Secret Defense: A Close-Up on Arnaud Desplechin’s ‘Esther Kahn’
“Phoenix delivers an opaque but strikingly physical performance, reminiscent of the women in Charlie Chaplin’s films.”
The Woman and the Puppet: On Abel Ferrara’s ‘New Rose Hotel’
“Her power lies in her opaqueness.”
Recap: Vinyl ‘Cyclone’
“‘Cyclone’ is the most trying episode of Vinyl yet for anyone less than fascinated with Bobby Cannavale’s Richie Finestra”
Of Love and Other Demons: ‘La Religieuse’ (Jacques Rivette, 1966)
A Weekly Column on Love and Erotica in Cinema by Justine A. Smith
Locarno 2015: ‘La vallée’ (Barbet Schroeder, 1972)
“La vallée is not an entirely successful film, largely because of its limp energy and problematic ideological frameworks. It is, however, intensely bizarre and a fascinating portrait of a particular time and place.”