Led by instant classic The Lighthouse, a look at unforgettable films made even more powerful by ‘box’ ratio.
Finally caught The Lighthouse – and, boy, does it pull no punches.
It employs, to memorable effect, the occasionally-trendy old-school ‘square’ aspect ratio, a powerful visual tool to convey mood, time period, message.
In his recent Da 5 Bloods, Spike Lee narrowed the screen for some rich Vietnam War flashback scenes. Who dares, wins.
The technique helped bold filmmakers create an unforgettable experience in my favourite modern ‘box’ films:
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CLASSIC – THE LIGHTHOUSE (2019)
A creaky lighthouse on a remote, battered rock in the 1890s. Willem Dafoe, in full beard and sailor-speech, as its mysterious, authoritative and drunk keeper. Robert Pattinson as his suspiciously introverted new assistant. All squeezed into a black and white ‘box’ frame. That it’s even more intense, thematically rich, visually stunning – and crazy – than that premise, while also utterly satisfying, makes The Lighthouse an instant classic.
Rotten Tomatoes 90% | On Amazon Prime
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CROWDPLEASER – NO (2012)
Fiercely-talented director Pablo Larrain’s breakout film is a political-historical drama that, as those words suggest, has no right to be so entertaining – particularly when many already know its ending. He uses 1980s cameras, with low-resolution and TV-like 4:3 ratio, to send us straight back to the days of VHS. With confidence and humour, the film finds an engrossing and insightful story behind the surprising advertising campaign for a pivotal vote in Chile. In the year that Argo won Best Film, this was a much more rewarding take on a true story, led by the excellent Gael Garcia Bernal.
Rotten Tomatoes 94%
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WILDCARD – SON OF SAUL (2015)
The Best Foreign Language Oscar-winner takes us literally to the door of Auschwitz’s gas chamber. But with the frame – already a narrow box – focused tightly on the face of its quiet and frantic protagonist, we don’t see nor hear much clearly. Neither is prisoner Saul able to emote much, shellshocked from his forced role in the horror. But in his risky mission to give a dead child a proper burial, while others focus on an escape plan, actions speak louder than words in the most extraordinary way. First-time actor Geza Rohrig somehow conveys an exhausted mixture of anguish, resignation and determination. As fellow inmates berate him, Saul pushes on with his gripping bid for humanity.
Rotten Tomatoes 96%
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