Annette (2021) - Leos Carax

"I'm not that drunk, lets Waltz" - Truer words have never been spoken.
Carax's visual tableaux remains wondrous, intoxicating, and distinctly expressive, consistently ruminating on the human condition and the artificiality of modernity via heightened notions of reality which at times feel farcical. Honestly, for my money despite its flaws, this is cinema baby! I don't really agree with the critique that Annette is devoid of emotion due to its heightened dimensions. Personally, I found this film to embrace affect quite vividly thru the rejection of more traditional modes of storytelling. When you think about it, Annette's narrative framework is very simple, yet what Carax constructs is an immersive, vibrant reality that lives beyond traditional notions of narrative storytelling. Operating on a plane in which lucidity and expressivity attempt to capture the ontological, Carax's proclivity towards mischief is well represented but I think the maturity and honesty Jeanette captures through its heightened construction deserves more credit - the consistent struggle that is living and loving in the modern world is luminously expressed. Carax is a provocateur in many regards, and while this film provides so much to chew on, I believe his mischievous nature distracts some from the film's emotional pulse. Either way, I enjoyed the ride.