Another fascinating essay on a filmmaker I have yet to dive into; mainly because his work remains almost impossible to find outside the physical releases. You're description of this one in particular seems right in the wheelhouse of my taste...that kind of plotless, stream of consciousness style of storytelling. Just might have to buckle down and blind buy some Królikiewicz, then. I trust your cinephile judgement here :)
Thank you so much for reading this piece, Jericho! I think you'd really enjoy this one. I definitely suggest snagging the Radiance release if you can, just because the restoration is so stunning (and their special features are always a treat), but I'll also flag that you can watch the film on YT right now (with subs) if you want to do that first, before making the commitment!
Dropping back in after watching this yesterday. Loved it! Felt right at home, especially during the film's opening where things are at their most wildly experimental. It's weird. My brain tends to find these kinds of anti-narrative aesthetics comforting. Something that I'm not sure will connect with a lot of people is how absurd and hilarious I found the film. I have similar reactions to the work of Andrzej Zulawski, which this reminded me of at times. The absurdity of totalitarianism. The absolute lunacy of those involved. The emasculated energy of so many of these pathetic, feeble men making love to the sound of their own voices. It's a sad depressing snapshot to be sure, but I was laughing a lot throughout. Maybe I'm just demented, who knows haha. Thanks again for pushing this one! I'm always hungry for new discoveries and Królikiewicz certainly fits the bill. :)
This makes me so happy to hear!! I gasped when I saw you note the Żuławski connection — I actually wrote down the same thing in my watch notes! I kept thinking specifically of The Devil at certain moments, not because the films are doing the exact same thing, but because they share that sense of reality becoming hysterical/unstable.
And yes to the humor! I laughed far more than I expected to, as well, while also feeling pretty awful about it all. Bizarre sensation, heh. Really glad you checked it out and even happier that it connected with you. :)
P.S. I'm working on a new project around The Dead Mountaineer's Hotel by Grigori Kromanov, which is another title I think would totally be up your alley.
I've had The Dead Mountaineer's Hotel on my watchlist for ages! Is this the Deaf Crocodile release? It's another one that seems hard to find online anywhere.
Another fascinating essay on a filmmaker I have yet to dive into; mainly because his work remains almost impossible to find outside the physical releases. You're description of this one in particular seems right in the wheelhouse of my taste...that kind of plotless, stream of consciousness style of storytelling. Just might have to buckle down and blind buy some Królikiewicz, then. I trust your cinephile judgement here :)
Thank you so much for reading this piece, Jericho! I think you'd really enjoy this one. I definitely suggest snagging the Radiance release if you can, just because the restoration is so stunning (and their special features are always a treat), but I'll also flag that you can watch the film on YT right now (with subs) if you want to do that first, before making the commitment!
Dropping back in after watching this yesterday. Loved it! Felt right at home, especially during the film's opening where things are at their most wildly experimental. It's weird. My brain tends to find these kinds of anti-narrative aesthetics comforting. Something that I'm not sure will connect with a lot of people is how absurd and hilarious I found the film. I have similar reactions to the work of Andrzej Zulawski, which this reminded me of at times. The absurdity of totalitarianism. The absolute lunacy of those involved. The emasculated energy of so many of these pathetic, feeble men making love to the sound of their own voices. It's a sad depressing snapshot to be sure, but I was laughing a lot throughout. Maybe I'm just demented, who knows haha. Thanks again for pushing this one! I'm always hungry for new discoveries and Królikiewicz certainly fits the bill. :)
This makes me so happy to hear!! I gasped when I saw you note the Żuławski connection — I actually wrote down the same thing in my watch notes! I kept thinking specifically of The Devil at certain moments, not because the films are doing the exact same thing, but because they share that sense of reality becoming hysterical/unstable.
And yes to the humor! I laughed far more than I expected to, as well, while also feeling pretty awful about it all. Bizarre sensation, heh. Really glad you checked it out and even happier that it connected with you. :)
P.S. I'm working on a new project around The Dead Mountaineer's Hotel by Grigori Kromanov, which is another title I think would totally be up your alley.
I've had The Dead Mountaineer's Hotel on my watchlist for ages! Is this the Deaf Crocodile release? It's another one that seems hard to find online anywhere.
It is, yes! This one is certainly trickier to find, so I'm really grateful for the Deaf Crocodile release.