The Limits of Control
Posted by Gordon on August 10, 2009
Limits of control poster
I loved it. But I’m in a small group.
The NYT points out that a shot of Paz de la Huerta’s buttock’s is framed to evoke Brigitte Bardot in Le Mepris (Contempt; JL Goddard).
The SMH reckons it’s ultimately pointless.
And this Cineopinion blog pans it rather more viciously. Here’s what I was provoked to reply:
Most enjoyable film I’ve seen in years. Went back the next night to see it again.
I think the problem for the reviewer is that it doesn’t really have an emotional key. This means it is not [=doesn't pretend to be] ‘real’. But since when do movies have to be real? One advantage is you don’t leave thinking you have been subject to emotional manipulation as in 99% of mainstream and fewer, but still way too many, ‘indie’ or ‘art house’ films.
The reviewer suggests harks back to ’90s cool, whatever that is. I think rather Euro ’60s into 70s.
Storytelling is great, we couldn’t get by without it. But it’s nice to try something else for a change – beauty for its own sake?
Channelling Hal Hartley – well maybe a little, but much more Hitchcock, Lynch, Antonioni (the Passenger for example) and, as the NYT has it, the Goddard of Contempt.
So if you just want to watch and wonder without your heart strings being yanked; give it a go
And part of the beauty is the soundtrack by Boris. Doubt I’d listen to it without the pictures but it worked in the movie. Boris you say? I didn’t either; they’re a Japanese metal band but here doing trippy slow grunge … [oh and also Sunn O))) and Bad Rabbit and petenares flamenco and Schubert..]
At least Julie Rigg liked it:
But it is formally beautiful. Cinematographer Christopher Doyle does his best work here since his early collaborations with Wong Kar-wai. For me, that was enough. I was carried along, delighted with the sound and imagery, and happy to play Jarmusch’s mind games. If cinema is like that for you, sound and image first, story second, then this film could pleasure you as well. If you want some brisk drama, please stay away.
Postscript 7 August
Lyrics for “He who thinks he is a big man ..” [It is the middle verse of these three that Jarmusch uses - something like - he who thinks himself above the rest, go to the cemetery to see what life is, a handful of dirt.]
Sombra le peí a una fuente
agua le pedí a un olivo
me ha puesto a mí tu querer
que no sé ni lo que digo.El que se tenga por grande
que se vaya al cementerio
y verá lo que es el mundo
es un palmo de terreno.Hay gente que va diciendo
que es dueña de la verdad
la verdad no tiene dueño.
[one verse of rather a lot from http://www.horizonteflamenco.com/pagina.php?n=esa_letra]
Three quarters of the way through the film the Lone Man meets Yukoi Kudoh in a train. There’s an amazing shot of a desert wind farm through the train window, and Yuki does her rap on science before giving a parting shot.
She: Among us there are those who are not among us
He: I am among no one.
