cinema lately

At some point in the last month or so I read a snippet of a quote warning against watching cinematic fiction as it will negatively affect one's concept of reality. I agree with this to a certain extent, and thought I'd limit myself to only documentaries for a bit. This is a little ridiculous as I am a pretty devout theater-goer. But it is good too in alerting myself to the fact that the cinematic fiction I appreciate most is the very out-there whole restructuring of a suggested reality in a very new form. avant-garde it goes.

I recently saw Tokyo! at BAM and loved it. It was hilarious, ridiculous, witty, insane, and touching. Describing a triptych as a whole can be misleading I suppose, so I'll break it down a bit: The first piece ("Interior Design") was directed by Michel Gondry. We are all laughing right away. It was a good choice as first. It is based on a story/comic by Gabrielle Bell, whom I have not read but have now requested works from the library. It also pokes great fun at filmmakers. Knowing how Gondry rolls, I should like to track down a copy of the film shown in the film.
The third segment was really sweet and nerdy, sort of akin to Let the Right One In (which I saw recently and really liked - Oskar is such an endearing character), wherein love occurs between someone who is perceived a bit like a monster (but is themself confident and unconcerned) and another catches a glimpse of this and sees them self in it. Hermits instead of vampires. The most visually stunning of the three.
The second segment ("Merde" by Leos Carax) is insane, the audience is confused at first. But the bizarre scenario presented remains relatively intact, so we are assuaged. In retrospect it too is beautiful. I can't really describe it without giving too much away. Such a lovely monster. (Lilies!)
The first segment set a touch of post-apocalypse that subtly permeated the rest. I am curious as to if there were any constraints for the directors. I didn't research it all prior to seeing it, I had simply seen a preview for it at Examined Life.

So, Examined Life was the only documentary I have seen lately. I had the luck to attend the first screening (quite by accident) in which the director (Astra Taylor) and one of the philosophers (Avital Ronell) were there speaking and Q&Aing. I had found myself in a mini-existential-crisis at the time and watching this film was like going to the doctor. It is a series of walks (save a car ride and a wheelchair) in eight segments with prominent contemporary philosophers discussing meaning and purpose. The title references the Socrates quote ("An unexamined life is not worth living") around which much of the dialogue is directed. The variety too was wonderful. For example, Slavoj Zizek is this lisping Slovenian wearing a neon orange safety vest wandering a landfill and pondering the trouble with humans being so removed from their waste. It is full of advice and additional outlets to research. The philosophers and sassy! Maybe I am just remembering the in-person one. It is a little breezy but that is better than being inaccessible.