what it is all about. The story is about a man who compels others to kill and the policeman who is trying to make sense of it all. This is a truly creepy movie. It is slowly paced and quiet, but it can really make your skin crawl. It is an interesting variation of a serial killer movie and I highly recommend it.