The Long Day Closes (1992) - Terence Davies

What has always been incredibly impressive about Terence Davies films is his unique ability to create films which seem to so perfectly capture the feelings and emotion which one would associate with memories.  A subtle piece of visual storytelling, The Long Day Closes, uses beautiful cinematography, lighting and compositions to create an emotional portrait of childhood, which no doubt mirrors his own experiences as a child.  The film feels like a dream and it's hypnotic dissection of space and time is both engaging and affecting throughout.  The main difference between this film and Distant Voices, Still Lives is Davies focuses solely on this boy's childhood subtly revealing traits about him - his loneliness, lack of ability to make meaningful relationships outside of his family, his love of cinema, etc. It's a series of Vignettes, each memory giving us small details into this character while simultaneously disappearing back into the darkness of the mind as quickly as they first appeared.  Most of these events are not big dramatic decisions rather more are quiet moments, which almost seem insignificant on their own, but offer up pieces of a puzzle which tell the story of this young boy's childhood.  It's a hard thing to describe, Davies Aesthetic, I would say it's very fresh and clean as if to try and capture the innocence of the young boy.  Light is uses quite frequently, reflecting off the characters and settings, creating this feeling of warmth and innocense.  Terence Davies The Long Day Closes defines cinematic storytelling.
9/10

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