It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books

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Audience Member I certainly found difficult to watch this film, but this does not mean that I consider it a bad one. My "indulgence" (if any) is perhaps nothing but the consequence of the appreciation that I have for many of the works by Linklater (I would nonetheless give a lower rate to his much less controversial "Bad News Bears"), and I certainly would not recommend this film to someone that does not already have respect for Linklater's work, or who does not believe or understand the (perhaps too) radical approach to the art of Cinema implicit here. Because this is, indeed, a radical movie, in which the simple and somewhat irrelevant storyline, and the almost nonexistent dialogues, are subordinate to the goal of making the images, sounds, and movements captured by camera and mics speak by themselves. The camerawork (unfortunately not so much the sound) is very carefully crafted: it creates a style characteristic of the movie, and my impression is that overall the work is guided by a very precise intention of talking about certain aspects of life (the visual world of post-industrialization, the contemporary experience of a certain lack of meaning and isolation, the magnificence in natural landscapes, the power of their stillness…) that are seldom treated with such a "raw" approach.

 This might be a very good movie for the distant future: it is a cristal clear window to nowadays' life for those who want to take a peek into our present in 300 or 1000 years. Perhaps this is the very reason why it might be difficult for us to watch it. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review camille l Il est difficile d'évaluer correctement le premier film de Richard Linklater tant ce qu'il en reste aujourd'hui est aux antipodes de ce qu'on a l'habitude de voir. Constamment entre le documentaire et le film de fiction, très probablement entièrement improvisé et surtout sans aucun plot pour se raccrocher aux branches, It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books suit un type joué par Richard Linklater dont on ne voit quasiment jamais le visage qui voyage à travers le pays en rencontrant des personnes avec qui il tient des conversations pour le moins obscures. Clairement, l'idée est plus intéressante que la finition mais on peut voir ici et là quelques éclairs de génie. C'est un peu court sur 90 minutes, mais ça a le mérite d'exister. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Richard Linklater's first feature film may not be a movie for everybody. Its minimal and non-traditional plot will divide audiences, and some may diss it by saying "dull". But this is a must-see movie for aspiring directors and those who love Linklater's work. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Richard Linklater's first feature (included as a supplement to the Criterion release of "Slacker") follows a young man travelling on a train, visiting his parents and so on. Almost dialogue free and focusing on the mundane (sleeping on a train, walking somewhere, watching tv), it is more than a little boring. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Richard Linklater's debut movie, available only as second disc in the Slacker DVD package (explaining the cover art displayed here), this is a uberminimal road movie shot in Super-8. A guy flicking through TV channels, landscapes gliding by seen from a train, finding a radio station... everyday boring normal shit packaged into arthouse cinema. Interesting and somewhat entrancing, but a bit too drawn out at times. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Richard Linklater's experimental debut is truly a film that stands on its own. But it's not for everyone. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews

It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books

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