… to any American readers privileged with access to a good arthouse cinema, that Claire Denis’s wondrous “35 Shots of Rum” finally bows Stateside this weekend. I’ve been raving about the film — a sweetly melancholy, impeccably detailed study of a devoted Parisian father and daughter gradually separating their lives — since I saw it at the Edinburgh fest in June, and it remains in my top three for 2009 thus far.
You don’t have to take my word for it, though: as much as I dislike people who quote Metacritic stats as some kind of inarguable gospel, it’s fair to say that a film with an MC score of 96 is likely to quite good. To jog your memory, my brief Edinburgh take on “35 Shots of Rum” is here. (With the benefit of hindsight, that 3.5 star rating would certainly get bumped up.)
Meanwhile, with the similarly excellent “Disgrace” also opening in limited release today, discerning New York moviegoers have a rich selection before them. I just got off the phone with the film’s breakthrough star Jessica Haines (watch out for our interview in the next few weeks), and she discussed the tortuous path the film has taken to finally reach American screens after debuting on the festival circuit a full year ago. Same goes for the Denis film.
So it’d be nice if some people bothered to see them. Take a chance.
Comments
One response to “Just a friendly reminder…”
The reviews are truly sensational. This year might be a double whammy for Denis with this and White Material.
In more great news about female directors, Bright Star is also getting very good reviews. But rather predictably, its more of a hit with the measured high brow critics than with the entire critical spectrum. Some people are saying its too refined and restrained for academy awards consideration, so I guess it won’t be nominated afterall. But everyone is raving about the film’s visual splendor.