A Plea for more Weirdness

I find myself feeling, disinterested by most forms of art. It focuses too much on the mundane and re-brands itself as “nuanced”. I find it unbelievably boring. And I can’t be the only one. 

Recently, I saw Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos. And, oh boy, did it rock my world. It left me stunned, unable to articulate how perfect I though tit was. The English language felt too reductive to truly put into words how much this film ignited my soul. Leaving the cinema stuttering, almost blinded by the magic I saw. 

Now time has passed, I realise why I adored this film. Finally something WEIRD! Something that couldn’t be held next to the other films I saw. A piece of film literature that felt totally different, totally insane. I was overjoyed that finally a piece of media had lifted my soul. Something so smart and hilarious, that showed the social meaning straight away. Spoon-feeding at its finest. Cinematography to quench the thirst, performances that could make me swoon and writing that felt so comforting. I adored this film.  

It reminded me of Amelie, the 2001 French film by Lean-Pierre Jeunet. One that divided my film class and kickstarted many a debate. Something that, once again, lit a fire within me. Something that felt so otherworldly. An aura of complete madness. The lightness of the film while being so touching and so grounded, once again, rocked my fucking world. Amelie secured a spot within my top 5 films from the first voice over.  

So why am I telling you this? Well, I think we are often fed the same stories over and over again through film and theatre. So, when something strange comes to us, I can’t help but think that this is what the world needs a bit more of. A bit more weirdness. 

 

Now, my readings of both of these films have a heavy Autism connotation. But rather than it being an “autism film” I think there’s something I relate to with both of the characters feeling “other” and having to learn how to understand the world. Do I think this is necessary for a “weird film”? No. I love most films that subvert or reject conventional themes and techniques. But these two in particular hit closer to home, maybe because of the “Austim-ness” but maybe it’s something else. Maybe I love seeing people be who they really are, unashamedly, without apology or fear. 

Before people start thinking about Saltburn, no, not the right vibe. It’s not weird. It’s just strange. Different things. I can’t tell you exactly why, but it's just true :) Saltburn was strange but not weird. Poor Things and Amelie are weird but not strange. 

I can’t help but think there is a slight gap in the film world. I think we get so many bland mainstream films but having a gem of weird once in a while is so refreshing. But, I think we need more. Correction. I need more. 

More filmmakers need to take bigger risks, more audiences need to be exposed to weirdness in the mainstream, more actors need to be pushed to be weird. I want a weirder world, I think that means more freedom. A more unapologetic existence. And why wouldn’t we want that?