IMPORTANT NOTE: please use a VPN whenever visiting Hextube, or anywhere else on the internet, for that matter. Protect your privacy.
For this Sunday Kino Night, first up is Happiness (1998), a black comedy from cult director Todd Solondz (and his best-regarded work) about the painfully awkward encounters between various weirdos in suburban America. This one was mentioned over and over again as a great companion piece for Gummo (1997), which we watched and enjoyed a few days ago. Think that, but bourgeois instead of working-class, and you pretty much have what this movie is, in terms of tone. Excellent reviews for this one, so we'll give it a try.
Next is The Double Life of Veronique (1991), a tale of two inexplicably identical women, one in Poland, and one in France, who seem to share each other’s thoughts. Both want to be singers, and Veronique (the French one) lives in a quasi-dream-like state in which she is not quite sure if she is awake or not. Then, she falls in love with a puppeteer. Strange magical-realist stuff follows. Will the two women meet? I guess we’ll find out. This was the first French production of Polish auteur Krzysztof Kieslowski, whose split-timeline drama Blind Chance (1987) we previously watched. This is generally considered one of the best French films of the 90s, so let’s check it out. We’ll start at 8PM EST on Hextube, right here: https://live.hexbear.net/c/movies Be there, comrades!
Letterboxd:
- Happiness: https://letterboxd.com/film/happiness/
- The Double Life of Veronique: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-double-life-of-veronique/
Doesthedogdie.com links:
- Happiness: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/19179
- The Double Life of Veronique: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/51290
CWs for Happiness:
- One of the subplots is about a pedophile. His acts are not directly depicted, but his intentions are obvious.
- Discussion of pedophilia.
- Deaths of animals.
- Abusive parents.
- Stalking.
- Domestic violence.
- Child abuse.
- Alcoholism.
- Animal abuse.
- Suicide.
- A woman is slapped.
- Someone is physically restrained.
- Unconsciousness.
- Broken bones.
- Sexualization of minor.
- Ableist slurs.
- Cheating.
- Razors.
- Shower scene.
- Someone soils themselves.
- Vomiting.
- Semen.
- Hospital scene.
- Mental illness.
- Violent mentally-ill person.
- Misophonia.
- Suicide.
- Crying baby.
- Screaming.
- Profanity.
- Someone is watched without their knowledge.
- Fat jokes.
- Homophobic slurs.
- Death of LGBT person.
- Age gap.
- Nudity.
- Discussion of incest.
- Sad ending.
CWs for The Double Life of Veronique:
- Sex.
- Nudity.
- Someone struggles to breathe.
- Unstable reality.
- Hallucinations.
- Nervous breakdowns.
- Shaky cam.
Links to movies:
- Happiness: https://tankie.tube/w/jyd1JYc6NQmwPiUEQSJcqp
- The Double Life of Veronique: https://tankie.tube/w/m1cswdhnqDFUTc3jJ38dAJ
Should mention Happiness got an NC-17 rating despite having very little nudity (I think just one scene with some boobs? It's been a few years since I've seen it) and no serious violence.
It's a unique example of the American rating system. I think it might be the only NC-17 film to get the rating solely based on dialog. Everything else with the rating is due to violence or "graphic" sexual content (I use the term loosely because what the MPAA considers graphic is anything not acceptable to the male gaze).