100 Words on Andrey Zvyagintsev's Loveless (2017)

By Thomas Puhr

One of the first stills released from Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Loveless (2017) was an overhead shot of young Alyosha (Matvey Novikov) squinting up at the sun. At first glance, the angle could easily be mistaken for an upward tilt, as if a flashlight or camera has caught him hiding in the tree of a dark forest. This image – almost surreal in nature – is among Zvyagintsev’s most arresting compositions. I often think about it, and of Alyosha – who will soon wander off and never be seen again – sobbing alone in his room while his oblivious parents (Maryana Spivak and Aleksey Rozin) argue.

100 Words on Ben Wheatley's In the Earth (2021)

By Thomas Puhr

How do we get out of this mess? In his strongest (and strangest) film since A Field in England (2013) – with which In the Earth (2021) enters thematic and stylistic dialogue – Ben Wheatley follows a group of scientists attempting to reconnect with nature (via a kaleidoscopic forest) in the face of a global catastrophe. The parallels to an unnamed COVID-19 are obvious (characters reference quarantine, lockdown, social distancing, etc.), but Wheatley’s concerns extend to a dying planet with which we’ve lost touch. Spiritual and scientific dogmatism must be relinquished in favor of a heady brew of both. Therein lies salvation.

100 Words on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Poster by Tom Miatke

By Thomas Puhr 

Whereas contemporary adaptations of literary epics tend to sag in their first installments – becoming feature-length expositions – The Fellowship of the Ring confidently immerses viewers into Tolkien’s Middle Earth via painterly compositions, gracefully choreographed set pieces, and committed performances. The latter quality proves crucial; none of the actors – especially Wood, Astin, and Mortensen – are allowed the safety net of self-aware winks to the camera. The risk of such an approach is sentimentality (to which Jackson often succumbs), but I’ll take that over ironic posturing any day. Revisiting the film some twenty years later, I’m most struck – and charmed – by this earnestness.

100 Words on George A. Romero's The Amusement Park (1973)

By Thomas Puhr

George A. Romero delivers The Amusement Park’s message – namely, that the socioeconomic marginalization of America’s elderly must be addressed – with his trademark blunt force severity. Nested within the surreal visuals and kaleidoscopic editing, however, is a far subtler (and despairing) suggestion: that the film’s lesson will likely be ignored. Consider how a teenaged couple reacts to glimpsing their impoverished future – courtesy of a fortuneteller – with anger rather than compassion (the boyfriend assaults the nameless protagonist, played by a sympathetic Lincoln Maazel, soon after). Or how the narrator (Maazel) – after urging volunteers to take action – walks alone as the credits roll.