I hesitate to say her movies are āaboutā masculinity (theyāre actually about sadism), but since AMERICAN PSYCHO is the jumping off point, he r ouevre feels appropo to cite. Random asideā¦ One of my fav observations/quips Iāve read about a film was re: ZERO DARK THIRTY, we nt something like āEven though Jessica Chastain is the star, ZD30 fails the Bechdel test. Thereās only one s cene of her and a woman are having a private conversation, and wouldnāt you know it, the conversation is about a man (Osama bin Laden).ā
Mar 15, 2025
Related Recs
saw this film for the first time and i cannot stop thinking about it !! i felt embarrassed to be a man, it is kind of haunting to know almost all men are capable of carrying out such disgusting, animalistic impulses; i can still remember the adrenaline pulsing through my veins as i witnessed *those* scenes
so much to say about this, i put off watching this movie for a long time but i really appreciated the film structure, it would not have worked the same way if structured chronologically
Jan 13, 2025
Formally accomplished, dreamlike
Follows the format of a nightmare
Induction > i Am Something/Somewhere Else > uncanny vision > threat > I Want Out > exit refused
From the power of movies by paul mcginn:
āMovies delve into our dreaming selfā¦ they improve upon our dream lifeā¦ give us the dreams we yearn forā¦ [most are fascinated by their own dreams], with their raw ability to reveal, their magical expressiveness, [and] movies partake in this fascination.. the impact of movies stems, then, at least in part, from the primal power of the dreamā¦ the best directorsā¦ recognize the essentially dreamlike character of the movie world, andā¦ trade upon it in their filmsā
I love this quote. It hit me hard. Feels true. But it was hard to reconcile the ādreams we yearn forā part with the horrific stories i love to be told. I certainly donāt yearn for nightmares. But, almost every single night that i dreamā i have nightmares.
Maybe thereās some Jung Shadow Self Subconscious Shadowwork Tiktok Tarot Card Reader work that i need to do. But it is true. I frequently have nightmares.
I am fascinated by them. And i am fascinated by all of the dark, perverted, violent thoughts that i have. I want to apprehend these things, and by apprehending spin them around like a fushigi ball. And crystal-ball them.
But you may not crystal-ball anything. You are not allowed to look into the future.
The most profound change that i have experienced in my life has come from facing, accepting, and openly exploring the things that scare me. I have ocd, which is a disorder characterized by a failure to effectively deal with uncertainty. The coping mechanisms that OCD leave you with only enrage your amygdala, and train your brain, at the first sight of uncertainty, to flap in the wind atop your head like a roosterās red meatcrown.Ā
The way out is to sit with the uncertainty. And to sit with the pain. And to sit with the potential pain. And to sit with the possibility of not being able to sit with the uncertainty, the pain, and the potential pain.
When i am effectively doing this, i learn to seek out discomfort. I become eager to feel unsure. And scared. I become eager to do things that open me to the possibility of being caught off-guard.
When asked by my therapist why i think that i seek out transgressive fiction, i told her: it is a safe way to face the worst parts of everything and everyone.Ā
Iāve learned to love discomfort because of itās healing power. i yearn for waking nightmares. And invite them. In order to dispell them. I am improving my dream-life. But not through choosing better dreams: through facing the bad ones. No wonder i love nightmare-ish movies.Ā
This movie is asking you to do the same. Movies, because they are made in a moment, can only predict what you will be like. Under The Skin thinks that you need to face the way that sex seduces you. Not real, loving sex. But gooner shit. Libidinal impulse. The kind of sex that is selfish, and anti-reality.Ā
The movie is inviting redditors that jerk off over scarlet johansson to think about this clouding impulse.Ā
The movie is constantly pulling you where it wants you to go, and then leaving slack. Your momentum carries you and then your direction is confused, on purpose. ScarJo alien is soul-less predatory sex. She is pure seduction. Then she is real. And she invites you to realize that she is real. Then her humanity is ripped open. And you fail to realize that she is real. And you are disgusted that she dares to be real. And you burn her to death. Because she made you face your ability to be seduced. And your ability to be clouded. And your failure to see her humanity. And because you see a human being in her, you see yourself. And you are not happy with yourself. So you must die. Or someone must die for you. You can pretend that she is not really a human. But you just made her die for her humanity.
But movies can only guess. They donāt know for sure what they can do with you. Because they donāt know who you are. They can only try. And this was an awesome try
Gorgeous. Way well shot. Unreal and beautiful. Super duper style. A treat for the eyes. And the ears.
A great nightmare to look in the face.
Apr 27, 2025
There were three layers of the storyline that unfolded in this movie:
1. When the incel revealed to the audience how he got himself a companion robot
2. When the companion robot revealed to the audience that she had to kill the incelĀ
3. A frame-up subplot that the incel organized with his friends to cover up a heist and put the blame on the robot.Ā
None of these moved me really. But there's one particular scene in the movie that, for me, is thought-provoking: It's when "spoiler alert" Jack (the incel male lead) forced Iris (the companion robot) to shoot herself in the head with a gun.
There was a split second of resistance when she shouted NO before pulling the trigger.
It was a nice touch.
And necessary.
Thanks.
Kinda made me think about how women are treated in our societyāpeople always say women have better options to save themselves in risky situations, but in truth the perpetrator (not all men but often men) manipulates women to choose the worse option.
Basically, this movie, if not political, is sort of a nod to those who haven't felt seen in a long while.
And I, myself, nod back.
Mar 14, 2025
Top Recs from @phc
ā¤ļø DOGMAN, but truly bleak. Very unpleasant, but also entertaining af. Builds to shocking ly sad yet oddly soft & surreal ending. DOGMAN comes to mind for THIS prompt is cuz it's the canonical example me and my gf joke about as like, we thought we were going to see a charming movie about an Italian dogwalker, but left the theatre w crushed souls š
Feb 8, 2025
Mar 7, 2025
āFade awayā by GOLD STAR. Heard it on a punker NTS show. Post fire. Every song was an ode to LA. Host said it would be cheesy but we shd EAT THE CHZ. made me weep
Feb 8, 2025