mañana negra synopsis
On Christmas night, a heartbroken girl uncovers how the impact of leaving home shapes her will to love.
Winner of: Pivotal Fund, United Arts Council of Raleigh, Filmed in NC Fund, Southern Equality Fund, Cucalorus Film Fund, Winner of Best Experimental Film at LIFE Festival.
Morvern Callar Review
“Morvern Callar” has worked the way a song becomes an earworm, I really cannot stop thinking about that film ever since I’ve seen it.
For years, “Ratcatcher” reigned as my favorite Lynne Ramsay film and now I think it might very well be “Morvern Callar”. The choices the characters make in that film are so fascinating and how Ramsay decides to depict them showcases such a singular vision. Each choice in framing - when to obscure a face by framing out the eyes, movement - when to pan in a ghostly entrance into a supermarket, lighting- somehow so natural and at times surreal, song and acting works so inexplicably well. And even amongst all of that, what really struck me is how she directed her female lead. The man inside my brain called ~internalized misogyny~ was really shook to see how brave some choices were, and they were also so simple.
My favorite filmmakers are women - Celine Sciamma, Claire Denis, Jane Campion and more. Currently, I am endlessly inspired by how women direct films and how oftentimes the end product is so defiant in the face of how men want to dictate what are women and what are their desires. I am not even sure if Lynne Ramsay, Claire Denis or others are aware of whether “this is a “woman’s” film” and have that intention but that is in a way irrelevant. Their films are naturally defiant.
Like girls, a man could never direct “Morvern Callar”. And that to me, like I said, is endlessly inspiring. 😌❤️🔥
For years, “Ratcatcher” reigned as my favorite Lynne Ramsay film and now I think it might very well be “Morvern Callar”. The choices the characters make in that film are so fascinating and how Ramsay decides to depict them showcases such a singular vision. Each choice in framing - when to obscure a face by framing out the eyes, movement - when to pan in a ghostly entrance into a supermarket, lighting- somehow so natural and at times surreal, song and acting works so inexplicably well. And even amongst all of that, what really struck me is how she directed her female lead. The man inside my brain called ~internalized misogyny~ was really shook to see how brave some choices were, and they were also so simple.
My favorite filmmakers are women - Celine Sciamma, Claire Denis, Jane Campion and more. Currently, I am endlessly inspired by how women direct films and how oftentimes the end product is so defiant in the face of how men want to dictate what are women and what are their desires. I am not even sure if Lynne Ramsay, Claire Denis or others are aware of whether “this is a “woman’s” film” and have that intention but that is in a way irrelevant. Their films are naturally defiant.
Like girls, a man could never direct “Morvern Callar”. And that to me, like I said, is endlessly inspiring. 😌❤️🔥
Review
Todd Haynes’ eclectic “Velvet Goldmine” has been one of my greatest cinematic influences. Haynes, early in his career, created an utterly unique film that weaved documentary style with otherworldly theatrics and the prose of Oscar Wilde to create a fictional exploration of a David Bowie-esque Glitter Rock icon. Haynes’ style has greatly transformed throughout his career, and it is in this distinct moment where his hunger to create irreplicable queer cinema is palpable. The timeline of the film is completely nonlinear, with many moving elements and symbolisms that has made watching this film dozens of times easy for me. The layers of this film has led me to new discoveries with each watch. The film’s cinematographer, Maryse Alberti, uses an electric visual language that takes influences from seventies cinematography. The film explores queerness in a fearless and provocative manner. The amalgamation of many styles and ideas leads to a film that is truly unlike any other. I came across this almost forgotten film as a highschooler with an insatiable obsession with Ewan McGregor, and came away with more than an onscreen crush. Indeed, the impact of this film on my own style has “fade away never”.
