26 — Movies and Home Videos (2024)

My love for movies started early on in my life. Probably because of my father whom I saw document most of my childhood. First, it was with the 16mm and Super 8s, then during the 90s, with bulky VHS camcorders resting heavily on his shoulders. He stopped when I became an obnoxious teenager, around the age of 13, and hated being in front of the camera most likely making him feel miserable and quite possibly annoyed as well. Growing up, I loved watching those home videos, even better than any cartoon I dreamed of, although the Pink Panther was a close contender.

There was quite a beautiful ritual around setting oneself up for these video-watching experiences in my parent's living room. The ritual was beautiful only for me because my father had to potter around with setting up the projector, the screen, the sound, and prepare all these very short rolls of film that he’d patiently queue and load just for me to watch. My mother, as the nostalgic woman she is, would inevitably stop as well so we’d all end up together, unknowingly, enjoying these moments.

At the time no sound was recorded but melancholic songs were added to the soundtrack so I learned to pay close attention to everyone’s expressions and little details. How beautiful when people forgot about the existence of cameras. Nobody would act any differently until much later, mid-90s, so the moments captured were such candid representations of family and loved ones. I would spot all the nuances that I wouldn’t have otherwise registered because I was taught that is not polite to stare - so I didn’t - but with videos, I could stare as much as I wanted.

Many years later, that love for home videos turned into a degree in Filmmaking and an obsession for both the Golden Globes and the Oscar. I could spend Sunday after Sunday in movie theaters watching all the nominated films (weekend matinees would be my favorite) and diligently make notes so when award ceremony night came, I had a clear idea about the contenders. If by now you haven’t guessed that I am a nerd at heart, shame on you. Anyway, it’s been years since I kept up with any film-related season, not to blame Sweden here, but it’s been hard to watch everything when only a small selection of films makes it to the cinemas. At some point, a Batman movie played in theaters for something ridiculous like three (maybe even four) months - and that was WAY before any SAG-AFTRA strike.

This year tho, I managed to watch, on time, one of the nominated films: Poor Things. A total of four Oscars were collected in the celebratory evening: Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design, Costume Design, and lastly Best Actress in a Leading Role to Emma Stone’s performance of Bella Baxter. I’m not going to give you any spoilers, nor I am going to write a review of it - there are so many beautifully written ones out there. What I want to do with my observations is just to dwell a little on the complexity of its storytelling and all the details that were used to get you, the viewer, to become an attentive observer. I loved that nothing is spelled out, the audience doesn’t need to be taken on the journey by hand, and every tiny detail, even the aesthetical ones, mostly thought of as not essential to the plot, carry their significance.

The one I keep going back to and thinking of is the detail of the main character’s hair. Without the canonic references to time passing, the choice of associating Bella’s hair growth with the passing of time was what reminded me of the love of storytelling. That tiny detail, which can quite frankly go unnoticed, made the whole thing worth the 140 minutes spent at the theater surrounded by people loudly eating candy, popcorn, and chips. Yeah, I could write a whole essay just about my preferences for going to the movies.

The amount of unspoken detail continues with the cinematography, the colors, the compositions, the wardrobe, and the soundtrack. I would recommend you go see it if you are above the age of 18 because it’s still rated R for coarse language, nudity, and graphic scenes. I would also recommend that you watch the Dolby Creator Talks Podcast with the cinematographer Robbie Ryan for all the nitty gritty technical details in the making of.

I could go on and recommend another movie, not so recent but an all-time favorite of mine, following the same principle, the one of attention to detail, minimal dialogue, wonderful cinematography, and stunning acting. Paris, Texas by Wim Wenders.

Boy, I am feeling very exposed here with these recommendations. Who would have thought that by sharing these thoughts I would feel like you are getting to know me, even more than by telling you about my childhood memories? It’s like making a mixed tape for someone you care about, you are exposing yourself by sharing the artists and songs you love, like a little window into the soul.

Well, I guess I’ve admitted that I care about you, you who are spending time (and money - thank you lovely paying subscribers) to read my words and share your kind comments of appreciation with me. It still fills me with gratitude and joy so, thank you.

Right, that’s all for me for now. I better get ready for my parent’s visit next week. Dale (my dog) is going to flip out from joy, and I guess I’ll do too. Perhaps it’ll be a good occasion to make some good old home videos and make my father proud.