Stars At Noon - 2022

I didn't know Claire Denis directed this. I might have been less open to it going in. I'm glad I didn't know.

The first act builds so slowly - as Deni's usually do – though Qualley's constant incandescent nakedness provided a distraction. 

Hard to say whether Denis is exploiting Qualley, or, like the rest of us, in awe of her unnaturally natural beauty, innate glamour and artistic fearlessness. Qualley has the face of silent-era star, with bottomless emotion pouring out of her eyes and 1000 x more energy than she knows what do to with. When Qualley learns to modulate, that is, you know, act, there's no telling what she can do.

For now, I guess Qualley'll just have to settle for being a true movie star, one you cannot stop staring at. I can so see her in an early Godard film, and there is no higher praise.

Haven't enjoyed a Denis film this century. Her slow pacing and ponderous cutting worked against her in more pretentious or less well written pictures. This is her best, and, I think, the best of 2022.

Denis gives no shits about "backstory" or "character building" or "exposition" or even "context." The story unfolds entirely through the characters and everything that happens springs from their natures. Layered atop the characters is the terrifying political situation, which is presented with telling indirectness and lack of explanation. The plot explains nothing, but leaves of plenty to infer, as in Denis Johnson's best books or, even better, Robert Stone's. This is like the best novel Stone never wrote and you can feel his influence on Johnson.

From what seems a rambling beginning, the film's power builds and builds and Denis applies all her craft to staying out of her own way as she never has.