All My Pretty Ones
A brutally funny Hollywood satire, a Finnish coming-of-age story and Venice premiere fashun
It’s that time! I’m happy you’re here. I hope you enjoy all the things. Twelfth substack post here. we. go:
film-of-the-week rec:
2 recs in fact. Both are fictional narratives. Both are very much worth your time.
OFFICIAL COMPETITION (Dir. Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat)
A brutally funny and beautifully made satire of Hollywood, ego, and art. Written and directed by the Argentinian duo Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat, the performances are incredible across the board but it’s Penélope Cruz (channeling filmmaker Alma Har’el’s infamous red mane) who steals the show. The film is a delight. Full of epic twists, self-skewering, and brilliant theatricality.
Trailer:
Where to watch: Prime Video, VUDU, Apple TV.
Compartment Number 6 (Dir. Juho Kuosmanen)
Based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Rosa Liksom the film reminded me of the power of subtle cinema. It also reminded me how much I love trains on film. This is a character-driven narrative that mostly takes place on a train traveling from Moscow to Murmansk. A Finnish student played with depth and grit by Seidi Haarla forms an unlikely friendship with a Russian miner who’s impish, feral, and secretly tender, played by Yuriy Borisov. He reminded me of an ex of mine from years ago. Macho on the outside, melted butter on the inside. It’s an unlikely love story set in a world that’s harsh and cold leaving little space for delicate things to blossom and yet that’s exactly why I felt so desperate to cling to the warm human moments. Watching this felt like protecting a small flower fighting its way through the snow.
Trailer:
Where to watch: Prime Video, VUDU, Apple TV.
extra, extra:
Timmy goes backless at the Venice premiere of Luca Guadagnino’s BONES AND ALL. We need his stylist.
a poem, as promised:
By my queen, Anne Sexton:
Ey Jessie! I havent seen that argentinian movie yet, which is weird because im from Argentina...but its been highly praised and its cool to see it here.
I have been enjoying your recs a lot! Thank you.