Osmund, a young monk, sends his lover (the fact that he has a lover is a major cause of guilt) off to a far-away village in order to keep her safe from the pestilence. After her departure, Osmund prays for a sign - should he leave the monastery to be with her and do God's work elsewhere or stay true to his vows? Conveniently, a band of mercenaries hired by a bishop comes through looking for a guide to take them to the same village to which Osmund's lover has gone; Osmund's sign from God has come. However, the village is full of pagans and a necromancer has been raising dead there. It is the mercenaries job to bring God's justice to the place.
What could be an incredibly boring "road trip" film quickly turns on questions of religious extremism, superstition, love and righteousness as the group approaches the village. No doubt something is odd but Smith does a careful job of twisting the plot and making the viewer continually question who they should be rooting for. Though the film revolves around Osmund (maybe the only one originally pure of heart) all of the characters and their choices are interesting and important. The film does not end on a particularly happy note and the last thirty minutes are quite thought-provoking. The oppressive level of tension throughout the film almost makes the ending inevitable.
I'm really interested to hear Brandon's thoughts on this film based on his love of horror movies and John's thoughts based on his search for morality in film. Rather surprisingly, I find myself a fan of Black Death.
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Over the last few nights I've also watched two other films - The Yellow Handkerchief and Frozen River.
The Yellow Handkerchief is about an unlikely group of people (an ex-con, a 15 year old girl and a young man - not as creepy as it sounds) who find themselves on a road trip together. Over the course of a few days they begin to bond and learn the secret behind the ex-con's past. The ending has a surprisingly touching payoff mostly driven by the wonderful acting of all the characters.
I had been looking forward to Frozen River for a while but it kept getting put off until I was able to watch all the 2010 films I wanted to see. I'm really glad that I finally got to it. Melissa Leo was excellent.
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To begin to address John's question:
Why do I like Catfish so much? I have been thinking about this recently as I have begun to realize that I am in the minority on this film. A lot of it probably has to do with the fact that I have been spending a lot of time exploring social media and thinking about the impacts it is having on our relationships, which is something that this film really questions. How do we present ourselves online? Do we lie – intentionally or not – about who we are? Can social media really help us create new and meaningful relationships with others who are worlds away? What will this mean for us personally in the ways that we love, trust and empathize with other people?
Yes, the guys definitely have a self-important air about them. I am not sure I find them particularly likable but I do find them real. And I think that is what I see in the film - or am making myself see in it. I like that it starts out as these guys (hipsters?) thinking they are going to document this lovely "artistic" relationship. The reality turns out to be something emotional and awkward. In Angela I see lost dreams and someone just trying to get by - in a very screwed up way. Like I said before, I think Catfish holds a mirror up to our digital world – and what we see is not what we expect, but then life rarely is.
I can understand why people do not like the film - it is not the most visually stunning or finely-crafted documentary and it is all a bit "weird." Nevertheless, I appreciate the questions is raises and the overwhelming feeling of sadness I had afterwards.
That's all for now but feel free to press me some more on this film. I am just as surprised as anyone else that I have reacted so strongly to it.
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Jeffrey:
Your post had made me really want to watch A Single Man again. I want to head back into some classics that I have missed now but I may just make room for that one again soon - especially if John and Brandon are going to see it. I'd want another viewing before wading into serious discussion about it. I remember my emotional reaction to the film but not specific details.
Also, I still plan to watch 127 Hours eventually. It never really appealed to me but after seeing Howl (I agree, the courtroom scenes were pretty great) and with your recommendation, I will give it a shot. The White Ribbon has been at the top of my NWI queue for a long time but keeps getting bumped last minute. Time of the Wolf is actually the Haneke film I want to see the most right now. I read a great article about him a few months ago and immediately loaded all his movies into my queue...then promptly watched none of them.
During my time off from school I've got several books I want to get read but I also plan to attempt at least one movie a night. Hopefully that means lots of Film Club blogging in the coming days.
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