I pulled a
half-day today and only stayed for the morning screening of Pornography.
And I liked it. It was a little slow at times, but so was I. Some days I really
do need that second cup of coffee.
Set in Poland, in 1943, Pornography was directed by Jan Jakub Kolski in a
dreamy style that almost made me think of Robert Richardson’s use of
bleach-bypassing. The images were consistently beautiful with grainy washed-out
colors and tight compositions. It’s worth seeing for the cinematography alone.
But there was more to it than that. It was one of those films that lingers for a
little bit after you’ve seen it – thinking back to certain moments and what led
to them.
The plot concerns a writer and an acquaintance who drive to the writer’s
friend’s house for a while. It’s World War II, so no matter how peaceful life is
in the country – a life filled with nubile Aryan-looking girls and lots of
lounge time – there’s still a hint of conflict. The conflict slowly invades the
calm and a brutal assassination corrects things – in a twisted way.
We’re dealing with a subtle film that covers areas as unpleasant as the
Holocaust, suicide, murder and the weight of regret. It’s a mature film, though
handled – at least in a cinematic sense – beautifully and with great care.
TOMORROW:
Young Adam
The Flower of Evil
Copyright 2003 Jamie Stuart