Cinema

"Libraries are the pillars of democracy." That's Toni Morrison talking, and she's not wrong. It's rare to see a library as the main character of a film—reason enough to catch Frederick Wiseman's stunning documentary about the iconic New York Public Library. This isn't some dry institutional tour. It's a living portrait of knowledge, community, and what public spaces actually mean.

"You say emotions are overrated. But that's bullshit. Emotions are all we've got left." Been a while since I wrote about film, but Paolo Sorrentino's latest is so damn sublime I had to break the silence. Youth hits different—it's meditative, visually intoxicating, and brutally honest about aging, regret, and what matters when time's running out.

I dragged my feet for days—scratch that, weeks—before giving in to the trailer's pull. If you can resist that soundtrack, throw the first stone. Finally caved and saw the adaptation. Thomas Hardy on screen is always risky business, but this one held its own. The cinematography alone is worth the ticket price.

Short update this time. Haven't been in Paris much this month. The few days I spent at the office were packed solid—when you work for an international company in a service role, May is brutal. Multiple public holidays mean everyone else's emergencies become yours. Still managed to squeeze in a film or two between chaos.

April felt like summer arrived early. Short skirts and sandals already. I walked through parks, picnicked in parks, read in parks. And occasionally locked myself in a dark theater. Because balance. Caught a couple films worth mentioning, plus some other cultural detours that made the month memorable.

March was annoying as hell, exactly as March should be: sunny breaks followed by freezing downpours. I'm not just talking weather. Saying goodbye without regrets, hoping April has better mood control. The month had its moments though—a few films, some reading, the usual urban wandering.

February meant work overload and a nasty cold. Less reading, fewer posts, not much going out. Caught some theater at the Comédie Française—Marivaux's La double inconstance. Silvia gets kidnapped by a prince who's obsessed with her. Classic setup, but the execution matters. The cast delivered.

Months really don't repeat themselves. October was all heartbeats, November was all questions. Hit the Jeff Koons exhibit at Centre Pompidou out of pure curiosity—the name gets thrown around enough that I figured I should see what the fuss is about. Contemporary art always divides people. This was no exception.

A film about photographs is a strange concept, but that's exactly what director Wim Wenders committed to with his documentary on photographer Sebastião Salgado. Twenty years ago, Wenders saw one of Salgado's photos in a gallery and couldn't shake it. This film is the result of that obsession—a meditation on seeing, suffering, and redemption.

In 1973, General Pinochet overthrew President Allende and installed a military dictatorship in Chile. Fifteen years later—fifteen years of oppression, arbitrary arrests, murders, torture—Pinochet faced international pressure. The regime agreed to a referendum. Should he stay or go? What follows is one of the strangest political campaigns ever waged.