Matter of Life and Death

Hypnotic start and common but strange finish.

Sometimes things not said or not shown are interesting.

Here I see ideas about thunderbolt, neuron growth, ladder, and “flight from Berlin”. Also script should have some ideas that did not make it into the movie.

There is propaganda angle to it which is fine by me. I think it is still strong even if the idea of Anglo-American cooperation in the new world is ignored.

Extremely visual and educating on those matters but as it happens it is not too comfortable experience. And I should say that even Peeping Tom was more “polite” when it comes to “uneasiness” than this movie. So it was almost necessary to analyze how director controls the tension and conjures images at needed moments.

The whole movie is such a complex dissonance that the simple ending looks strange after the movie. And that leaves perception of incompleteness even. Surely I see how people should be put back onto the earth after seeing this at the cinema so it makes sense.

It is almost like this kind of movies need a more foolish and sunny followup to fully close it. For example Wings of Desire has one as it seems. But that one was way lighter. Also there is a plenty of entertaining parallels between these movies if one is after things not said. But I’m not going those rabbit holes.

P.S.

Talking about wrapping things up from more visual perspective I found the book returning sequence being marvelous. It is exceptional but I have missed it because of certain scepticism. The existing book cover is used with one modification I assume. So I’ve changed my mind about incompleteness.

P.P.S.

Among other things what was notably for me with this piece is how images or dynamical scenes are retained in memory and are changed over time. How good wrapping of such content is a trick on it’s own.

Also one can find interesting echoes to Cardsharps among ather references in the movie. In a way the director not only referenced but highlighted specific features of the painting. Where part of them I perceived and retained I did not pay attention to painters tools initially. But after the movie I rechecked the painting and understood more of the technical magics involved.