Kékszakállú (2016) - Gastón Solnicki

Gastón Solnicki'​s ​Kékszakállú is rooted more in feeling than thought, showing an unwillingness to adhere to the rules of traditional linear structure, painting a transfixing portrait of a generational inerita, alienation, and spiritual and economic malaise, detailing the internal struggles of several privileged young woman, who find themselves increasingly extricated from the support of familial privilege, unable to find their own sense of identity in this quickly changing world they inhabit.  Minimalist in design, Kékszakállú relies heavily on its ravishing cinematography to capture the malaise of its characters, who find themselves at a crossroads in their own lives, struggling to find some form of personal identity away from the confines of their privileged existence which has long defined them as individuals.  The characterizations in ​Kékszakállú aren't particularly well defined, yet through Gaston Solnicki's wonderful use of composition and mise-en-scene, these character's internal turmoil comes to light.  Masterfully juxtaposing man-made architecture with the organic structures provided by the natural world, Solnicki's film visually evokes the intrinsic confliction which exists between the old and new world, where mass production and economic progress have shaped the current state of civilization, yet humanity itself, and these character's in particularly, are still stuck longing, with humanities spiritual and intrinsic connection with nature struggling to be fulfilled despite the overall progress of mankind.  The confliction between industrial design and nature's design expressed through the visual aesthetic of Solnicki's film strengthens its character's opaquely defined internal struggles, with the symmetrical, carefully designed man-made structures symbolizing the systematic yet oppressive nature of these woman's privledged lives, one where expectations are set, and one's own search for personal identity feels masked by the familial expectations which come with such privileged environments.  The restrictive nature which economic class can have on the individual is thoroughly captured through the detachment shown by these various young woman, individuals who are quietly trapped in their privileged environments, places where societal expectations restrict individualistic freedom, conflicting with their own personal and spiritual path to personal enlightenment.  Enigmatic from a narrative perspective, ​Kékszakállú visual acumen is met with a vignette type structure, never didactic in the slightest when it comes to the details of these characters, Kekszakallu relies on the visual medium to capture the sense of detachment in these woman despite an unwillingness to provide in-depth details into their personal experience, showcasing how the intimate details hardly matter, as each wholeheartedly shares the same sense of malaise and detachment, struggling to find a place they belong in the changing landscape of their environment.  A challenging piece of filmmaking which relies heavily on visual aesthetic to create its thematic assertions, Gastón Solnicki'​s ​Kékszakállú is a transfixing examination of youth, one which is grandiose yet intimate in its ability to capture the feelings of detachment, longing, and general malaise, that comes with one's search for truth and personal identity. 

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