Dear Reader,
Can we go off topic? It must be the freeze. I am thinking movies (as I often do). Hold my hand. Ven!
On Wednesday
My husband: “You wanted to get to know Joachim Trier’s earlier work. One of his films is playing at the Alamo Drafthouse. There’s one showing; that’s it.”
A mild okay. I have to agree, though I know I will resist leaving the house in frigid weather. Besides, the Alamo’s reclining leather seats are too deep; my feet dangle above the floor and I begin to squirm.
Where it Began
It all began at el teatro Bella Vista, on the corner of Via España. Ciudad de Panamá. Spacious, single screen, the one place in a hot and humid city where Margie and I could sit for an afternoon in delicious A/C.
We learned about American culture at the movies, Hollywood’s American culture, and how to be a girl and a woman (except—please not—June Allison). My cousin Margie and I watched every Esther Williams’ movie. We saw Gigi, The Imitation of Life, The King and I, Pillow Talk, 12 Angry Men at the Bella Vista.
I learned English at the movies. I just now realize this. Hollywood movies were not dubbed for Latin America. We read the subtitles and began to understand what we were hearing.
Then
I married a man whose fantasy life was (and is) the movies. Grew up near a legendary Brooklyn Movie Palace. Studied law. Worked Entertainment Law in Hollywood. I got a deeper education in movies right at home.
Long before streaming, movies were available for rent on tape (Beta, VHS). You could invest in RCA Videodiscs and Laser Discs. We played my husband’s growing collection of films on a drop-down screen. All before Netflix would mail films to your doorstep or stream them to your screen.
On Thursday
We left for the Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers to see The Worst Person in the World, Joachim Trier’s third film of his “Oslo Trilogy.” Four years in the life of a young woman trying to find out where she belongs.
We were stunned.
Renate Reinsve, the star, is luminous. It does feel like the best word. Reinsve won Best Actress at Cannes that year and is one of the stars in Trier’s newest movie, Sentimental Value.
Trier, co-writer and director of both films, seems to pursue biographical themes: the neglecting father, a passionate, creative life. Me pregunto…what’s with the odd titles for his films…?
Some of my Favorite Films from 2025.
More intimate - (foreign films and one American film)
It Was Just an Accident (Iran)
Sentimental Value (Norway)
Secret Agent (Brazil)
Train Dreams (U.S.)
Propulsive -
One Battle After Another
Marty Supreme
The Academy Awards will be announced on Sunday, March 15.
A Long-ago Favorite
The protagonist is a grey donkey. EO (2022) (Polish) We witness the donkey’s experiences with human kindness and cruelty as the donkey travels across Poland. Surprising, gorgeous scenes. EO won the Jury Prize in Cannes in 2022.
As with all great films, it should be experienced in a large screen at a theatre in the company of others. (This may be a lost cause.)
Favorite Indie Theaters in New York
Quad Cinema. Beautiful and intimate four-screen movie theatre in Greenwich Village, NYC, that gets indie movies no one else seems to get. (Leather seats; tiny café with the best coffee)
Film Forum. An Institution. Themed Retrospectives. Silent films with live piano. Current, important indie films. On Houston Street, NYC.
Mamaroneck Cinemas Both mainstream and indie movies. On Main Street in the middle of Mamaroneck, NY. Lovely renovation of a once single-screen movie house. Atmos sound in biggest screening room. Most delicious seating of all.
Did I get carried away?
What memorable movies did you see this year? There are so many I still must see. Is there a movie house in your community that you love?
Please leave a comment. Click the heart.
I have a gorgeous interview coming up with Claudia, a Graphic Designer. Be on the look-out for the next Soy/Somos!
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