The very last day of the year, so I thought that I would share all the things that made up my year. films, tv, fashion, words. And then i thought i would share my ins and outs list for 2024.
Films (2023 releases)
I don’t think i’ve really spoken about films and my love of film publicly, even though it’s a huge part of my life. I think it’s because it’s very close to me and has been a really big part of my personal development this year. I realised that I wanted to make stuff for the screen in August 2022 but kept it to myself until May this year, and in a series of bizarre unfoldings, I can say that (with equal parts fright and excitement) I am working on a few projects which will (fingers crossed) be shot next year. Feeling like an imposter.
Anyway, here are a few of my fave films that came out this year.
Passages (2023) dir. Ira Sachs
I watched passages a few months ago and it has really stuck with me. A beautifully shot film with beautiful composition scene to scene, which tells the story about a less beautiful, more fucked-up, and unlikeable director, Tomas (Franz Rogowski), who finds himself in a confusing bisexual love triangle, with his husband Martin, (Ben Wishaw), and a younger woman Agathe (Adele Exarchopoulos), who he meets at the wrap party of his latest film. Sachs manages to encapsulate a messy yet tender-filled relationship between three people at different stages in their lives. All the performances in this film were approached with such tender care, and I personally think that Adele’s performance has been overlooked. I think she is an amazing actress and has had other notable performances in other films I’ve watched (see Sibyl (2019)). Also the colour grading in this film is so rich and is elevated by the costume and styling choices.
May December (2023) dir. Todd Haynes
May December was a whirlwind. I actually read the screenplay first (written by Samy Burch) and that’s what convinced me to watch the film. There are so many layers to this film, ranging from commentary on method acting and its ethicality, to white womanhood and its innate victim complex. The film follows an actress (Natalie Portman) who goes to Maine with the aim of studying a Mary-Kay Letourneau type (Julianne Moore) for an upcoming film role. The film (both the film itself and the upcoming film of Portman’s character) explores the inappropriate relationship between an older woman (Julianne Moore) and her much, much younger husband (Charles Melton). The use of mirrors in this film is exceptionally clever, asking us to question ourselves and our motives - the image we portray to others versus our true intentions. I think that ultimately Portman and Moore’s characters themselves do not truly know the line between the truth and the untruth, which makes their performances more gripping. Charles Melton is exceptional, and his performance is devastatingly beautiful. I hope he gets his academy nomination for best supporting actor.
Saltburn (2023) dir. Emerald Fennell
The most controversial and polarising film of late. I personally loved it because it was a beautiful film to look at. The story, set predominantly in the summer of 2007, follows a young and hopeful first-year at Oxford, Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), who soon befriends the posh and hot Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) who invites him to stay at his family estate, Saltburn, for the summer. I think that Fennell seeks to explore the lengths we are willing to go to in order to attain the things that we desire. From this perspective, I think the film is successful and the story is definitely elevated by the performances from Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver and Archie Madekwe. The standout performance for me, outside of the lead (Keoghan), was Alison Oliver’s. I think her ability to portray a character who desperately wants to be seen yet simultaneously blends into the background of the estate is so impressive, and I assume super tricky to balance performance-wise.
My main takeaway from the Saltburn discourse is that we shouldn’t expect a very rich, and incredibly privileged white woman to have made a film about class disparity. It was never going to happen, and I don’t think that the intended purpose of the film was meant to be seen through this lens. Anyway, more diverse stories from a wide-range of filmmakers in 2024 and beyond!
Other films I watched and loved this year:
The Worst Person in The World (2021) dir. Joachim Trier
Close (2022) dir. Lukas Dhont
Living (2022) dir. Oliver Hermanus
The Farewell (2019) dir. Lulu Wang
Paris, Texas (1984) dir. Wim Wenders
Women Reply: Our Bodies, Our Sex (1975) dir. Agnes Varda
Everybody Loves Jeanne (2022) dir. Celine Devaux
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) dir. Celine Sciamma
My favourite screenplays that I read:
Aftersun (2022) written by Charlotte Wells
May December (2023) written by Samy Burch
Fashion is my passion
This year in fashion was a strange one. From the Gvasalias sibling drama, to the white man creative director epidemic that has been happening at major fashion houses, to the regression in beauty standards and representation on the runway: 2023 was a lot. Despite all the drama, there were still some inspiring looks that came out of the year, so here is my season to season breakdown of my favourite looks, and designers to look out for in 2024 and beyond.
The Miu Miu pants, tights and nothing else trend.
Andreas Kronthaler’s tribute show for the late Vivienne Westwood.
Pharell’s debut for Louis Vuitton.
Daniel Roseberry at Schiaparelli full stop.
…and other random fave looks across the seasons
Chloe RTW SS24 - look 31
Moschino RTW SS24 - look 24
Gucci RTW SS24 - look 34
Gucci RTW SS24 - look 27
Thom Browne Fall Couture 23 - look 21
Chet Lo RTW SS24 - look 14
(can you tell spring/summer is my favourite season lol)
Words, reads etc etc
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t actually read as much as people think I do. Next year, I definitely hope to read more especially as I finish uni and can see reading as more leisurely, rather than for degree purposes. That being said, I am a sucker for an op-ed and will stop whatever I’m doing to read any piece with an interesting enough title.
…and self-plug my favourite and most pivotal pieces i wrote this year
tv shows or rather, the tv show
BoJack Horseman is my comfort show and no, I will not elaborate on this. I think it gets better and more heart-breaking and funnier the more times you watch it, and the attention to detail in each frame is so impressive. i feel like it would not be me if i didn’t end this yearly recap with an ode to bojack horseman.
AND FINALLY, MY INS AND OUTS LIST FOR 2024
I’VE ACTUALLY NEVER DONE ONE OF THESE EVER SO THIS IS SO EXCITING
Ins:
repeating outfits
films that use a more square aspect ratio
print media
saying no
consent
hiking, walking, the great outdoors!
spontaneous get-togethers
forehead kisses
self-awareness
journaling for you and not your imaginary posthumous audience
blueeee eyeshadow
galivanting
childlike wonder
caring about others
eating veggies (unfortunately)
Outs:
the tories
fetishizing girlhood
clean girl aesthetic
any overly niche tiktok-propelled aesthetic for that matter
lack of empathy
being mean for no reason
doing things for the plot
lack of diversity in everything.
only white creative directors
being serious on instagram
fake eating for insta piccies
I am done. 2023 is over in 6 hours!!!!!!!!! Thank you for reading this if you did. It took me 4 hours to make, I didn’t realise it would take this long, and so I probably wouldn’t have done it if I had known lol. Perseverance is my word for 2024. I had such a rough year but I am forever grateful for everyone who has read, listened, liked, shared any of my work or anything me full stop. Next year is the year of the grind. So much will be changing in my life and I am as excited as I am terrified. But I am ready to get out of my comfort zone and see the places that my brain takes me. I hope you’ll come along on the journey too. it is just the beginning <3.
I doubt any of my friends will read this but if they do, thank you for getting me through a tough year and I love you all.
xoxo