After a traumatic night, a wounded man receives an unexpected visit. As he recounts what he has lived through, he plunges into a psychological game where desire, violence, and memory intertwine. In this space, eroticism, laughter, and discomfort intersect, revealing that intimacy carries the shadow of social norms. More than telling a story, it exposes an intimate territory where politics, pain, and pleasure become inseparable.
This year, in light of the pandemic and the inability to gather with our loved ones, a few of our staff members reviewed their favorite holiday films with the hope of recreating some of the sentimentality that reminds us of home.
In all honesty, “Black and Blue” is a satisfying experience, complete with solid craftsmanship. With the help of cinematographer Dante Spinotti, Deon Taylor (the director) creates a murky, lived in atmosphere.
Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion is a fan-favorite, as are some of the more science fiction angled movies like 28 Days Later or World War Z. I recently watched the 1995 Wolfgang Peterson-directed movie, Outbreak for the first time, which is currently available on Netflix.
As one of the women said in the film, friendship in your teens is “as important as any lover” and it’s clear they lived that philosophy throughout their early adult lives as well.
