Mirror, by Tarkovsky. Wasn't sure what to think, other than "This is incredibly boring without being privy to the all-important subtexts and symbolism which must be what makes the film worthwhile as the titanic work of art so many people claim it to be, which must have taken some reading up on beforehand, which I haven't done, so kind of renders the whole exercise pointless."
The Limits of Control, by Jarmusch. Ditto.
Only seen one Tarkovsky (can't even remember the name, it was shot in italy or something) and I felt similarly. Numbed.
Saw Primer yesterday. Foolishly hadn't prepared myself to concentrate as fully as I needed to, but, having read a lot about it since, am looking forward to watching it again and picking up the nuances that I missed first time round. I love the aesthetic he consciously chose - experimentation/innovation as taking place in anonymous, low-key surroundings rather than glitzy glamorous ones, the main discovery often being a side-effect of the intended experiment, the perhaps-undeveloped morality of the characters in contrast to their highly developed technical knowledge, the refusal to dumb down the scientific language, the use of shooting techniques to suggest the confusion of time in the narrative etc etc.
Really, really impressive to even attempt something that ambitious. Whatever its shortcomings, deserves approbation for ambition.
Still thinking WTF about a lot of the plot, though. But in a good way.
