DIRECTORS' OBSESSIONS

- by Barbora Horská (Intern at Improper Walls)

Obsession of an obsession. Obsessing over..obsessive thoughts…
Spectrum. Fun little “obsession” on one side, crippling mental health issue on the other.
With all the dark things happening around, let’s try to stay (mostly) in the fun corner today.

So how can obsession be a good thing? Or maybe at least used for something good?
For me, it’s a tool to gain knowledge. Getting obsessed with all the “why” and “how’s”.
Curiosity. Observation. Desire to understand. Transforming into a need. And from that need, obsession grows.

Why? How? What for? What is behind? The meaning..true intentions..inspiration.
As a result, long list of random (mostly cultural) trivia on one side, inability to just let go of (mostly shitty human behaviour kind of) things not making sense to me on the other.

Through answers trying to understand others. Myself. Myself through others and others through myself. Behaviour. Thought patterns. Obsession. To find an algorithm to explain. Predict. Control (freak)..

Fun corner, remember?

Cinema!

Movies have everything. Music that inspires me, constructed visuals with perfect compositions and color schemes that soothe me and human relationships that disturb me. Perfect combination.

It’s like a tree. Endless list of associations. References. To explore. Dive into. To find some more..

Jarmusch. Almodóvar. Dolan. My personal top three. Mainstream of alternative scene. So what?

No one cooler in my universe than Jim Jarmusch. My obsession, his movies. His obsessions?
Everyday moments. Slow tempo. In black and white or toned down colors. Little details. Chess boards. Art and culture references. Poetry. Music. Always the best soundtrack. White Stripes, RZA, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, Yasmine Hamdan, Sqürl. Then Science. Inventions. Nikola Tesla. Tesla Coil. Earth as a conductor of acoustical resonance. Free energy. Tesla’s discreditation. Politics. Decay of humanity. Hope? Mushrooms. Zombies? Oh man, I’ve been telling you…

Personal picks (in this order):

Coffee and cigarettes — for everyday consumption.
Only Lovers Left Alive — to satisfy all senses.
Permanent Vacation, Stranger than Paradise, Night On Earth and Mystery Train — classics marathon
Peterson — to slow down.
Dead don’t die — because this is gonna end badly

Pedro Almodóvar. Now for his obsessions, no words needed, just watch these supercuts by Jorge Luengo Ruiz about Color, Circles, Art and Books.

Or go straight for (again just few of my personal favourites):
Julieta
La Mala Educación
Volver
Todo Sobre mi Madre
Las mujeres un ataque de nervios
Los Amantes Pasajeros
Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón

And then happened..Xavier. Dolan. The boy wonder. The one who’s movie introduced me to Moderat
so I kindly skip the comparison with Pedro over there [as well as Dolan’s comments of not being familiar with his movies (come on now, really?)] and get straight to the topic instead..cause despite the attitude, it’s still worth to obsess about..him..obsessing over…Perfectionism. Colors. Slow Motion. Surrealism. Beauty. Sexuality. Identity. Relationships. Music. Fashion. Simply…C’est spécial.

Personal picks that would also make best music videos:
Laurence Anyways (New Error by Moderat)
Mommy (Wonderwall by Oasis)
Les amours imaginaires (Pass this On by Knife and Bang Bang by Dalida)