The Headless Woman [2008]

1. It begins to rain.
2. He brings the dead deer to the backyard. “Do you want me to skin it?” asks one of the housekeepers. “Alright,” he says, “but don’t cut yourself.” She laughs at his foolishness.
3. She kisses her assistant, greeting her, but is unable or unwilling to put on her smock. The assistant puts it on for her, guiding her arms into sleeves. Doesn’t seem to notice what state she’s in.

So glad I saw this last night. It really is a Last Year at Marienbad for the 21st Century. Also reminded me of Friday Night somehow. One of the most dreamlike movies I’ve ever seen; characters, elements, situations repeat themselves but, just like in a dream, you can’t quite put your finger on where you saw them before. You only know that they’re familiar. The ultrawidescreen ratio allows the camera to hold closeups while also showing us environmental context. We are shown plenty; yet, it’s never quite enough to decipher where we’re at, who these people are, what’s going on. Mystery.