Borders in Film Article by Anthony Sennett
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American Honey (2016)
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Sunlight Magazine
y December 31st, a nearly innumerable collection of films will be crammed into a memory box. No matter the artistic pedigree, intent, or cultural value, any work from these past ten years will be concretely related to one another. While the age of the superhero will most likely define this era of American cinema in retrospect, a beautiful array of voices were heard outside of the Marvel cinematic universe. Mid-decade, indie audiences witnessed the birth of a boldly deconstructed and raw form of realism from the likes of American Honey (2016), Tangerine (2015), and Heaven Knows What (2014), in tandem with the hyper-stylized revelations of Sorry to Bother You (2018), The Love Witch (2015), Anomalisa (2015), and the good and bad of Nicholas Winding Refn’s neon-soaked world. A renaissance in horror came to fruition due to the likes of Robert Eggers, Jordan Peele, and Ari Aster, and sci-fi reached new heights with Denis Villenueve’s Arrival (2016) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and Alex Garland’s Ex
Machina (2014) and Annihilation (2018). Reasserting their unyielding talent, David Fincher, Wes Anderson, and Paul Thomas Anderson cemented their status as masters. Along with all this, the heartwarming hug Lady Bird (2017) provided was equalized by the stomach wound inflicted by Suspiria (2018). Although there is an abundance of realized and budding talent within the states, there is no reason to remain within the boundaries of the english language. No matter how great of a selection America boasts, the need for outside perspectives is essential to sustaining a diverse and well-rounded artistic atmosphere. While the 2000’s were prevalently filled with escapist fantasies of middle earth and wizard kids, there was an emergence of films extraneous to America growing more accessible and popular. From Spirited Away to Pan’s Labyrinth, a more diverse spectrum of voices and styles were beginning to share the spotlight with the likes of James Bond and Tom Cruise playing the character of Tom Cruise. In 2009, on a strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea, director Yorgos Lanthimos introduced the Greek New Wave to the world. Releasing his second feature film Dogtooth, Lanthimos’ style was mundanely surreal, providing an unsettlingly raw lens through which to view the human condition. The following year, he would star in Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Attenberg. As Tsangari stated, “I thought it would be interesting to observe Marina (the main character) the way Attenborough observes his subject, with a kind of scientific tenderness.” This approach is reflected in the opening scene, focusing on an emotionless, uncomfortably prolonged make out session. This audaciously bleak presentation is the defining characteristic that would
