Diary entries forBlue Moon
Blue Moon
To quote the movie, "I definitely didn't get it."
Blue Moon
A one night movie that could've run out the remainder of its night and I wouldn't have minded. The little movie-goer heart meter floating above my head just going up and up and up with each passing hour of deteriorating life.
Blue Moon
“I feel… superannuated.” There is something profoundly sad about Blue Moon, but not an explosive kind of sadness, rather one that drags itself through the voice, through uncomfortable silences and gestures that no one quite notices. Richard Linklater constructs a film that does not seek to explain Lorenz Hart, but to lock him in with us for a single night, forcing us to coexist with his discomfort. Ethan Hawke delivers a performance sustained almost entirely through the body. Every verbal and physical gesture conveys a strange mix of sorrow, irony, hope, and melancholy. Hart is a brilliant man who no longer belongs to the world he helped create, someone who talks too much in order not to say what truly hurts him. There are moments when he inspires pity, others when he is frankly uncomfortable to watch, and a few in which he lets slip a hope so faint that it hurts more than its absence. The staging feels intimate despite being surrounded by people. The bar is full, the music exists, but there is a very clear division between Hart’s presence and the social space around him. Physically there, but emotionally isolated, watching the world continue to move forward without him. Linklater uses this space to reinforce the idea that Hart no longer fits in, not because he lacks talent, but because time decided to leave him behind. At no point is Hart’s talent questioned. He has it. He is a man who once had the spotlight on him, but who now, dragged down by alcoholism and depression, has ceased to be part of the main cast. The film does not idealize the figure of the broken artist. Hart is presented as someone difficult to tolerate, full of resentment, insecurities, and a pride that no longer has anywhere to stand. And even so, it is impossible not to feel a certain empathy for him. Not because he is good, but because he is human. It is true that Blue Moon can feel excessively theatrical. The pacing is slow, dialogue dominates the narrative, and the film demands patience. There are no major twists or evident catharses. For some, this may feel monotonous; for me, it is precisely what gives it coherence. This is not a story about ascent or downfall, but about the exact moment when someone realizes they fell a long time ago. Hence the theatricality that Hart himself embodies to narrate his experiences, thoughts, and ideas, seeking only to be heard one last time, even if only on the merits of the past. And that is what makes Blue Moon hurt so much.
Blue Moon
Linklater’s dialogue driven film is back and as someone who very much enjoyed the Before Trilogy, I had a great time with this. Ethan Hawke is wonderful and even if this is a biopic and it takes place in this one bar, there is so much passion and heart to what he gives and especially with what is script is saying. Heartbreaking thanks Linklater
Blue Moon
O cara não para de falar. O filme todinho é ele com a boca aberta, sendo até acho, mas chega uma hora que entendi que esse era o charme dele. Gostei muito do final e as atuações tão do caralho.
Blue Moon
Blue Moon (2025): A Genius's Elegy in the Shadows of Sardi’s Blue Moon is not merely a biographical film; it is the pinnacle of a three-decade artistic collaboration between Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke. In 2025, they have chosen to abandon the temporal expansion characteristic of works like Boyhood to focus instead on the claustrophobic intensity of a single night. The resulting experience is a journey of overwhelming psychological depth, where the glory of musical theater is indistinguishably intertwined with personal tragedy. From the opening minutes, the film transports us to a date etched into Broadway history: March 31, 1943—the opening night of Oklahoma!. Linklater succeeds in ensuring that while the outside world celebrates the birth of a new cultural optimism, we remain anchored in a smoke-filled, shadow-saturated atmosphere inside Sardi’s restaurant, witnessing the extreme vulnerability of Lorenz "Larry" Hart. The most arresting aspect of the proposal is the decision to narrate events almost in real time. Sardi’s ceases to be a simple setting and becomes a wooden, alcohol-soaked purgatory where Hart’s past and present collide violently. Fluid Direction in a Static Environment: Despite the unity of place, Shane F. Kelly’s cinematography maintains a constant, fluid motion, navigating between tables and characters to capture the electric energy of the New York night, thereby avoiding the rigidity of filmed theater. Production Design: The meticulous reconstruction of Sardi’s, executed in a Dublin studio by Susie Cullen using original blueprints, allows the bar’s geography to function as a map of the protagonist's social relationships. The film does not require unexpected twists; its strength resides in the spoken word and physical presence. Ethan Hawke (Lorenz Hart): Delivers the role of a lifetime following a radical physical transformation involving prosthetics and contact lenses. His performance is a masterclass in duality: he projects an overflowing intellectual confidence while his eyes betray a childlike desperation and a profound need to be adored. Andrew Scott (Richard Rodgers): Awarded the Silver Bear, Scott avoids the clichés of the villain. He portrays a disciplined and pragmatic man who, though pained by his friend's deterioration, has decided to move forward for professional survival. Margaret Qualley (Elizabeth Weiland): Acts as the catalyst for Hart's final illusions. Her character, inspired by real letters discovered by screenwriter Robert Kaplow, provides a luminosity that contrasts with the decadence of the surroundings. The aesthetic of the film is a fascinating contradiction. The director of photography creates an atmosphere of amber tones and dense shadows that isolate Hart even when he is surrounded by people. However, it is impossible to ignore the most debated element: the use of forced perspective to simulate Hart’s short stature. Much like in The Lord of the Rings, Linklater employs optical tricks to "shrink" Hawke. While some critics argue this adds an essential physical vulnerability, others contend it creates a visual incongruity that may distract from the dramatic intimacy. Music that Disturbs and Narrates Graham Reynolds’ soundtrack is fundamental, serving as the beating heart of the work. Diegetic Character: The music emerges predominantly from the bar’s piano, reinforcing the sense of immediacy. Lyrics as Dialogue: Hart’s compositions—famed for their urban cynicism and wounded romanticism—are recited as a secret language between characters. Sound Design: The controlled cacophony of laughter, clinking glasses, and distant applause creates a sonic tide that threatens to drown the protagonist in his own irrelevance. As the story progresses, the courage of Robert Kaplow’s screenplay becomes evident. The film invites us to reflect on painful subjects: Repressed Identity: Hart’s homosexuality is addressed not as a sensationalist element, but as the root of his chronic loneliness in a society that celebrated his art but despised his reality. The Shift in Cultural Paradigm: The success of Oklahoma! symbolizes the displacement of Hart’s cynical sophistication by a new American idealism, leaving the lyricist as a relic of a bygone era. Friendship and Betrayal: The Rodgers-Hart relationship is portrayed as a worn-out creative marriage, questioning whether artistic evolution justifies the abandonment of personal loyalty. Final Valuation Story | 4.8 / 5 | A dense psychological study that transcends the conventional biopic. Acting | 5.0 / 5 | A tour-de-force by Hawke, supported by a masterful, award-winning Andrew Scott. Visuals | 4.0 / 5 | Immersive atmosphere, though the forced perspective proves divisive. Pacing | 3.8 / 5 | A dense, dialogue-driven development that demands total attention and patience. Total | 4.5 / 5 | A melancholy masterpiece and a fundamental piece in Linklater’s career. Blue Moon is a film that treats the viewer as an intelligent participant. Although it may be uncomfortable due to the rawness with which it analyzes human deterioration and alcoholism, the final sensation is one of absolute awe. It is, without doubt, a masterful demonstration of how cinema can portray our most hidden shadows, reminding us that behind every great artistic legacy, there often exists a human being struggling desperately to be loved.
Blue Moon
just not that way
Blue Moon
i wish I could yearn like that without having a second-hand embarrassment, but to him, it is truly enchantment...
Blue Moon
And all around me people are roaring. They are roaring at third-rate jokes. I wanted to grab the audience by the shoulders and say: "What are you laughing at? Come on. DEMAND MORE." ...but really who wants inoffensive art? I really had a lovely time watching ths movie. The bartender is such a witty, cool and compassionate side character. I feel like all of the side characters were written with true intension and care. Ethan Hawke completely disappears into the character and is an absolute treat to watch and listen to.
Blue Moon
90/100 My 2025 ranked - boxd.it/Fn1G4 (https://boxd.it/Fn1G4) You ever watched a person get his heart broken for an hour straight? Well you do now, you watch the brilliant Ethan Hawke portraying Lorenz Hart have the worst night of his life and all you can do is smile in pain. You watch a man lose his grasp on love and his art. You’re there 20 minutes into the film wondering where this is going and just like that voila! You’re at the end watching a man drowning his sorrows trying to entertain the few who respect the charismatic personality that he is. I find it melancholic how millions of people around the world just leave with a broken heart, a broken will. “I love you, just not that way!” The worst words you can hear from the lips of someone you thought reciprocated your feelings. No wonder many people including myself don’t have the courage to go that step further and confirm their feelings, the fear of being rejected or rather not being accepted for what you are willing to give to others but it simply not being the simplicities they desire. Love is complex, love passes but that fear of not being loved back clings on to you like a tail you cannot accept but deem too painful to cut. “You’re the best listener I’ve ever met.” Told to the man who speaks like there’s no tomorrow except when he’s around the one person whose voice he’d like to echo in his ears for the future he sees. Blue Moon is a conversation about a man in Lorenz Hart approaching the twilight of his career and unironically his life, it’s his loneliness both personally and professionally being laid out bare for us to indulge in. At times, this felt too real to be put on screen and this is about someone who died more than 70 years ago. Cinema sometimes just guides you into the life of a person you wish you could’ve met in the flesh but detest at the face that what you would’ve seen would be so much more sadder than you could dream of. “Dick - You’re unique. Larry - Sounds like you’re writing my obituary.” Metaphorically this is about a man being alienated to modernity, living in a time that ironically in hindsight was too unforgiving for him. He couldn’t be his true self and when he gave himself that chance of being what society deemed the norm, he left with nothing but loneliness. Larry comes at times narcissistic but it’s completely understandable that a man who’s been writing for or rather dictating a certain audience his whole life now all of a sudden doesn’t recognise who he’s writing for. More people than we think cannot adapt to the future and that’s the one downside to experience, it bites you at the time you thought you needed it most. Dick respects the talent, the mentor but he realises that he doesn’t respect the man anymore, he doesn’t respect the man who no longer respects the ones he wrote for. We see Larry being used over and over at the same bar and we see Ethan Hawke paint the expressions of a man who is aware but powerless. He realises that he takes himself for granted but he doesn’t know any other way for people to indulge. He’s respected but just not that way. One of the most beautifully written and addictive films of the year comes at hands of the everlasting duo in Linklater and Hawke about a man battling a time changing in taste for sentimentality but not empathy. A fascinating watch with an excellent half erect penis analogy.
