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Black Mirror: Metalhead 2017 ★★★★
For me, Black Mirror is usually at it best when its bleak and boy, does this one deliver in that department. Also pretty gory by BM-standards.
We don't know much and we do not need to. In fact, this makes for a good example of “show, don't tell”.
Everything's gone to hell in this post apocalyptic world where people suffer so much that their peers would travel far and wide to at least provide some form of relief.
That is until they stumble into what I can only describe as Ravage from Transformers with Skynet technology. It will not stop... ever... until you are dead. You get no relief whatsoever, not even when you are as resourceful as Bella and (eventually) manage to kill one. And needless to say, the final shot is utterly and completely heartbreaking.
Tiger Stripes 2023 ★★★★
A long anticipated watch and was it worth it? There certainly were a lot of great things to it and I will certainly go in for a rewatch in an attemmpt to better understand it.
It's mostly a coming of age story. Yes, there is some body horror thrown in but throughout the film's runtime it's more dosed – you certainly will not OD on it – but the main focus is more on the alienation and people being shunned for being different, with Farah becoming more and more of a bully as the story progressed.
The trailer and the plot synopsis led me into seeing this as a version of Carrie, with a big difference being that Zaffan's father is still around and pretty much the character she connects with the most. But Zaffan is also way more lively as a character. Living the struggles of most teenagers, like trying to find a balance between living your life and pursuing your passions while at the same time trying to fit in and making friends. Floating back and forth between her attempt to join the girl scouts and her more sass moments where she stands up to Farah. Showing the type of courage that her other friend does not have. She also stands up to her mother and Dr. Rahim.
And Dr. Rahim is... he sure is a piece of work. From the very first shot, he drips Charlatan with capital C – I love how letterboxd cast him as snake oil exorcist – and is of course out of his debt when shit gets real.
This is not for people who don't look like open endings. This movie leavers a lot unresolved or perhaps better “unelaborated” like some of the supernatural elements or the fact that some of the bullies suffer from some sort of epileptic episode. To be fair, it only adds to the mistery and the only thing I liked less was the way the Farah storyline was resolved. But going into details there would go into spoiler territory.
A fascinating watch and well worth looking out for.
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