6/10 - A stylish, yet flawed, romantic crime comedy, Duplicity is a mixed bag. With compelling twists and a great look at corporate espionage, this film from director Tony Gilroy is bogged down by a nonlinear narrative and a lackluster romance. As a result, the plot becomes hard to follow when the film jumps from the past to the present to the past constantly and, towards the end, stops helping you figure out where each scene is taking place. Even worse, these flashbacks are always dry, humorless, and chemistry-less when they put together former MI6 agent Ray Koval (Clive Owen) and former CIA agent Claire Stenwick (Julia Roberts). Lovers who work for competing companies, the film details the efforts of both sides to outwit the other and beat them in the marketplace. Of course, that is when the couple are not having sex in an exotic location.

For the positives, as a business major, I loved the corporate espionage. Okay, business is really, really boring. However, this film triggered why I am okay with working in this world. The anticipation of new products, studying the competition, and going to war, are all incredibly compelling to watch unfold. Of course, real life pales in comparison and is largely quite dull. Duplicity, however, manages to make a shareholder meeting completely compelling. With the cure for baldness on the way, who will be the first to the marketplace? Only time will find out, but there are moles and spies on both sides that make the battle between former business partners, portrayed by Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti, the highlight of the film. Honestly, Owen and Roberts should be cut out of this film in favor of the more compelling story. Two former business partners going to war with one another over a breakthrough with corporate espionage and a fractured relationship between them. For those that have seen this film, tell me that is not the more compelling tale?

Unfortunately, strewn in between these great sections are a lot of romantic moments between spies that merely further complicate the film. Having them repeat lines, jumping back in time to just show them have sex, showing their distrust, and showing some of their planning, Duplicity struggles to bring life to its romantic moments. While its crime elements are top-notch and slick, the romance is lifeless. Owen and Roberts try, but putting two people that audiences find appealing together and hoping it will work is a bad idea. As a result, the romance here is largely unappealing and passionless. While some moments do add to the final reveal, the film could cut out all of the romance scenes, aside from the few where they plot their own espionage, and lose nothing. As for the comedy here, it largely fails and I had to keep reminding myself that it was supposed to be a comedy.

With the romance and comedy elements failing, it leaves just the crime portion as being any good. As mentioned, this crime portion does succeed terrifically with a twisty and unpredictable sequence of events. Here, Wilkinson and Giamatti nail their limited roles and demand to be explored deeper. Clive Owen and Julia Roberts also do quite well in the film, even in the romance scenes. However, they both really soar when being calculating and cold spies. In particular, Owen is great using his charisma and slick nature to woo marks and complete tasks. In addition to the fun corporate espionage, watching this duo do their job is worth the watch and thoroughly entertaining.

Stylistically, the film is pretty compelling. It is hard to describe the technique Tony Gilroy uses when flashing back or jumping forward again. It is not a split screen, rather he takes a shot and begins to slowly shrink the frame. Other shots may appear and one will then grow. It is pretty unique and not too bad to look at. Honestly, I am hard pressed to think of a film off the top of my head with a similar technique and I am not sure what it would be called. That said, I just wish it did not signal my least favorite moments were about to happen again or else I would have really loved the technique.

A messy and flawed romantic crime comedy, Duplicity is not really funny or romantic. However, its crime and spy elements are so good, it allows me to look past its flaws to a degree. With great style and the assured hand of Gilroy, Duplicity may be a bit contrived and cliched, but it remains unpredictable through unforeseen twists that show just how dirty this corporate rivalry has become.



4/10 - Made for peanuts back in 1955, Killer's Kiss is the second film by legendary director Stanley Kubrick. Though more adept than many sophomore features, Killer's Kiss is simply just dreadfully dull. God is merciful because this film is just 67 minutes, but even then, it is a very long 67 minutes. I have seen films that are over three hours that have gone by quicker than Killer's Kiss. Now, why does the film feel so long? The pacing of course is very slow, but the plot is incredibly weak. Feeling more appropriate for a short film, the film is underplotted and struggles to hit the 67 minute mark. Kubrick tries to pad the story with some extra scenes, but even then, nothing helps the film to move along any quicker. Even when the plot is occurring, the film is hardly engaging and pretty run-of-the-mill for a film noir. The ending, though unwanted by Kubrick, is also pretty bad with the happy ending, but the scene proceeding it is hardly better. In the climax, Davey Gordon (Jamie Smith) and Vincent Rapallo (Frank Slivera) face off in a mannequin warehouse. Using an axe as a weapon, Vincent faces a barrage of mannequin parts from Davey. This sequence is far more comical than suspenseful and takes far too long to progress.

The film's plot is not bolstered by the acting either, which is awful across the board. At no point do these largely unknown actors justify being in a Kubrick film. However, what does elevate the film is the camera work. There are more than a few shots that hint at Kubrick's potential here. One such example is a shot down the stairs of Vincent's club where you can see out the windows in the doors. A terrific shot, it also hinted at Kubrick's obsession with symmetry, with the shot being entirely symmetrical. A later shot in a tunnel channels classic film noir with Davey running into the tunnel and the scene being lit solely from the natural lighting outside of the tunnel.

However, Killer's Kiss is a largely disappointing experience. Dull, slow, and too long, the film hints at Kubrick's promise, but can probably be skipped in favor of his more accomplished and seasoned works. As it stands, Killer's Kiss would probably have been forgotten if not for its director.



8/10 - As someone who is deeply grossed and freaked out by birds, Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds is a tough watch. Many people need to be convinced that something is wrong with these birds in order to believe that they are vicious killer. Not me. I know that they are merely rats with wings who should be exterminated just like the vermin they really are. Personal prejudice aside, of course, birds are vile creatures and Hitchcock's film pulls back the veil to reveal the true, heinous, and cruel nature of these beasts. Starring Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor, this film is showing its age spots with some questionable bird effects. However, the fear it conjures will never age with terrific sound effects and a terrifying premise sure to continue to sway public opinion against birds for the rest of time. It is only through public service announcements such as this film that the birds will be defeated and I encourage everybody to watch this fatally important film.

With relatively solid performances from Hedren and Taylor, with moments where they slip into B-movie quality acting, The Birds is a terrifying film. Telling the story of birds who attack a small coastal city in California named Bodega Bay, the film is very much one about fearing the unknown. With many people not knowing that birds act like this, it takes everybody by surprise in the small town. However, Hitchcock was one of the first people to really give birds credit for how smart they can be, as though birds admittedly do not attack people, they also peanuts for brains. The scenes of attacks are always incredibly menacing, but are bolstered by the sound. Sometimes using a suspenseful and thrilling score, the film equally relies upon absolute silence aside from bird chirps. With the film laced with bird chirps throughout, Hitchcock replaces "what goes bump in the night" with "what goes chirp outdoors". Constantly surrounded by these violent aviators, the characters in The Birds have nowhere to hide, as shown the sound effects. No matter where a character goes, birds follow. If there is silence, it is purely an indicator that things are set to get worse at the beaks of these winged demons.

The "master of suspense" is in complete control throughout creating a thrilling atmosphere throughout as a result of the aforementioned score and bird sound effects. Lacing every movement with incredible amounts of dread, it leaves the audience wondering where the next attack will come from. The film also introduces some surprising gore with characters being pecked by birds, including small children, and a man having his eyes plucked out of his head (we only see the aftermath). Shocking for the time, this film had to have really stunned audiences in 1963. In 2017, the film is still shocking with Hitchcock unafraid to put his stars in imminent danger and creating a well paced and thrilling film. Always leading up to the climax, the build-up of the film sets the tone and the scene perfectly and the pay-off of the film is terrific as it pits Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) and Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) right up against the assailants from hell.

Of course, the film has aged with the acting slipping into too much melodrama at times and the bird effects being quite lackluster. You can always tell they are puppets and it is quite jarring and near comical at times to watch. Of course, the good part is that Hitchcock's penchant for suspense has not aged, thus even when the effects fail, the atmosphere and tension never cease. That said, it is worth noting as the film may fail to scare some audiences due to these aged special effects. If you are able to suspend belief a bit and just go with it, however, then the film will remain as terrifying as ever.

The Birds also further dives into Hitchcock's Oedipal obsession. Psycho is well known for this with Norman Bates embodying both himself and his dead mother. The Birds, however, certainly has a lot of this as well between Mitch Brenner and his mother Lydia (Jessica Tandy). Disapproving of every girl Mitch dates, it is speculated that Lydia is afraid to be alone and Melanie declares that Lydia is possessive of Mitch. Oedipus is even referenced in the film in regards to the relationship Lydia has with Mitch, especially after the death of her husband and Mitch's father. While her fear of abandonment is pretty common, it is worth noting and shows Hitchcock's interest in examining the subject. Honestly, the film could be seen, to a degree, as being a depiction of Lydia fighting against Melanie, who Mitch fancies quite a bit. Though the birds attack other people as well, its kills include an ex-girlfriend of Mitch's. Additionally, they only begin to attack once Melanie shows up in town. It may be coincidental, but the birds also specifically begin attacking her and are constantly showing up wherever she is. Of course, she is the star, so it is possible there is nothing here, but it strikes me that Hitchcock may used the bird attacks to symbolize the motherly instinct to attack and reject the woman her son loves. By the time Lydia begins to accept Melanie towards the end of the film (following the final attack on her), the devious animals have ceased attacking and are instead just gathering and waiting for the next victim. As such, it can be surmised that Lydia has accepted Melanie and no longer has it out for her.

A terrifying classic of a horror film, The Birds may be a bit dated for some, but for those willing to indulge its 1960s horror instincts, it is a deeply rewarding film. Scary, suspenseful, and thrilling, The Birds reveals the true nature of birds to the viewing public and needs to be heeded as the warning that it is before it comes to life. Birds must be stopped, one way or the other.



9/10 - Starring a crazy, but close and fractured Spanish family, this one hit me pretty good. Though my family is not Spanish (Costa Rican, so they do speak the language), this film explores sexual abuse, death, and loneliness. Though my family does not have a history of sexual abuse (as far I know), the elements regarding the death of Irene (Carmen Maura) and her return to care for her sister and how she appears to her daughters to tie up loose ends, is entirely moving. On my Costa Rican side, the one I am far closer with, my mother and her seven sisters lost their mother back in the 1990s. I do not remember her, but they often speak of her, the food she made, and how she will often appear to them in dreams. As far as I know, she is not appearing to right any wrongs, but all the same, I can see the parallels. Similarly, most have had some rough histories with men from abuse, adultery, or pure laziness. Thus, the complaints regarding abuse (sexual in the film) and adultery by the women in this film also further hits home. All told, Volver was a film made for my enjoyment and Pedro Almodovar knocked it out of the park. My second film from him, this is a welcomed film after All About My Mother was good, but left me feeling cold. Volver is very much the opposite with brilliant direction, acting, and a heartfelt and thoroughly moving story.

Part magic realism, tragedy, and farce, Volver has a bit of an absurd plot at times, but can be boiled down to: a woman, Irene, comes to visit her two daughters, Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) and Soledad (Lola Duenas). Initially taking care of her dying sister (her daughter's aunt), Irene is here to make amends with Raimunda. Though she was always tight with Soledad, Raimunda had drifted away from her in her teens for reasons unknown to her. However, upon Irene's death, she learns why and shows up to make amends. Initially nervous to see her, Raimunda eventually finds out her mother is with Soledad anyways and what ensues is a phenomenal finale to the film. The final quarter of the film is the strongest section without question as it is the most emotional portion. In particular, the final line where Raimunda is excited to have her mother back and finally gets to talk to her, absolutely ruined me. Thinking of my mother and aunts when they merely get to see their mother in a dream, it was very easy for me to fall in love with this section of the film and the film as a whole.

This power of the mother-daughter relationship is the real strength of this film. While watching the scenes in the restaurant between Raimunda and the film crew, I was confused as to how it played into the film as a whole. Obviously, there is great comedy as there is someone hidden in the freezer in the back, but her success and camaraderie with the crew does not add much. That is, of course, until she decides to sing. In the scene with the musicians on the crew and her singing a song that her mother taught her, while her mother is hiding from her in a car, is incredible. Moving, emotional, and powerful, the emotion is clear on both the faces of Cruz and Maura. They really nail this scene and make it one of the most powerful definitions of the relationship between two. Even more, the song itself is about the memories and pain a person carries with them at night that keeps them awake. The connection to the plot and hidden pasts of the characters is clear, which makes the song a tremendous selection and the scene as a whole becomes truly wondrous.

In full transparency, I always love films about death. I am probably weird, but they are always so moving and powerful. Volver is no exception and underscores why good films about the subject work so well. The film underscores the feelings of loneliness, grieving, and healing, people go through. The film also really underscores the beauty of life, in spite of pain, and the beauty of death, in spite of the reason. Death is not be feared, but here, it shows this odd beauty as well as the darkness it can create, or turns it into comedy. This may seem odd, but it does work quite well for Volver and Almodovar assures that the moments are given their due weight.

After not loving my first entry in his filmography, Volver made me understand the love for Pedro Almodovar. Moving, emotional, and powerful, Volver's great accomplishment is its mother-daughter relationship, the regret, death, and lost time. Thanks to terrific acting, directing, and writing, Volver really hits home at times and is a truly tremendous experience. Though occasionally slow and a little bloated in spots, the finale and overall film make these flaws incredibly easy to look past.



8/10 - One of my favorite sub-genres has to be the high budget adult action comedy. Unfortunately, it is mostly dead nowadays aside from the release of films such as The Nice Guys this year. They do not resort to low brow humor, put the characters in adult situations, and are perfect examples of the fact that even adults can appreciate some well executed explosions. Plus, there is just something right about Angelina Jolie in a dominatrix outfit snapping a guy's neck. In Mr. & Mrs. Smith, director Doug Liman takes a married couple and makes them both assassins who have been contracted to kill one another. With well executed action set pieces and great comedy, the film's appeal largely rides on it being about a married couple assigned to kill one another. As such, they try to outwit and outsmart another while doing doing so as a married couple living in the suburbs, thus they fight about curtains, comment about homegoods stores, eat bad dinners together, and the man breaks stuff in the house accidentally. For many, this humor may become tiresome, but it always felt fresh and acted as a larger comment on marriage, rather than just a source of comedy.

Pairing together Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the film that brought them together, Mr. & Mrs. Smith depicts a married couple that is going through a rough patch. With a lack of sex and chemistry at the time, the duo are having troubles. What better way to fix a marriage than by blowing up your home and trying to kill one another in the process? Honestly, it seemed pretty cathartic and makes you wonder why more couples do not try this strategy out. While a bit absurd, Liman laces the action and silly plot with witty and quick jabs and banter between the couple. As a result, their antics become incredibly endearing and deeply funny. Of course, this would not be possible without top-notch performances from Pitt and Jolie who not only have great chemistry with one another, but have tremendous charisma.

Of course, it is hard to defend this film. Inherently stupid and over-the-top, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is hardly a classic. That said, it is a terrific blend of action and comedy. For somebody that has been accused of hating fun, this review should defeat those accusations. At the end of the day, I like good action and good comedy. If an action scene thrills me and jokes make me laugh, then I am satisfied. While its gags are silly and it has far too many explosions, its tongue-in-cheek action scenes that parody marriage, relationship warfare, and other action films, it was hard to not fall into the film's charm. Its jokes are well-written, smart, and incredibly witty. They may be a bit silly, but they are never trying too hard, being raunchy for the sake of being raunchy, or giving into lowest common denominator type humor (Deadpool or Kingsman as negative examples here). Instead, it takes an adult approach and finds a balance in appealing to both adults and action junkies along the way.

Hardly the pinnacle of cinema, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a fun, well plotted, funny, and action-packed summer action flick. With top-notch performances from the always charismatic Brangelina, the film has a lot of fun with its over-the-top action, well-timed comedy, and smart/witty jokes. Gleefully boisterous and absurd throughout, the film's pacing is excellent and keeps the speed at cruise control. It is never distractingly fast, nor is it ever too slow. Instead, it flies by at the right speed to allow full enjoyment of its infectious energy and joy. While many do not like Mr. & Mrs. Smith, count me as one of its supporters, though its flaws are certainly readily apparent and the film is hardly as well manicured as its stars.



8/10 - One of the most divisive films in Woody Allen's filmography, Another Woman has been criticized for being too similar to Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries. Some critics, however, have praised the film and call it one of Allen's best works. Personally, I find myself siding more with the latter. Though I would not say it is one of his best films, it is still a tremendous character study of a broken woman going through a mid-to-late life crisis. A character study with a thin plot, Another Woman is pretty simple. Marion Post (Gena Rowlands), a professor and writer, sublets a small apartment away from her husband in order to write her next book. However, her concentration is broken when she realizes that she hear patients talking to the psychiatrist next door. Initially trying to stop the noise, Marion gives into temptation and stumbles across a young woman, Hope (Mia Farrow), whose problems awaken in her this crisis. Incredibly well-acted, well-written, and well-directed, Another Woman is a simple, yet effective character study.

Studying themes such as regret, lack of fulfillment, and loneliness, Another Woman is pretty simple. Marion, now married to Ken (Ian Holm), is unhappy. On her second husband, Ken is closer to her in age than her ex and former philosophy professor, Sam (Philip Bosco). Marion began an affair with Ken when the latter was still married, but the one-year old marriage has hit a rough spot with the couple incapable of talking or having sex. Much of this is due to mutual issues, but Marion is certainly involved. She is having a mild affair with Larry Lewis (Gene Hackman), a man she truly loves. He is not an academic like Sam or Ken, but he has passion. Yet, she denies this and tries to make her loveless marriage work instead. For Marion, much of her problems stem from not being fulfilled in life and love. She is too smart and looks down upon those who are not as smart as her. Instead of finding a man who stimulates in some way other than her mind, she finds men who are smart but passionless. This has left her with a great amount of loneliness as she feels a distance to those around her.

Yet, one of the largest elements of strain is regret. At the end of the film, she wonders if memories are what we had or what we lost. For her, it is clearly the latter. Regretting an abortion she got out of fear of having a child while with Sam, regretting marrying Sam, regretting the affair with Ken, and regretting marrying Ken, Marion has a lot of baggage. She has deluded herself into believing she was happy for a long time, but she can longer keep the wool over her eyes. Of course, a lot of her problems equally stem from the mask she puts on for the world. As stated by Larry in his novel, once he kissed Marion, she pulled away and retreated behind her defenses. This is what has plagued her all these years. She pulls away from those who show her love in favor of those she can have academic conversations with. Initially tricking herself into thinking that all she needed was a smart man who stimulated her mind, she realizes she was wrong. She wanted a passionate man who deeply loved her. She wanted a child. Now, at her age, she is left with nothing but regret. Love may have past her by. Having a child is out of the question. Now, she must deal with the weight of her choices and their impact upon her.

Fortunately, however, there is a way out. At the end, she ensures that Ken's daughter, Laura (Martha Plimpton), will remain her friend after the divorce. She offers an olive branch to her largely estranged brother Paul (Harris Yulin). She is finally going to indulge in endeavors that do not make her think. Instead, she will follow her heart and follow the path of self-fulfillment. Though she may not have much time left at her age, she is determined to make the most of it and not become her father (John Houseman). Showing up in a dream to her, her father reveals that he too has regrets, wishes he treated his kids better, and had a different relationship with his wife. For Marion, this is one portion of her wake-up call to adjust her life. She is doomed to become him if not and that is not what she wants in the least.

Brilliantly depicted by Rowlands, Marion is a serious, cold, and stolid woman. She keeps to herself whenever possible and is very reserved and very judgmental. Yet, she is a broken woman. Rowlands never really cries here, but you can the damage in her eyes. She is fractured and Rowlands does incredibly well at capturing this in a tremendous performance. While Marion interacts with a variety of supporting characters, who all nail their roles as well, the film largely relies upon on Rowlands to carry the weight and she most certainly does. Woody Allen also delivers the goods in this serious drama film with terrifically authentic characters and good dialogue. It can be a bit on the nose at points, which is the film's biggest fault, but no matter in a character study this good and poignant.

A compelling character study, Another Woman is a terrific drama from Woody Allen. Starring Gena Rowlands in a truly marvelous performance and role, Another Woman examines the regrets and memories we amass over time that have led us to where we are now. By the end of the film, it becomes clear that the film is arguing in favor of the belief that time is never over until it is over. Rowlands' character may be older, but she still has a chance to make things right and change her life for the better. She has wasted too much time not investing in herself, she cannot afford to continue this mistake.



8/10 - At three hours, the extended cut of this film is a real behemoth. I am watching director Kenneth Lonergan's filmography is reverse order, having already seen Manchester by the Sea before watching Margaret. That said, this film further shows that there is a rule when watching a Longeran. If things can get worse, they absolutely will. In this film, a woman is killed by a bus and young Lisa Cohen (Anna Paquin) is a witness and a cause of the accident, as she purposely distracted the bus driver. The rest of the film depicts her trying to right this wrong and come to terms with the negative impact she had in this case. Largely a character study, Margaret is a film with a dire and pessimistic depiction of the world and of human beings. Yet, as is the case with his follow-up to this film, Margaret is oddly emotionally cathartic. Though it really goes the full 12 rounds with your heart and emotions, the film is an operatic and beautiful portrayal of life, death, teenagers, and human relationships.

The star of this film is Lisa Cohen. A teenage high school student, Lisa is a complicated character. Young, naive, angsty, antagonistic, strident, dramatic, and in a rush to grow up even if she knows nothing, Lisa is not somebody many people should like. However, why this film soars as a character study is Lonergan's refusal to judge her. At the end of the day, all of this anger, mistreatment of her mother, and distance, comes from her regret and pain over causing the death of a woman. She finds ways to deal with the pain and try to forget about it, though it is causing her great strain in her life and her relationships. She needs to release it all and let herself off the hook. By the end of the film, no matter how bratty and irresponsible and disrespectful she acts, you cannot help but feel great sympathy for her and what she has been through. It is tough growing up, let alone seeing such a gruesome death at a young age. Even more challenging, she is idealistic and believes the world must operate in a certain fashion. Though adults grow out of this, as said in the film, teenagers still have this clear view of the world. When things do not align in this fashion and people do not trip over themselves to agree with her, she is confused, affronted, and distraught. Though her traits make her sound horrible, Margaret truly portrays a tragic picture of Lisa and the shattering of her innocent and naive world. Ignorance is truly bliss and for her, she will no longer be ignorant.

An incredibly powerful film, it is clear that Lonergan loves the opera as much as Damien Chazelle loves jazz. With characters going to the opera multiple times in the film, the clearest definition of Lonergan's love of opera is the end. Cathartic, the opera leaves young Lisa in tears next to her mother, Joan (J. Smith-Cameron). The close shows Lisa embrace Joan in tears. While showing the power of the opera, it also shows tremendous growth for Lisa. Fighting with her mother throughout the film, she is now willing to accept her with open arms. She has grown up and is moving past her angsty and existential teenager phase.

At times, however, the film also parallels Lisa's interpretation of the opera. Perceiving it to be merely a medium in which the singers try to yell as loud as possible, Lisa's life is very much the same. Fighting with her mom, fighting with strangers, fighting with classmates, and more, she is antagonistic and looking for somebody to unleash upon at all turns. It is as if she is in her own opera and trying to outscream those around her, out of a belief that she knows best in spite of her lack of life experience. This behavior reveals a lot about her character throughout as her response to conflict is to become defensive and argumentative. She shuts out others and just assumes she is correct without altering her view. Yet, it makes sense because her mother is the same way. She overreacts and takes disagreement as a personal attack. She overreacts and pushes people away just because of a disagreement.

Powerful, depressing, and very long, Margaret's extended cut suffers from some filler. Moments come and go without adding much to the plot. That said, as the film is attempting to replicate real life, these moments are pretty easy to make sense of in the world of the film. Though everything may not advance the plot, the plot is merely an excuse to study Lisa and what makes her tick. This examination works as a large examination of teenagers and their place in the world. For Lonergan, the world is dark and depressing. Teenagers may wish they were older and try to put themselves in adult situations (losing their virginity and having sex), but the realities of adulthood (abortion, death, pain, loneliness, and injustice) will show them that being an adult is not easy. By the end, Lisa has realized this and shows her mother long overdue affection. Sadly, it comes as a result of her losing her innocence and optimism. Now that she has been exposed to the sad reality of the world in which she lives, she is doomed to become jaded, distraught, and disconnected with the world around her. For me, this is what the ending means. The tears are a result of the opera and of her crumbling world view. Her mother, having gone through the same, is heartbroken to see her daughter grow up before it is her time through forces out of her control. Heavy, yet beautiful and authentic, Margaret is a tremendous film from Lonergan that is poetic and painfully real.