Title: Concrete Night
Director – Pirjo Honkasalo
Starring – Johannes Brotherus, Jari Virman, Anneli Karppinen, Juhan Ulfsak
Release Date – November 11, 2013
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Today we bring you ‘Concrete Night‘, Finland’s entry for the 87th Academy Awards. A moving, lyrical, and stunning film constructed by an award winning cinematographer turned director, the film focuses on young Simo as he struggles to find his way in an otherworldly Helsinki surrounded by the presence of both good and evil influences.
The film is without question one of the most beautifully lensed black and white films in the past five years. As we watch Simo playfully fight with his brother, skinny dip with his best friend, and become lost in an amusement park we’re constantly moved by an unyielding camera eye that doesn’t back down from the goal of piercing Simo’s outer layers.
Kyle Turner, in a critical essay on ‘Concrete Night‘, had this to say about its style, ‘Other queer films, or even films with latently queer films, generally shy away from bleakness, trading it in for melodrama or comedy (unless you go the genre route). But Pirjo Honkasalo paints a search for self as a Kafka-esque nightmare, the landscapes of Helsinki reminiscent of the chiaroscuro in Orson Welles’ ‘The Trial’ and David Lynch’s ‘Eraserhead’. The harsh contrast between dark and light creates jagged little edges on every object in every frame, transforming a falling feather in the air recalling the prologue from Lars von Trier’s ‘Antichrist’ not a symbol of solace or safety, but something more sinister and duplicitous.’
If your internet is fast enough make sure to choose 1080p to see ‘Concrete Night‘ in all of its intended glory!
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Watch it with: Yourself or a friend that appreciates a
critical discussion after a film.
Mix it with: Cappuccino
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Discover great gay stories. 