Sleepy Hall

Staying awake for 36 hours and then watching a film is something I wouldn’t recommend doing (often, at least). I remember my first such “sleepless” experience: sitting in the front row for Von Trier’s Element of Crime. Every time I closed my eyes, I’d drift off into a 30 second lull, and wake up to the darkness of the cinema hall. The film didn’t help either. The scenes were all mostly shot at night and shades of black permeated the screen at all times. I just wonder, if the film had been Europa (his second film) instead, I’d slept like a log from the hypnotic opening scene itself, which incidentally bears a close resemblance to Lynch’s opening sequence in Lost Highway.

Just yesterday was my second “sleepless” film, Julie Delpy’s 2 Days in Paris. The film was alright; it underplays the role of Paris, which is good, but features some unlikeable characters throughout. And Delpy is as beautiful as in Blanc.