absolute cinéphile

Ignatius Bagus.

⭐ 8.25

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the chance of a lifetime

gene never asked for the spotlight. sure, he dreamt of directing a movie one day. but at the time, he was content behind the scenes — studying scripts and quietly absorbing the world of film. the same goes for nathalie, who dreamed of acting, but never got the opportunity or the preparation to back it up.

when pompo hands gene the director’s chair and nathalie the lead role, they both go wild. it’s the kind of break people fantasize about, but few are truly ready for. and that pressure is felt in every frame.

why do we do things in life?

why do anything at all? success, validation, purpose… it’s different for everyone. for some, it’s about proving something. for others, it’s about feeling something. pompo doesn’t offer a clean answer, but it does frame the question well. we act not because we always understand our reasons, but because the alternative — inaction — is worse.

if everything is important, nothing is

we saw how hard it is fot gene to delete the scenes they worked so hard for. the same idea applies to our everyday life; if you try to keep everything you care about, you end up diluting the focus of what actually matters. clarity comes from sacrifice.

in the film, that idea is hammered in with pompo’s strict 90-minute rule. while it is very subjective, we need to recognize where she’s coming from. taking that into consideration, her argument makes sense and i can sympathize with her.

a powerful final act

had the movie ended before its final act, it would’ve still been a good watch. but sometimes “good enough” isn’t enough. as a creator, you want to leave it all on the floor, to walk away with no regrets knowing you gave it your all.

that last act adds a very crucial resolution, both for the character and us as the audience — the emotional closure, is what makes it hit. it’s that final stretch every creator recognizes: the last render, the final pass, the moment you decide to stop fixing and let go.

unrealistic corporate actions

i wouldn’t be honest with myself if i didn’t point out how unrealistically convenient some parts are. pompo’s world is built around clean wins and sudden breakthroughs. handing a full-length, big-budget project to an unproven editor and casting an unknown actress in the lead — with the studio’s full blessing — is fantasy.

the obstacles are softened. the logistics are skipped. the “big decisions” fall into place almost too smoothly. but that doesn’t ruin the experience — because pompo isn’t trying to reflect the real industry. it’s trying to show what the industry feels like to a dreamer. it’s cinema as passion, not business. and if you accept that framing, the shortcuts feel more like poetry than plot holes.

and also, because we’re watching the show to have a good time!

what makes a story good?

for me, it’s when a story is able to make the viewer care about it. not just about what happens, but also who it’s happening to. pompo does this through pacing that respects the viewer’s attention span, and characters who feel relatable even in their exaggerated roles.

it understands that a good story isn’t just about the destination, but the ride along the way, and also the emotional payoff at the end. pompo delivers that nicely, almost perfectly in 90 minutes.

did you notice? without the end credits, the movie ends at exactly 90 minutes. it’s such a nice touch, a good meta i’d say.