April (2024)
This film is an example of how connecting with art is very much a subjective experience that can’t always be fully explained. In theory this should work well, as it has a similar trademark style of filmmaking that I have had profound experiences with from directors such as Haneke, Mungiu, Akerman and Seidl. Long takes, no music, bleak atmosphere, hopelessness and an uncompromising depiction of reality. April deals with illegal abortions following an OB-GYN who does abortions and help with contraceptive pills for those in need. This is an interesting angle, as films such as 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days or Happening takes us into the world of the young girls in need of an illegal abortion, and while for example Story of Women also was about a woman doing illegal abortions - that was in that case more about money, where here with Nina in this film - it is clearly something she deeply feels for. It is almost a calling for her to help. But she is also more or less dead inside.
I did find the core theme of this film to have interesting ingredients so to speak, but the film distracted me with various basically just odd scenes and symbolism that I couldn’t make a connection to the main theme. Some times a mundane scene of a heavy rainfall or someone power washing a car, can invoke subconsciousness thoughts or emotions, but I got nothing here. Which made the rather slow film a bit of a slog. It could simply be the cultural distance is greater here than from the previously mentioned directors, but the otherwise pretty heavy subject matter and depressive mood didn’t get under my skin.
Rating: 2.5