Robert Eggers uses the technology of film to create immersive experiences of psychological time travel; no one else is doing quite this project. The Northman is meant to make you feel like you are a true believer in Norse mythology living in tenth century, and it’s a trip, man
Conversation
oh man is there a term for this sort of immersion into subjectivity in film criticism? i really want a way to talk about it, it seems like by far the most interesting way to use the medium
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Pasolini calls it “poetic cinema,” though there isn’t really a standard usage of that term. Wrote about that here:
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this is gorgeous, thank you for sharing 🥲 you’ve definitely sold me on watching this movie
i think movies that aren’t upfront about their subjectivity are kinda pretending to an objectivity they don’t and can’t have
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i think about how novels used to insist on having frame stories: the narrator is supposed to be a real specific character who either experienced or was told about some events that they’re telling you about. film can pretend that no narrativizing has happened but it’s not true
Replying to
I think you don’t have to pick one character’s POV to tell a story from but I do think knowing what POV we’re seeing any given scene through helps us know what kind of experience we’re meant to be having
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right! i like novels that switch between multiple first-person narrators for this reason although i don’t really know any classy examples, the megamorphs books did this at least 😅
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