there’s such a thin line between homages that re-contextualize the original material in an interesting way vs. embarrassing ripoffs that leave you wishing you were watching the good stuff (kill bill to lady snowblood vs. joker to king of comedy) but this hits it out of the park as the former. which is all the more impressive when you consider the sheer number of distinct voices it pulls from (kiarostami, tati, kaurismäki, andersson). i was immediately snapped back to my 2019 screening of twentieth century when i couldn’t wrap my head around what i was watching but was blown away by the commitment to its artificiality. this is only slightly more coherent than century (as someone who doesn’t think about Winnipeg ever) but i was way more charmed by the quirks here.

also, one of my favorites Q&As i’ve ever attended, he talked about leaning into artifice in a way i haven’t heard any of the greats that dabble in that approach talk about it. j’adore