And yet, while there certainly is heavy doses of symbolism throughout, the whole “life as fate” story quickly seems to get lost. There’s a scene in the parking garage when they first interact that seems to set up a very “magical realism” world at work in the film. Later that day when she meets a man whose hair forms a question mark on his forehead, she’s resigned that this is the man she’ll be with the rest of her life. She’s told that her soulmate will be a man with a question mark on his face. Our main character is Kay (Karen Colston) – a woman seemingly about 24-25 years old – is having her tea leaves read.
#SWEETIE 1989 MOVIE#
The movie starts off being about the fate in one’s life. Sweetie seems like an explanation for how women get to that point in their lives. The movies play out as they find a way to communicate their desires and change their fate. These women are silent and in the case of The Piano mute as they face their problems. Both of those films would tell the story of strong women trapped in situations, often caused by the men in their lives, at a crossroads in their lives. I come to Sweetie with full appreciation of what Jane Campion would put out as her follow-up films – An Angel At My Table and The Piano. She’s become quite famous for her Academy Award-winning The Piano (where she was only the second female director ever to be nominated for an Oscar), The Portrait Of A Lady, and even her recent Bright Star about John Keats. Their latest release, Sweetie is a 1989 directorial feature debut by Jane Campion. The Criterion Collection is best known for their releases of classic films as well as important contemporary films. With a director who mainly deals with artistic subjects, it’s interesting to connect the dots and follow the growth from 1988 to 2009. Reviewing a film by an artist like that is easy because one can summon themes from a number of previous films to support criticism of the most current film. I recently was able to sit down and review White Material (2009) – a film directed by a female director twenty years into her directorial career.
0 kommentar(er)
