For the
sake of not having to write the same intro a million
different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that
this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull
process of full film reviews and instead opts to break
things down based on what I thought going in, what happened
while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all.
Thanks for reading!
The
Breakdown - The Square
The Impression:
A twisty bit of downward spiral noir set in small-town
Australia. Sinister, very very sinister.
The Reality:
Noir is a funny thing as it's such a structured form in that
choosing to direct it, you're choosing to relegate yourself
to a series of a tropes seen time and time again. Where
other genres sink when weighed down by the need to conform
to standards, noir thrives within the confines of
parameters. This is beautifully presented by Australian
stunt man-turned director Nash Edgerton in The Square.
Set during Australia's summertime Christmas, The Square tells
the story of a man, a woman, and a simple crime that turns
drastically wrong. Nothing new, nothing special on the
outside, but with a cast of actors perfectly picked, and
Edgerton's innate ability to turn the screws, I found myself
surprised and shocked through out the film's entire running
time.
The Lesson:
Noir doesn't need to buck the rails, just ride them nice and
smoothly.
Noah Sanders is the blog/news editor at Light In The
Attic and a contributor at Sound On The Sound and
the KEXP blog. He also has his own
Criterion-based film site, Criterion Quest.
If you'd like to contact Noah in regards to his
writings here at Side One: Track One then please do
so
here.
- Noah Sanders
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Unless
otherwise expressly stated, all text in this blog and any
related pages, including the blog's archives, is licensed by
John Laird under a
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