tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post1686218441102759653..comments2024-01-21T11:18:54.087-05:00Comments on Lost in the Movies: The Son (Best of the 21st Century?)Joel Bockohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-3761022564895732052012-07-25T20:46:02.603-04:002012-07-25T20:46:02.603-04:00Thanks, Rudolph - the Dardennes are a challenge fo...Thanks, Rudolph - the Dardennes are a challenge for me as I respect what they're doing, yet it doesn't seem to work as well for me as for others. I think I'm fonder of the older neorealist style which took a more respectful physical difference (and perhaps less of an emotional distance) from its characters. But I still have only seen a couple of their films (both of which admired and found absorbing) and their influence on the current crop of young filmmakers has been huge so I look forward to seeing more from them. Always a pleasure to get feedback, especially on older pieces - hope you stick around!Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-62382958258761028642012-07-25T13:14:21.815-04:002012-07-25T13:14:21.815-04:00Thanks for your review!
You offer yourself an imp...Thanks for your review!<br /><br />You offer yourself an important key for experiencing, and perhaps as well as 'understanding' The Son:<br /><br />"The important thing is not what they're doing but the solid ground and peace of mind it offers them."<br /><br />In my opinion, BOTH what the characters are doing, and the solid ground and peace of mind it offers them, are revealing.<br /><br />The Dardennes go beyond the Hollywood mythology of a character's arc, and have developed their own ways of telling a story on film.<br /><br />The tension between those two characters is reflected in the whole of their bodies, their body language. For a long time, it fuels questions, and then these questions, for me, become philosophical: what would I do, how would I react, what would I initiate.<br /><br />To me it is astonishing, the ways the Dardennes show the resolution of this tension. No grand gestures, no 'set piece' needed, just the two of them coming to terms with the tragedy of their past. The final struggle is that resolution.<br /><br />The Son, for me, is one of the best films ever made.<br /><br />In their later film, Le Gamin au Velo, their is a great line for the 'mother' in that film, when the 'son' bumps into her life, literally grabs hold of her: "You can hold me, but not that rough".<br /><br />It's a line that is so subtle, and it perfectly tells us everything about the Dardennes humanism. A true quest for redemption hurts, and the healing opportunities are there in every 'simple' moment, of everyday life.<br /><br />Bob Rafelson's Five Easy Pieces, is another great film about someone's quest for redemption. It's a great American film of the '70s and it is very dear to me. That's a perfect classic Hollywood character arc. <br /><br />But for me, still, The Son beats that film.<br /><br />Cheers, RudolphR. Hendriksnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-76957051406761574812010-09-22T22:00:21.856-04:002010-09-22T22:00:21.856-04:00Thanks for the interest, Mike - hope you enjoy the...Thanks for the interest, Mike - hope you enjoy the rest of the series. However, I'm actually moving down the list not up (so check out the previous entries for "higher-ups"), plus these are how they're ranked on the list I'm working from, a list that calculates (based on year-end top 10s and other criteria) the "most acclaimed films of the decade." So the ranking doesn't reflect my take on the films, but a wider critical consensus. Here's a link for further explanation:<br /><br />http://wondersinthedark.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/best-of-the-21st-century-new-version/Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-32592391816662472612010-09-22T17:10:12.007-04:002010-09-22T17:10:12.007-04:00If The Son is only at number 85 you must have some...If The Son is only at number 85 you must have some real treasures still to come. Look forward to seeing the rest of the entires.The Taxi Driverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04352371911592068643noreply@blogger.com