It seems to be the start of a Charles Manson cult regarding the film “It’s Not Me”, my previous statement might sound like I’m being sarcastic or sour but I genuinely hold a lack of regard for The Criterion Channel because all its films holding some semblance of cult bearing are bland and don’t come off as anything that is spectacular inspiring massive hate not only for The Criterion Channel but also the American Cinema. But on the other hand Leos Carax is admired and well known for his staggering films with ambitious and surrealistic concepts so it is understandable as to why one would want to watch Carax work his magic. Back to American Cinema my point in bringing up my hate for them was that “It’s Not Me” premiered along and alongside brilliantly produced films, films that had a clear direction and focused artistic points were surrounding this dysfunctional/anarchic film. So to further tangent on my regard for American Cinema in retrospect of Leos Carax films, its odd yet fascinating that Carax made this film “It’s not Me” that felt like a disturbing fever dream breathing new life into the currently dull atmosphere. And while this film was mediocre at best “It’s Not Me” will allow “It’s Not Me” to become one of mankinds greatest mysteries.
Leos Carax is a creative whose art I believe is always evolving and never can be restricted to any singular idea. Although my favorite work of his would have to be Tokyo! It is clear that what he does in that movie is a distorted representation of what reality truly is. Having said that, there was a specific exhibition that I wanted to see at the Pompidou center in Paris, however, it never materialized. It would have attempted to answer the question, ‘Where is Leos Carax.’ Yes, it would have drawn on his other works and films and I quote ‘I don’t know.’ It would have however been a buzzwords filled collage encompassing all the components of the world of cinema. The great Godard is the person Leos Carax looks up to the most and Godard is exactly the person he promised to work on a movie with. This project which was set to come out in 1987 was titled king Lear. Jean Luc Godard was on set, interestingly enough, never released. I am clear however that if working with Godard was not the case, he was deeply infatuated with Godard’s works, and Godard in turn appreciated Leos using his interpretation of their belief system dominated the exhibition Carax le Fou. With Auditory representation that Leos achieved in the film deserves credit, and completely revolutionized cinematic auditory representation.
As such, anyone looking for an uncomplicated “I did this, then I did that” assessment of Carax’s life and works is unlikely to realize their expectations from this biography. In spite of this, there are times when he starts to tease, such as when he shows the footage which he purports features his father or when he seems to claim a likeness to the well-known character of the comic book series, Tin-Tin. In contrast, there are moments of rage, such as when he shows a picture of Nazi propaganda meeting at Madison Square Garden in 1939 and dead children of war refugees. But in other moments, there is sight of, what one could describe as, cinematic scholarship, where Kreiser explains how certain critical events in the history of cinema influenced him.
He mourns at times, most notably at the state of the cinema and how in many ways it has diminished and lost its sparkle: a fact that is difficult to ignore, especially after seeing the most impressive slice of his imagination, F.W. Murnau’s work ‘Sunrise’. So the self-evaluation of his work as a director is something that he mostly lags behind in, but then the short excerpts of his films which are available, particularly the clips from his Amazing Bastille Day sequence in his 1991 movie ‘Les Amants du Pont-Neuf will entice one to watch them all again. All these components are combined in a manner which appears disorganized at first glance but which goes on to form exciting contrasts.
As might be expected, the observer’s standpoint in relation to the entirety of Carax’s work will have a significant bearing on their opinion on the phrase “It’s Not Me”. If you have never connected with his work before, or if you have not seen any of his films yet, the chances are high that you will consider most of this film as hardly reasonable. But for those who see Carax as one of the most interesting filmmakers in the world today and I consider myself one of them I have a feeling that you will consider it a well-woven film that offers you a new perspective about the film-making process that has blessed the world with many outstanding movies.
The previous films show Carax in a delicate emotional state currently alluding his craft as well as the performance itself. After the last credits of a film show up, everything that was put on display by the director and performed by the actors, stays in the minds of the viewers. (Moreover, one of the worst offenders in the film so far is the practice of not watching the credits as you will miss what is the most shocking post credit scene in a while.)
Such films like “It’s not me” can be viewed as a Eminem’s approximating life and his achievements or can be appreciated as another quirky short features in between his other works. The passionate presence and effective orientation Carax portrays is noticeable. Talking about and recapping his film “Pola X” from 2000 Roger Ebert was fond of Carax’s approach and mad genius in general stating “You don’t get the title of enfant terrible at age 39 for nothing.” Carax might be on the other side of 60 but as his direction would prove most emphatically, that line of age is just a number.
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