All These Sleepless Nights

Like Daniel Kessler says, "Some conversations wouldn't be had unless it was 3 and you were high." Ditto Brian Rothko of Placebo saying, "There's that weird moment when you come out of the club and the rest of the world is starting *its day* ... " It seems to be the essential adolescent moment: when you *see* the seams, the movement between stages, the your-shoulders'-squared-into-this-moment-and-it's-shifting-*away*-from-you ...

Somehow, it'd take the 2hrs. 40min. running time to *convey* this (like "American Honey)." Settle in for a good long while, 'cause, if you want to remember the U2/"Zooropa"/Wim Wenders/Richard Linklater feel of hopping the Eurorail and staying in hostels ... or even *valuing* that ... it doesn't quite, hasn't quite, gone out of style ... you just have to find the right people who value it, and show up for it.

Like anything, you have to show up viscerally to where people value art and might have a paperback edition of Dostoevsky's "The Possessed" or some ... what? Warholian influence?

Some things are best left unfeigned.

(And *then* this one like that one but not *that* one ... and this one fancies the other ... and on and on.)

Crushes, you know.

This movie's a good time: for those who remember, for those who want to be rejuvenated, for those who want to find out for the first time. ---------------------- (Whoops! It's a 1hr. 40. min. Could've sworn it was 2 hrs ... ha ha! Memory serves, memory serves ... tee hee!)

"All These Sleepless Nights" (2016 release from Poland; 100 min.) brings the story of two college-aged friends, Krzysztof and Michal. As the movie opens, we are informed what the meaning of the term "Reminiscence Bump" is while massive fire works go off. We then watch Michal at a party interacting with Monika, who looks to be an ex-girlfriend. After that, we follow the two guys as they roam the streets of Warsaw, seemingly going from one party to the next, and the next after that, while they discuss love and the meaning of life. Then one day at yet another party, they run into Eva, who takes an immediate liking to the guys. What will become of the guys? And of Eva? To tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from up-and-coming Polish writer-director Michal Marczak, best known as a documentary maker. Which leads me to ask: is this movie a documentary or a fiction feature in which the characters happen to play themselves? (I didn't realize that until seeing the end credits.) When I said I should spoil more of the plot, you need to take this with a grain of salt, as there really is no plot to speak of, and much of what we see playing out appears to be improvised. In fact, this movie reminds me of the latest Terrence Mallick movie "Song to Song. Let me admit that I struggled big time to make it to the end of "All These Sleepless Nights", as I never connected with any of these characters (or real people), I kept hoping that it would draw me in eventually, but it simply didn't happen.

"All These sleepless Nights" opened this weekend out of the blue and without any fanfare at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Saturday matinée screening where I saw this at was attended poorly (4 people, including myself). Given the abstract-leaning and plot-less nature of this movie, I cannot see this playing more than one week in the theater. So if watching a mostly abstract film from Poland that may or may not be a documentary seems like your cup of tea, you'll most likely have to catch it on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.

It may be gorgeous, but it's superficial, repetitive and totally incohesive. Some say it's a hybrid of fiction and documentary, but nothing seemed real to me, it was more like a mix of two overrated directors, Gaspar Noé and Terrence Malick with pulsating music. I think the attention turns to the fact that it's a documentary, but that's not important, I don't think anyone would care about the real-life protagonist or a fictional version of him, no one would repeatedly watch him (totally sober) drinking, dancing, doing drugs and talking random things with friends (that is, literally, what happens 90% of the movie).

This is a well photographed narrative film made by people playing characters who are acting out a life as if not being filmed. It's a moving photograph and not much more. People of this age like this are rarely interesting except to other people like this and of this age. The main character is exactly what he's supposed to be in his early 20s except he's a bit too destructive and self destructive. Kris is a self- involved early 20 something who parties every night of his life away. Cool - whatever, and boring. I felt that it's motivation was to show a glimpse of what it's really like when... I even had a few "Oh Yeah I remember when I ..." moments. I couldn't stay for the whole movie. I didn't care enough to hang in there. Those boys will be fine or not regardless of whether or not I care. It doesn't matter if I care and I didn't.

This movie comes back to my mind so often. It touches my mind and soul in so many aspects. Love it.