Everyone has a comfort zone in life, and movie-going habits are not excluded. This is completely understandable considering the sheer number of unwatchable productions out there. At least when you’re watching something you’re used to, it’s easier to take if it’s not up to snuff.
The drawback of course being that you just know there is gold out there in “uncomfortable land,” but where to look?
Next time you’re scanning through a video library and looking for something different, might I suggest the 2011 award-winning, black-and-white silent film, The Artist.
Directed by Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist is another film of his that is heavy with references and stars Jean Dujardin. The curtain rises with Dujardin on top of the world as a silent film star basking in the spotlight.
Oh, but times are a-changing and instead of embracing the new era of “talkies,” he dismisses talking movies as a fad. This ends about as well as any stubborn old man refusing to change with the times. At the same time, Dujardin’s career spirals down, a young starlet played by the lovely Berenice Bejo spirals up and up.
Much like subtitled films, the fact that you’re watching a silent film seems weird at first, but after a few moments it’s fluid and then only weird when it stops.
Film buffs will no doubt get a little more out of this one playing “spot the reference,” but it’s safe to say anyone giving 90 minutes to this film will not feel robbed of that time.
Academy award winning, The Artist is currently streaming on Netflix for your immediate enjoyment.
