Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by mr grits (A) on February 03, 2006 at 20:57:30

I fell in love with Potter during Orlando. Truly one of the most gorgeous films to behold. Tango Lesson was her move into feminine film making. Now, YES moves into a strange exploration of both philosophy and love. This is a seriously deep love story--the kind your wife blackmails you into watching together on the sofa. Yet, it has a second edge which puts culture as a counterpoint to their love.

Joan Allen soars as the unhappy wife who falls for a romantic Lebanese chef, Simon Abkarian. They flourish then whither just the same as we have with Middle East. They come unbound by opposing cultures and strain to resolve.

The dialog of this film is Mamet meets Shakespere with its ryhming patter. A seemingly odd device that echoes Prospero's Books but works to make the viewer concentrate on what is being said. A device of gravitas adding weight to Potter's philosophical expressions.

Not an easy recommendation: artsy-fartsy, involved, indulgent, beautifully framed, and littered with some Potterism's borrowed from the stylebook of Orlando.

See it with the squeeze. She will meltdown with Allen's emotional output.