Mala Noche

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Audience Member The best romance movie ever made! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Gus van Sant's promising debut feature is an interesting story on obsessive desire. Black-and-white was the right choice for this low-budget romantic drama. The film revolves around undefined relationships, unbalanced by money, race, sexuality, age and language. Though the acting (other than the lead) and editing is little amateur, and the narration certainly takes away a little from the storytelling, overall, it's quite an amazing debut and properly conveys what it intended to. Few scenes are shot really well. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member Review In A Nutshell: There will be filmmakers that one would easily find a connection with and some would be difficult to appreciate; not completely understanding their sense of style and the thematic or emotional intentions they bring to their film. Gus Van Sant falls on the latter, with the films I have seen from him, so far, have caused me emotional alienation towards the characters he follows. It might be because he captures these characters with a story that does not rely on a basic three act arc and aiming for something more raw and honest. Mala Noche is another film from the director that deals with homosexuality, but like My Own Private Idaho, the film does not judge the characters for their sexual preferences, instead they are treated like any other person; focusing more on how their personal journey affects them at an emotional and intimate level rather than viewing them from a spectator's perspective. I never found myself bored of its Walt's journey, the protagonist; a story of obsession and love towards an individual who doesn't share the same feelings, but the film also does not put me in a state of thought or emotional movement that I would have hoped from such a personal story. The film displays characters that are not so perfect and easy to empathise with at times; our protagonist has flaws of his own, being firmly insistent in his desires, relentless of letting them go despite the other person already rejecting him, there is an obsession of fulfilling a sort of sexual fantasy that is tailored to his own psychological and emotional construct that it does create a feeling intimidation of those in the receiving end of it. Johnny, the young man that Walt was insisting in having sexual relations with, is also not a perfect person under Van Sant's eyes, with the character's flaws of opportunism being apparent in every scene; maintaining a relationship with Walt, drawing a line on what may be too far, but unwilling to drive himself completely away from him when constant sexual propositions are being raised as that would destroy an opportunity for security and shelter. The film's photography is dark and simplistic, possibly due to budgetary reasons; but Van Sant does not let this be a huge crutch for the film, finding clever ways of making the film feel stylish and at times emotionally effective even with its restrictions. The film's image is constantly filled with shadows, covering much of its environment, which Van Sant allows our attentions to remain on its characters. It is a strong move by the director and its director of photography, as it did make the film feel more personal and intimate; capturing characters in a light that speaks more of themselves internally than what they represent externally. Gus Van Sant is not an easy filmmaker to appreciate as he possesses a sense of style that requires repeated viewings and constant thought to find understanding and awareness in the subtleties of his work. Despite my not so high praises for his films, I am still willing to explore and watch more of his filmography; who knows, maybe his more well-known films like Elephant and Good Will Hunting might win me over. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Even at the start of his career, Van Sant has always been an artist who has savored the bittersweet pleasure of sadness and pain. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member No creo estar intelectualmente preparado para este tipo de cine tan experimental, conceptual, o como lo quieran calificar. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member My first trip to the Church of Gus, I was blown away by the film. Walt Curtis' stature as a Portland fixture was transformed here into a Portland icon. It was simply unlike anything I'd seen before and opened an entirely new way of looking at my fellow denizens of Stumptown. Thank you, Gus. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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