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Reviews
Silence of Scent (2023)
Good Film
The music, performance, & camera work is outstanding. Looking at the budget it's made on they've managed to put together a nice indie film.
That being said, pacing could've been a bit faster and there could've been more to the protagonist story.
The musician of this film deserves all the appreciation because he has done an outstanding job. Also the cinematographer has captured the frames beautifully and visuals look stunning. I personally like the use of different aspect ratios and it somewhat reminds me of Wes Andersons film although the tonality of this film is very different, but it does remind you of his work.
Overall a good indie film.
Beijing Diaries (2019)
Experimental, artistic, indie, dependent on music & performances
Saw Loners (Beijing Diaries) at a private screening. It seems to be a very experimental film in terms of its aesthetics. It depicts struggles of life & relationships. The characters are interesting and realistic. It is a character driven film and the characters you see are relatable. We either know people like them or encounter such people at some point in our lives.
The aesthetics and style of the film stands out mainly because of it's changing aspect ratio, documentary style shots, and heavy use of captions.
The dialogues of this film are also good, especially at the mid point of the film, they sum up the reality of the world we live in.
Although there is a lot going in favour of the film, but there are some flaws too. Firstly, not all characters are fleshed out completely and you may want to know more about them. Especially one character that really stands out in the film tends to have the shortest screen time and you really want to know more about that character. It's a great performance and had a lot of potential to be explored futher. Secondly, the pacing of the film changes close to the end of the film. It would've been better if it maintained the same pace throughout the film.
Special mention for the music composer of the film, he's done a great job and the film relies on music as much as it does on the performances. But it seems a bit over used at times. There are moments where more ambience could have been used.
If you like experimental or arthouse films with realistic characters and plots then you should give this one a shot.
Charlene (2020)
Unusual Film
There is a lot of information in this film about social and psychological issues. Pacing is a bit slow & the dance sequence could've been executed better, but the story is engaging and the style of filmmaking is unique. You seem to become a part of the story as you start getting to know about the two main characters.
I would highly recommend this film to arthouse or serious cinema lovers. It's not a usual drama film there is a subtext.
I noticed the film has won several awards and nominations, I sure it has something to do with the usual style of the film.
Give it shot.