1998

New York, NY

Lisa Cholodenko

Drama

What’s it all about: Radha Mitchell will do anything to advance her career at an arts magazine, including sex, plumbing, heroin, and CPR. Yes she already has a boyfriend, but Ally Sheedy has her mom’s Mercedes, which is enough to turn anyone gay for a weekend out of the city. Patricia Clarkson is Ally’s girlfriend, a Fassbinder actress from Berlin who is only German when she’s high.

First Encounter: first viewing 

Prostitute Index: nil

Death By: pretentious deconstruction

Relics: magazine importance; average people living in big loft apartments in Nolita

Hoops: sexist boss with bad 90s facial hair

Heartthrobs: Patricia Clarkson, Ally Sheedy

Pass/Fails the Test of Time: Sarita Choudhury

LoFi Magic: you can lie to yourself about how you got that promotion, but you can’t lie to the receptionist

Words to live by: “I’m kinda hot. That’s kinda serious.”

Makes me want to: hand the mic to @okcandotti…

Candotti Take: “It is a long, lesbian, obscure movie.” / 

“It is so good to have a movie without explosions, people screaming, kids.” /

“It’s a good silent movie without as a factor those dramatic songs that sometimes raise the sound like, ‘Dun dun dun dun!’ It keeps everything in the same level of the voice of the characters.” /

“Nothing that shakes up your adrenaline. Your adrenaline stays at a good level.” / 

“In the level of a boring movie, it’s not boring. Almost boring, which makes a good movie. The level, doesn’t go high too much, so it’s not boring that you want to sleep. You actually pay attention, which is good.” /

“That movie has more drugs than art. High drugs.”

Worth a watch/rewatch: Yes

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