Les chansons que mes frères m'ont apprises

Watched this to see Chloé Zhao's debut feature and was rewarded with a slow immersion into life on an Indian Reservation in South Dakota. There's a loose plot about a brother and sister who, after the death of a distant father figure, are working out what the future holds for them, but this is much more "scenes from the reservation".

It reminded me of Gummo (a film I love) in its depiction of a world almost without authority figures, where tragedy (In Gummo, a tornado, here; a loss of culture generations past, and decimation from alcohol) seems to leave the inhabitants disoriented, struggling to know what to do.

The performances from the non-professional cast are stellar. Zhao has somehow managed to capture what seems like a slice of real life but in a way that makes even a difficult life seem beautiful and achingly close to something bigger.

I have yet to see The Rider, or Nomadland, but from what I've seen of them, they look to have a similar energy. That Marvel tapped Zhao to direct the upcoming Eternals movie is fascinating. It will be interesting to see how this aesthetic looks when it has a bigger budget, but also must serve a wider audience seeking the next step in a connected narrative. I believe Zhao will deliver something special.

It's easy to make a film like this go wrong, with all of the potential possibilities to be lazy and write these characters and stereotypes. Of course, the film doesn't do that and it's because Chloe Zhao has a real knack for creating profound humanity through the images that represent this type of life, humanity that she infuses her characters with. This is a very special film and this is a director to watch out for.

Unfortunately I watched this movie coming off watching some other incredible movies previously. The smilarly styled mexican film "Roma" (focusing on observing not narrative) and another Chinese film called "Better Days" (an epic character exploration) Those two film had the ability to truely capture me and bring me into the world of the characters and feel a level of emotional connection which is rare with most movies. This movie is also about bringing you into the world of the characters as they go through personal growth but while the cinematography was indeed nice, the locations were pretty and the acting was rather good. The lack of a very engaging story and arc risks making this film, while well made and well acted. A little flat and boring. By no means is this a bad movie. The concept is interesting. Yet I feel it could have been told in a richer more emotionally captivating way be it visually or narrative. Should you watch it? Sure if its for free on Netflix or another streaming service. However I personally wouldn't pay for it outright as a film. As there are better films out there.

This is a stunningly true to life and tender movie. I had just watched Sky, in which Native Americans and their connections with a white woman were portrayed through the lens of a European romantic fantasy about NA life in America. Songs was the opposite - unsentimental, unsparing and filled with beautifully understated acting that let the story breathe. The photography was exquisite - I know that country and found myself longing to be there. The ragged weave of the story was precisely how life is lived by so many of us - no big epiphanies, no smarmed up resolutions, no miracles except for how people can hold fast to love. I thank the film-makers for their deep respect for the people and their recognition of the way the land is the base of hope for far too few of us.

I enjoyed the film, a contemporary portrait of growing up and coming of age in America in a very different setting and culture than most. Early on, the movie gave me the distinct feeling of watching a documentary rather than a fiction with rehearsed actors. Images tell the stories as much as the dialog, which is very spare. The characters seem very real, as real as their scruffy surroundings. A worthwhile portrait of a part of society most of us won't see, "really" see. The Badlands scenery is very stark and so are (most) of the lives depicted. It's interesting that I saw this film in a contemporary arts center, where it played for two nights. It seems films like this struggle to get on enough screens in enough places to get noticed much. Maybe some people will get to see in on video, I hope.