Films You Should See: Reprise



Since it’s the pop culture time of year for lists, and this year being a special year of best-ofs and the like, I’ve been thinking about things I’ve loved. For me, Reprise is simply one of the best films about YOUTH and BEING AN ARTIST I’ve ever seen. I adored every minute of it. (It also renders any American films about YOUTH, in particular, “mumblecore,” for the vacuous shallow parade of pimpled humanity that they are. To namedrop shamelessly, it’s like Ellen Burstyn was saying today: “There’s no theme in films today. It’s all surface.” SO TRUE, goddess!)

Reprise has a theme. It’s exploring what it means to live life, what it means to be an artist, how to deal with creativity and madness. The second trip to Paris is one of the saddest things on film.

Also? Tons of cute boys AND a party scene featuring Le Tigre’s “Deceptacon” as the floor stomping jam that it is that is both utterly right (and dates me a little for loving it so).

One of the best films of the decade, easily.

Other films that I have loved, off the top of my head:

State and Main: Makes me laugh so much. SUCH a good film about New England and the movies. I love Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s nebbishy playwright character and his SPOT-ON headshot on the back of his published book, ANGUISH. So quotable: “It’s about purity,” “I don’t know what her problem is. She takes off her shirt to do a voice-over. What’s her problem? The country could draw her tits from memory.” (America, this quote speaks to you. You know it.)
Children of Men
In the Loop
In the Mood for Love
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


I’m kind of cool with that as a list, actually. For the 2000s. I think people will be talking about Eternal Sunshine for a long, long time. I almost want to compare it to The Graduate - except it didn’t hit our generation’s equivalent of baby boomer ennui, more like our generation’s general sense of existential disassociation with love and human connection.