Reviews

After watching Saudade, the latest release from writer, director, and actor Kemal Yildirim, it's easy to find words of praise.

Named after a feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia, Saudade is one of the first films I've seen in a long time without clicking Pause.

So what's this film about?

On the surface we have a troubled couple making out, slapping each other around kind of film. Essentially flashbacks of a stormy romance with fairly straightforward images of coffee grinding and cleansing (reminiscent of Lady Macbeth?). But the camerawork, pacing and strong performances suggest more.

If we were to compare this short film to music, someone like Erik Satie might come to mind. The tight edits are reminiscent of the parsimony in Satie's work. And the overall feel is atmospheric and somewhat ambiguous, again like Satie.

A phone call in the closing scene could answer a few questions. Make Saudade clear. But I was still trying to put things together after the credits.

Some might find this deliberate mystification lacking and others, satisfying. There is no definite epiphany; instead, we're just left with lingering uncertainty.

I've been reviewing Yildirim's films for almost a decade, and Saudade is a definite step forward or perhaps a shift in direction. The film deals with memories, emotion and is infinitely subtler than the director's earlier projects.

Saudade is an open-ended drama that will probably speak to more moviegoers than we realize.

The legendary Lorelei is a dark enchantress who lures fisherman and sailors to their death. In geography she is a steep rock over 400 feet high on the bank of the Rhine river.

Her legend survives in countless songs and stories. So Mol Smith's The Lorelei continues a long tradition of blending feminine beauty, danger and death—in French and in the arts, she's la femme fatale.

From the opening frames of this Indie film, set and shot around Oxford, I knew I would enjoy it. But not just because the story takes place at Oxford.

After a scenic introduction, The Lorelei quickly moves into a well- paced, supernaturally tinged murder mystery that poses tough questions often overlooked by the learned.

For me art isn't just about churning out what moviegoers have come to expect. Rather, good art challenges. And this flick certainly challenged me.

If any topic is appropriate for going out of a limb, artistically speaking, it is this one---alien abductions. So to critique the film because it's not 'gone Hollywood,' well, that would be pretty facile.

I watched a complimentary review copy so some might think I didn't pay for it and just want to give this film a nice gloss to keep more films coming in for my blog. B.S. I paid for it. If anyone ever tries to write a full review, they'll soon discover it's quite a bit of work. Not free. And for the record, I have no formal connection with any of the cast or crew.

As I told the contact for this film, I don't like the star rating system. So my lack of a star rating for this flick only means I don't think it would be appropriate to try to simplify this film down to a number. Art is more complicated than that.

Anyhow, I've written enough. Watch the movie and find out for yourself if it conveys deeper meaning or not. For me, it does. :)