nathansnook

Boy Meets Girl

“𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴. 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘺. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘱 𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭. 𝘕𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰 𝘐.” Stripped back, low budget Carax works for me with its beautiful use of black-and-white that plays with German Expressionism and cute tricks from the Nouvelle Vague. The over-excited tone to want to say too much, without filter, is better refined through metaphor in later Carax, but all of this works as a debut born with youthful ambition. There's so much heart in the theatrics and strange of mundane lives and moments. Strange cast of characters. Almost feels like a dream, sweeping in and out, only to be awoken by a nudge of annoyance, an overwritten line here and there, but it's so purely Carax, so purely angsty and youthful. In all honesty, I wish I watched this as a teenager when I watched too much Godard and Truffaut. I would've loved it a lot more. But sitting here, too far into my own present tense, I can see my younger self for loving it so much, and I think that's a gift in itself.