The churches of Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Tags

Christianity, churches, faith, orthodox, Plovdiv, temples

Since a long time I want to show you what the orthodox churches of Plovdiv look like.
Many of them are from the 19th Century, others are from the 20th century. Although not the oldest ones in Europe, they are to me very beautiful and special. And as a person born in Plovdiv, I feel obliged to show you what they look like from the outside and from the inside.

Here are some of my personal photographs of many of the churches of Plovdiv. Enjoy…

The iconostasis of Church of the Holy Mother of God, Plovdiv

Church “St. Petka” the old temple (1836)

Iconostasis of the Church “St. Petka” the old temple

Dome of the Church “St. Nedelya” (1832)

Iconostasis of the Church “St. Nedelya”

Bell tower of the church “St Nedelya”

Marble iconostasis of the church “St. Dimitar”, Plovdiv (1838)

The Church “St. Haralampii”, Plovdiv, 19th century

The Icon of Jesus on the iconostasis of the church “St. Maryna”, 19th century, Plovdiv

The Icon of St. Stiliyan at the church “St. Maryna”

The dome of the church “St Cyril and Metodii”

The iconostasis of the church “St. George” (19th century), Plovdiv

Detail of the iconostasis of the church “St. George”

Bell tower of the orthodox-catholic church, Plovdiv

Church of the St. Trinity, Plovdiv

Dome of the church “St. Trinity”, Plovdiv

Church “Feast of the Ascension” / “St. Spas”, Plovdiv – inside

Inside the church “St. Spas”, Plovdiv

Church “St. Ivan Rilski”, Plovdiv

Iconostasis of the church “St. Ivan Rilski”, Plovdiv

Dome of the Church “St. Ivan Rilski”, Plovdiv

Icon of Jesus at the church “St. Ivan Rilski”, Plovdiv

The newest church in Plovdiv – “St. Nicolas”

The Dome of the church “St. Nicolas”, Plovdiv

These pictures in higher resolution and many more you can find at the temples’ photo album at my flickr page here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/89274445@N07

The happiest saddest truest ending of Mad Men

Tags

don draper, final season, mad men, meaning, TV series

It’s all about what makes us different and what makes us all the same – something like the meaning of life…

It took me some time to come to terms with the final half season of Mad Men. Not because it was something that I didn’t expect, or that it was a finale which bothered me. It’s just because Mad Men is a show which encompasses all the emotions and steps in life which we as ordinary people take in life. And it is both so far away from my Bulgarian life and yet so close to my human life.

Don Draper, Peggy Olson, Pete Campbell, Betty Francis, Joan Harris and the others are representing all the features of the contemporary female and male person. It’s really a show for everybody. And yet it represents something new to television. This show has inner energy which doesn’t necessary culminate into some unexpected action or drama scene. Topics such as self acceptance, family, work relations, romantic relationships and interpersonal connection are heavily dissected. This show started as a period drama and ended as a characters’ piece. Which is a good development, considering how tv shows tend to lose their face, morphing into multiple genre money making machines.

Anyway – about that finale…
I am certain that Don Draper is consciously separated from the other characters. And his fate is more about the inner cosmos, than what happens in the outer, interpersonal space. That journey towards his self acceptance is far away from the development of other character’s lives. He escapes from the others, the new office, his resposibilities, his second divorce, his home, his family – he strips himself consciously from his name and face. Dick Whitman wants to come out and show what a hobo he is. But Don is a much more layered person in season 7, than in season 1. And yet he is still that kind of a man who has invented the phrase “what you call love was invented by guys like me, to sell nylons.”. And what a better nylon than Coca Cola. The dream advertising job stalking Draper since season 1.

Don Draper is that good in advertising because he is as selfish as it gets when it comes to preserving his sanity. When embracing his mirror image and crying out his despair after showing empathy at the retreat, Draper becomes enlightened in a way which is true to his nature. Commercialism is very close to Don’s true self only because he ultimately really finds solutions for his problems in advertising.

Yes, Peggy’s roller skating moment and her badass entry moment with that famous painting were super cool and very much in the style of Mad Men, but there were some moments which felt a little bit as a fan service – Peggy and Stan embracing each other, Pete returning without a problem to Trudy. Only Betty received a rather dark ending. But Sally really embraced the chance to shine through this final half season.

Since Mad Men is so influential in our modern society – as characters piece, as a style textbook, as a narrative choice – we owe a huge “thank you” to Matthew Weiner. We cannot miss the chance to thank his choice of actors and the way he drove this piece right till the end. After Don’s enlightenment life goes on, nothing changes. But something is different – we are all influenced by the way introspection is combined with retrospection in this show. People’s life goal has always been to find a meaning in their life, a purpose. Don has found again his place in this ironic world, have you found yours?

What a lovely day!

Tags

Desert, Fury Road, George Miller, Mad Max, Tom Hardy

If you haven’t watched one of the best action movies this year, go to the nearest 3D movie theater and correct this mistake…

It’s been a while since I have watched a grand cinematic masterpiece with lots of quality action sequences. Maybe since “Prometheus”.

Anyway, I want to say a few words about the 4th Mad Max movie which is a true heir to the old movies, and especially to the first one. The exhilarating survival story is concentrated on the desert pursuit of our main hero Max Rockatansky who is helping Imperator Furiosa and the beautiful women, who happen to be running from the die-hard Immortan Joe. This being said – there is no more story setting, no time for prehistory, for building characters in the beginning – the action starts immediately. And it is fueled with relentless strive to overcome dire situations with desperate measures.

What strikes me most is the visual perfection of the execution of each action sequence. It is real, it is scary, it is fast and it is furious.
Yes, the dialogue is not much, and is not that good. But the presence of each character and his/her traits are true, visible and charming.
We get to see each of the main characters pursue their way of survival, but in the end only together they can achieve survival and fulfillment. Only Max is the ever estranged and wandering loner.

The truth is that this film is not about the depth of its plot, or the growth of a character in it. It is about the unique world in which this survival story is set. It is about the weary road warriors who battle each other over the only true and meaningful things left in the world – water, gas and procreation.
Because there is no Green Place, no end destination, no other refuge than the one of the mind. And as the main character is driven by his guilt and the ghosts of his lost relatives, the world in which he lives and wanders is driven by the mad desire to survive, to live, to prevail.
This may seem and sound crazy (as crazy as the man with the flame-throwing guitar), but more or less I’m used to see this same battle over and over again in our daily life. We may fight over more elitist values, but survival of the fittest is the most common theme in each argument, in each battle we fight in our lives. Because one can leave his/her legacy only as a victor.

No matter how primal it may seem, the message behind Mad Mad is vigorous – through the ecological collapse and moral decadence one can survive only through constant refueling of the inner values and fighting for them.
We can truly see the family metaphor with Max, Furiosa and the five wives and War boy Nux in one truck. And the dream of reaching home as a journey back to the beginning after escaping from it.

It is very important for me to note the excellent soundtrack and colorful visuals. I very much like this post apocalyptic desert world of Mad Max. The desperation is tempting, the solace is futile. In order to achieve something better, one has to accept the gritty nature of this aggressive world and fight it in every possible way he/she can.

This is a weird but grandiose roller coaster journey for the eyes, the ears and the mind. A long expected treasure for the road warriors out there.

Inherent Vice

Tags

counterculture, Hippie, Inherent vice, Joaquin Phoenix, Paul Thomas Anderson

Did the modern society miss its chance to achieve something big in the 60’s and 70’s…?

It’s been some time since I first saw the trailer for “Inherent vice” and liked it. It seemed free, dopey and careless enough to make me want to experience it.
And after all – this is Paul Thomas Anderson’s work. Not that I am a strict follower of his films, but they all show some resemblance to each other.
It is not that easy to represent the social tides in a truthful to the original manner. And the director has done it again. I very much liked his movie “The Master” and “Inherent vice” is even better and more sophisticated in a way.

First I have to give it all to the actors – Joaquin Phoenix, Katherine Waterston, Josh Brolin. All of them perfectly cast and gladly enjoyed as late hippie-era characters. They represent very good this feeling of almost getting what you want, but not exactly. As there is no full happiness, so there is no full description of that epic era of social change. The early 1970’s is the time when these people began to lose momentum and were already feeling the pressure which the state was apply on them.

This counterculture has grown to a point where it threatened the established order and power distribution. And that is why the hippies were denied their rightful position in society and this tendency became a symbol of a movement led by outsiders, strangers from the mass. But this is not what it is, this is not what it should be.

My main impression from this movie is that the director wants to convey his vague impression of what we as people could have been and could have done, if history hasn’t been led by powerhouses which exploit the natural human fears, weaknesses and desires. All the characters of this film are aware that they are not in control of their lives, they are unsatisfied, they strive to achieve more, but cannot do so, because they are influenced, led, used and left behind. Only “Doc” is drifting as an ambiguous epitome of self sufficient libertarian hippie. He and his delusional ex-girlfriend Shasta coincidentally repeat twice the slogan of the movie (at least I think that this is it) “This doesn’t mean that we’re back together. – Of course not.”

It is most important to note that we don’t see a coherent storytelling or sequential human relationships, turning a plot into a message. We witness a fragmented story of characters which live in a time which is different than the one they were born into. For me it is crucially important to feel the emotional state and the atmospheric resemblance of this film and to share it. Because one cannot rationalize what is already lost, but can experience this reminiscence of counterculture ideas and epicurean lifestyle.

Le Sel de la Terre

Tags

movie, Photography, Sebastião Salgado, The salt of the earth, Wim Wenders

The lines on his head were deep as the lines of the earth…

Wim Wenders’ new masterpiece is a visually stunning lesson about our planet and our lives. We, the people, are both the salt and the scorch of the Earth…

Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wenders have made a thoughtful emotional journey through the life and work of the famous photographer Sebastião Salgado.
Both his personal and professional journeys are depicted through the photographs of the talented humanist. The adventurous journey is becoming a discovery of the human nature and after that of nature’s condition. A masterful revelation this picturesque travel envisions the marks which we leave on our planet and the traces which we imprint during our stay here.

It is important to note that the overall feeling of this movie is beautifully embodied by the soundtrack as well. And this feeling is surreal – a deep voyage into darkness and light – into the power of drawing with a camera. As a photographer too, I am once again amazed how a single picture can foretell, tell and commit to a certain topic. A person, a landscape, an overall feeling – this is what we get from this film.

Intricately constructed and simplistically presented, the meaning behind these shapes and colors is not ambiguous – we are the spice which could make the Earth both a better and worse place. It is very interesting to see this whole story told in French. I felt a certain feeling mystery and wisdom throughout the whole narrative. And although some scenes were striking, one can only feel humility watching this.

I strongly recommend that every photographer, who is striving to create, should see this movie. This documentary is very much a universal message of the ever repeating cycle of anger – despair – hope. This honorable look at the artist and his power which can transform people and nature is mesmerizing. As a conclusion I truly hope that we can learn from our mistakes and not repeat them all over again. Because when you immerse your soul into the soil, you cannot stay away from the imminent introspection which comes after that…

The Passenger

Tags

Desert, Human Identity, Jack Nicholson, Michelangelo Antonioni, The Passenger

Across the sands of time there is little comfort for the identity of loneliness…

I’ve been willing to write about Michelangelo Antonioni’s Masterpiece. It’s just that when you sit down to describe and reflect upon such a monumental artwork, you need time and patience to be able to focus on the most important conclusions. For me it is always important to see the consequence of implications which you get from a movie. And I am pretty sure that “The Passenger” is indeed one of the best film I have ever seen.

The psychological drama about loneliness, alienation and the trouble of finding one’s identity stars Jack Nicholson as a television journalist who assumes the identity of a dead arms dealer in Chad and then escapes his own identity and life cycle. We witness the typical 1970’s movies feel of losing something real while trying to live the life. I am unsure if this film’s intelligent script would’ve had the same impact if there were no such beautiful landscapes which complement the psychological transformation of the main character David Locke. The cinematography by Luciano Tovoli is distancing the characters of the film one from another. A deliberate alienation which represents a person’s desire to escape oneself. Losing his identity Locke finds during his journey a soul mate – an architectural student in Barcelona (Maria Schneider). We witness their unconventional relationship and route through exotic and deserted villages and cities.

At the same time Locke’s real life (represented by his unfaithful wife) tries to reach and find him. The main character is deliberately avoiding being found and desperately is trying to not go back to his original existence. France and especially Spain present us with both fascinating and haunting images of nature and architecture. It is very important for the viewer to notice Nicholson’s character being “blown by the wind” from one deserted place to another. David Locke is a traveler through time and space who is attracted to his young female companion and spiritual soul mate, but ultimately is troubled only by his own escapade.

And although his new arms dealing identity finally takes its toll, he is presented as a newborn soul, freed from the constraints of his ordinary life. This alienated freedom provokes many viewers to try to find what is not right in their own lives and reflect upon how to change that.
My feel about “The Passenger” is very similar to what I got from Antonioni’s “Zabriskie point”, “Blow-Up” and his trilogy “L’Avventura”, “La Notte” and “L’Eclisse”. A distant both haunting and beautiful cry about longing for a change and true meaning of one’s life. It is very inspiring to see how a genius director can evoke true feelings in us with this enigmatic and intricate movie of possibilities. And there is no better example for this than the penultimate 7-minute tracking shot at the end of “The Passenger”…

Whiplash

Tags

J.K. Simmons, Jazz, Miles Teller, movie, Whiplash

The best chemistry between two leading actors within years…

I have been waiting to see this movie for such a long time and for that reason I am really sorry that I couldn’t enlist it in my Top 10 films of last year. But now that I have enjoyed it I am pretty sure that it is in my Top 3, maybe just behind Birdman.

Why? Because of the perfect acting lessons displayed in it. Best supporting actor of the year no doubt. J.K. Simmons destroys Miles Teller’s character and then builds him depending on Teller’s inner talent to produce perfect music. I am really starting to think that most of all I enjoy the overall feel of a movie and then the actors’ play. These two factors maybe are the two most interesting and inspiring aspects of a movie for me. And the music of course. Jazz is improvisation, polyrhythm and swing which we have a lot in this wonderful piece of movie history. I have no doubt that “Whiplash”, “Grand Hotel Budapest” and “Birdman” will without a doubt find their dignified places in the history of cinema.

The intense play is inspired by the beautiful script showing human emotions as we rarely find them in movies. This brilliant acting lesson is a true revelation for both leading actors and the director Damien Chazelle. It is no wonder that the American critics love it so much. It advocates the true statement that no talent can emerge without tons of hard work and practice. But the more compelling storyline is the one which shows us how the character of a person can grow when confronted by a real catalyst – the mentor, the teacher, the challenger. This is what I really liked in this film – the human emotional development within a talented young person. And Miles Teller is such a young talented actor too. So the symbol is perfect.

For us Europeans it is really refreshing to see this psychological clash between the two main characters in this movie. All the more challenging is the setting – the stage seems like a gladiators’ arena. It is by the end of the movie like a true battlefield! The hero of the story is challenged by this “villain” – his mentor. And he strives so hard, beyond the flesh and bone, to reach perfection, that he surpasses perfection by the end of this beautifully shot film piece.

And the music in this movie is performed so well that it accompanies the characters’ journey through this immense psychological arena of “war”. The interaction in some scenes is so intense that it is simmering with uncompromising sharpness. We are viewing not only the main character’s growth, we are seeing our appreciation of hard work grow too. And in a country like Bulgaria this kind of a lesson (although lifelike obvious) should be much appreciated.

“Whiplash”professes the things that matter to us and more importantly – how we can achieve them. It is the uncompromising will of our own souls which can only bring us to success and peacefulness. Perfection is not a mirage, it is a state of mind, a focus so clear, that one can achieve only by working hard on his talents. Every day, every second and every way possible. Even beyond the possible…

My year in Movies – 2014

Tags

cinema, movie review, the best, Top 10, TV shows

I was considering for a long time to write a summary of my movie oriented posts for 2014, but I was hesitant due to the lack distinctness in such a post. It is normal at the end of the year to write a Top 10 or a summary of your impressions throughout the year. And it is common too. I didn’t want it to be common. So after all I decided to do something in between…

Throughout 2014 I have watched over 140 movies and 4 TV series. 54 of these 140 movies were labeled as 2014 films. The TV series were The final season of Breaking Bad, the first season of True Detective, All the seasons aired until now of Mad Men and this year’s season of Game of Thrones.

First let me state that almost all of the TV series which I have watched this year were 10/10, damn perfect.

Maybe just Game of Thrones is beginning to lose its charms, but I think that it was predestined to start lacking innovation. Although it had again great acting lessons by Peter Dinklage (again!), Aidan Gillen (again!), Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Charles Dance. Great surroundings – music, costumes, cinematography, etc. I hope in 2015 the producers try to at least keep the level of dialogue and suspense.

I finished Breaking Bad in January and I still consider it the best show aired on TV until now. Period.

Began watching Mad Men and I couldn’t stop enjoying it until I finished the last aired episode. Just brilliant. It can surely stand on No.1 TV show position next year, depending on the ending choice. I just hope that Don Draper doesn’t jump of a skyscraper…

True Detective! The TV show of the year 2014 for sure! So dark and yet so compelling. Perfect from beginning to end it enthralled all of us viewers with its native view on light and darkness in life. I cannot wait to see the second season!

But enough about Television. This medium has truly come a long way as quality scripting and acting in the last 10 years, but I insist to emphasize on movies – the magic of the cinematic theater.

So here are my Top Movies of 2014 (out of the 54 “2014” films) with their respective ratings which I’ve given. I just want to point out that I haven’t watched some of the movies which were hailed by other critics and commentators, so there are some obvious reasons why they are not in this list. Perhaps next year I will correct that mistake. And of course – there are some great films which I enjoyed very much, but due to the short list I could not include them in. Anyway, here is my list with the best movies of 2014:

10. The Raid 2: Berandal

I have watched before the first movie and I really liked Gareth Evans’ “Merantau” too, so it was an obvious choice to watch The Raid 2 too. Again it was the fight scenes which won me in the end. That kitchen fight scene reminded me of the best scenes of the first movie. So tough and relentless battle between two martial arts masters is hard to find. The persistence and toughness of the movements and the ingenuity of the fighting technique is really at a master’s level. And the script is not that bad. The soundtrack, setting, character design – perfect as well. A great movie to enjoy with your buddies for sure.

9. The Equalizer

Yep, I did it. I put this movie in front of movies like Snowpiercer. Maybe it doesn’t deserve this place according to other commentators, but for me it was the new super badass film of Denzel Washington. Of course the cool acting by Denzel is not the only reason why it’s in my Top 10. The plot is pretty decent. The bad guy (Marton Csokas) Teddy is one hell of a character and I really enjoyed the chemistry between him and Washington’s McCall. The suspense was building so much is some of the scenes that the following action was so relieving that I cannot miss the opportunity to admit Antoine Fuqua’s talent as a director (remember “Training Day”?).

8. Nightcrawler

Jake Gyllenhaal cannot stop making brilliant films. The characters from his career so far are already in the Valhalla of movie heroes (remember Donnie Darko? :)), but he is not stopping. He is always trying to show us a new face, a new story, a new motivation to be better, to be perfect at what we do. In Nightcrawler he is unrecognizable. He is so merciless, so overdosed, that we feel as if he will jump out of the screen in front of us just to film the best reaction on our faces to his cold-blooded actions. His relation to Rene Russo’s TV producer is captivating and vitalizing. Their shamelessness is boundless.

7. Magic in the Moonlight

There is no year without a masterpiece from Woody Allen. 2014 is no exception. Magic in the Moonlight is a so amusing and relaxing tale of people’s superstitions and beliefs, that I couldn’t just leave it out of this list. As always the main characters are colorful, the setting is beautiful, the story is easy going and presents us with a fine and casual ending which only leaves warmth in our hearts and a smile on our faces.

6. Edge of Tomorrow

I wrote about this intriguing sci-fi movie earlier this year and it really deserved the attention. Based on a Japanese book, this film is action-filled packed with interesting story twists and has a bold ending indeed. Tom Cruise plays a coward turning hero which is new for him and Emily Blunt is really badass in her role. The chemistry between them is efficient and compelling. The design of the aliens and the suits is really innovative and I really loved the new “Groundhog day” interpretation.

5. Gone Girl

I couldn’t bring myself to watch this film until December and I knew that I was going to miss a lot if I didn’t see it. The story originates from a beautifully crafted book by Gillian Flynn. Ben Affleck is truly a grown up actor and has finally won me as a fan of his artwork. But the real surprise for me was Rosamund Pike’s character. I might even consider her as a nominee for a female lead Oscar. The script is really amazing and the ending is more than ambiguous. The relationship between Nick and Amy is really a true depiction of all the basic emotions in a marriage.

4. Interstellar

This was the most anticipated movie of the year for me. And it didn’t fulfill all of my expectations. But overall it was a really goon sci-fi movie, a great echo of “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Matthew McConaughey is on a winning streak and I will not be surprised if he is nominated again for an Oscar. And that ending is really unique. The robot’s design is perfect, the music is universal – I felt as if I was in Space (the inner space and the outer space) throughout the whole movie. The family relationships’ patterns are very emotional and touched me very much. Good directing!

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel

This was my No. 2 for a loooong time. I saw this film in the beginning of 2014 and really enjoyed the humanity of it. The colorful characters, the amazing story twists and the wild perks of Ralph Fiennes’s hero. It was a really big bow to Stefan Zweig’s works. I loved the music, the costumes, the make up the design of the hotel, the beautiful metaphors for love and friendship which all came together in this wonderful piece of cinematography.

2. Enemy

This is the unpleasant truth – that we men are really twisted and convulsing creatures full of fear and temptations. But this dark movie did not take place No.2 for that reason. It was a revelation of cinematic style vehicles. A story “on acid”, a dream like tale of the psychosis of Jake Gyllenhaal’s (that actor is unstoppable!) Anthony/Adam. How can a man battle his dualistic nature, how can one overcome the controversial sides of his Ego. And can a man accept his choices and the consequences from them as a farce so easily? Maybe…

1. Birdman or (The Unexpected virtue of Ignorance)

This movie made not my day, it made my year! Michael Keaton’s acting showed us what exactly means to resurrect your career, to show what you’re capable of and to do it on stage in a non stoppable cinematic sequence. This is what I call a “thrash”! The whole script is AMAZING! Alejandro González Iñárritu is a genius director and producer. The cast is creme de la creme. The music is innovative and surprisingly suitable. The whole setting of Broadway is fascinating and mesmerizing. I am but a humble viewer of this excellent piece of cinematographic masterpiece. This is it. This is what movies are about – telling a great story with perfect acting in an unique way without giving the answers and sometimes without even asking the questions. Amazing!

So, this is it! It may not be the best year in the history of movies and TV shows, but it is one of the good ones. My life felt better because of these and many more films which I saw, though upon and realized. Thanks to the boundless talent and hard work of so many people. Thank you so much! And let the next year be even more vibrant and successful for us all!

My blogging 2014 in review

Tags

blog, Oscars 2014, review, year

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here's an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,300 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 22 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Men’s chaos

Tags

alienation, Enemy, Jake Gyllenhaal, movie review, psychosis

I tried to avoid this movie, but after some serious recommendations I watched it in the end. And the result is mind blowing insight into every man’s nature…

So let me explain again – I didn’t want to watch this film at the very beginning, because it radiated darkness so much, that I felt it would definitely affect me. And I like my movies like my every other art form – to enjoy it when I am in the proper mood for it. I will always think that an art piece (no matter if music, movie, literature, painting, sculpture, etc.) has to be perceived when in the proper emotional condition.
But after all I was impressed by the fact that so many reviewers who’s opinion I value have recommended it. I have the similar case with the movie “Under the skin”, but I will deal with that film later. So here’s what I think of it…

First of all – I discovered Denis Villeneuve as a director. Wow! A great line of movies which will surely build up my expectations for his next works.
Second – Jake Gyllenhaal is in a winning streak… I cannot remember if I have watched a “not so good” movie with him. Every single film he has done in the last years is almost perfect – Nightcrawler, Enemy, Prisoners, End of Watch, Source code, Love & Other Drugs, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Zodiac…way back to Donnie Darko – all of them are pretty decent to great, almost perfect movies!
The script – amazing! Metaphors, Symbols, Analogues, etc. – almost every single stylistic device is used in this movie. Coming as an adaptation of the book “The Double” by José Saramago this movie is truly a masterpiece of cinema.

Maybe I didn’t give it 10/10 only because the style of the atmosphere was not what I like most, but it truly fits the psychosis emotions of the main character(s). The music was also fitting – I really liked how Daniel Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans embodied the characters’ emotional transitions between guilt, angst, rage, curiosity, depression, disappointment, relief and frustration. The conscious and subconscious war going on between Adam and Anthony is on purpose and leads indeed to a repetitive rejection and susceptibility to lustful yearnings.
Yes, maybe the main character feels as if the spiders – his wife and his mother (maybe it all comes from her?) try to take his freedom, but the decision to keep the key at the end of the movie is all his farce.

And as we think – it is in men’s nature to always be yearning, conquering and obsessive. So the solitary side of the main character is representing the man’s will to set things right and not fall into the pit of desires. And the egoistic and hypocritical, always evasive, side is constantly interrupting, trying to prevail at any given chance and sign of hesitation.

Overall this movie is a very good character study and brilliant example of questions being asked directly to the viewer without being answered before that. This piece of cinematography is a genius acting lesson and an ideal example of the classical regret and shamelessness altogether. And is all this circle of dissatisfaction and regret sane? No, it’s rather whimsical… After all it seems that men are whimsical even more than women. The process of interpersonal alienation has never been more accelerated than in the 21 Century.