#82 of 2010: Cat People

"Cat People" has a lot in common with "I Walked With a Zombie" in terms of its ambiguity about what is really going on here. Both films utilize the exotic foreignness of non-American legend as a portal into the "unknown" and cross-examine seemingly supernatural phenomena (which is rarely evidenced visually) with the opinions of psychologists or doctors, and it is the viewer hirself who must ultimately judge whether disturbed minds or demonic curses are to blame for the trouble that transpires. In addition to ethnic and religious differences, "Cat People" also deals rather thoughtfully with the problem of defining love, as the storyline absolutely demolishes the lead male's simplistic ideals concerning the subject. So it goes like this: there are two beautiful, charming, decent women in the story. One is the delicate, dark (but still generally cutesy), sexually abstinent wife who possesses an undeniable, almost primal magnetism. The other is a peppy, self-assured office buddy who shares professional interests and skills (designing/engineering ships) with Mr. Golly Gee. After his marriage based on "I love you and you love me, even though I'm totally dismissive of your deeply held and life-guiding beliefs", he finds that (surprise) he's unhappy for the first time in his life- the bulk of which he describes as a happy childhood plus a great time at school plus lots of fun at the office. At this point is the scene during which office pal both describes a more solid (though still pretty idealistic) view of love and complicates the idea by professing the relationship between them to be a perfect example of it, but concluding the conversation without seeming to want anything decidedly romantic from him. I knew better than to get too hopeful about what a film made in 1942 might have to say about cross-gender friendships or acceptable gender relations, but (ultimate conclusions aside) "Cat People" was willing to engage the topic interestingly, and often in a way that demonstrated the weaknesses in patriarchal assumptions. I haven't even gone into the best part of the movie where the wife is following the office buddy down the street in the dark, but you gotta see it so WATCH THIS MOVIE.

#65 of 2010: I Walked with a Zombie

this film is deliciously ambiguous as a horror flick- full of speculations about the causes of the condition of the "zombie" in the story. each one twists the narrative further around on itself and refuses to provide an answer, only offering a possibility. the deftness of camera work during the first "walk with the zombie" is impossible to ignore, with perfectly (and dynamically) paced tracking shots. [my favorite: the few seconds where, after mostly following the actors, retracing their steps and trailing them around corners in the cane field, the camera jumps in front of them, reversing the shot so that we see the actors {paused momentarily to observe the creepy surroundings, the nurse's physical hesitation denoting doubt about the mission she's embarked on with her patient} squared in the center of the screen. when they start to move, the camera does as well, which highlights the fact that at this point, continuing is less about forcing ahead and more about being pulled in, regardless of inhibitions.] the love stories are left (appropriately) in the realm of rash decisions, and though the ending allows couples to "be together", it is certainly not an all-tied-up conclusion. the thoughtful ruminations on cultural differences don't end up favoring Western traditions over "other" ones: though the doctors scoff at the practices of villagers and mention "talking a little voodoo to get medicine down their throats", one of them is also convinced that she participated in a successful voodoo ritual; and the discussions of how the people got to this island usually expose the Westerner as a bit daft and uncompassionate, i.e. when the driver relates (with a troubled expression that only the camera can see) that everyone's long-ago mothers and long-ago fathers were carried here by the Hollands against their will ["chained to the bottom of the boat"], the nurse responds with an ignorant smile, "they brought you to a beautiful place didn't they". I could go on about interactions like this, but you should see the movie. it's short enough to watch without ever checking your watch (or the progress bar on the video player)!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_walked_with_a_zombie