IRA SACHS: LITTLE MOMENTS

With having seen the previous film by Ira Sachs, Love Is Strange (2014) the year it was released, Little Men (2016) had already given me a promise of enjoyment - which it did deliver. The most powerful attribute of Sachs' filmmaking is affirmed to be his ability to capture small moments. Emphasis on these moments makes Little Men alive; the importance of these instants for the young protagonists is part of the charm, but it doesn't stay only in the childhood nostalgia. By lingering in these moments, I felt a strong sense of going forward - stopping to remember that nothing stays the same. The parents are also important, and it is refreshing to see a family drama where in the end there's no one to blame. The children learned that too, and that is a part of growing up, going forward.

ALL TIME FAVOURITE MUSIC VIDEO

Tom Rosenthal is one of my absolutely favourite musical artists. His whimsical lyrics and melodies keep on touching and/or amusing me. I can't help but admire his collaboration with other great artist too - his music videos keep amazing me with clever ideas and originality. For example, the video for Middle of My Mind features just middle close ups of people thinking about someone they miss. The beauty of basic humanity.

Lead Me To You, directed by Annlin Chao is my favourite though. Again, it's about the beauty and complexity of human psyche with impression of the subconscious. Freud's tip of the iceberg and all that - and in this video, what is hidden underneath is breathtakingly beautiful.

LOOKING FORWARD

I never make proper New Year's resolutions; I know myself well enough to know I couldn't keep them. Instead, I list hopes/wishes for the year. There is not many points this time, I feel like that is only a good sign as I'm quite content with my life right now.

• Travel! I want to make weekend trips to explore my new home country; places I really want to visit include Oxford, Canterbury and just some any nice little seaside town. I'd also want to visit Paris. We'll see.
• Pay more attention to my well-being. Not the eat-healthy-exercise-and-forget-after-January kind, but in a comprehensive way on different levels on my life. I want to take life as it comes, cherish the important details and have it simple.
• Sketch a short film. I have an idea, just have to take it to the finish line.
• Find a cosy home with my friends in the Autumn. x

2017

ME: My 2017 has been quite extreme.

FRIEND: Take the rest of January off.

There's a reason I have not posted lately, and that reason is my weird-ass beginning of 2017. I got a bad fever on New Year's Eve and then, after blood tests taken couple of days later for the temperature not getting down even with medication, I was taken into hospital. They don't know what was wrong with me but something definitely was as my stats were just crazy. I was there for almost five days.

At least I got an extra week of 'holiday' (aka just getting better). I didn't go to my exam today. I haven't finished my essays, deadlines were last week. But hey, it will be all fine. The most important thing is that I will actually get well because this. has. not. been. fun. Being this passive makes me just sad and useless.

A very good thing that has happened though is me discovering Please Like Me. I've heard good things about the show before and my friend very strongly recommended it to me, but in the hospital I had to get Netflix to not die of boredom so I finally actually started watching it. It's gloriously funny and I might never have felt such a connection to a fictional character as I feel with the main character Josh. He's like me on some deep level. please like me please please please please please????