The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film fan who compiles the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer.
My job has been hectic and so I’ve been a little less of a cinephile than usual over the last week. I used to be able to unwind after a hard day at work, watch a film or two a night and still carry on the next day, but unfortunately I can’t really let off steam anymore and my position is such that I sometimes have to work into the evening to get things done.
It was nice to see Whit Stillman’s 1998 film. The last days of the disco at the Gene Siskel Film Center on Saturday morning as part of Mubi Fest, and on 35mm at that. It had been a while since I’d seen it, so you can imagine my surprise (OK, it’s not that dramatic) when I was reminded that a comic motif throughout the film is that everyone is making fun of one of the main characters for working in advertising. Dear readers, I also work in advertising – not out of great passion, mind you, so I wasn’t the least bit offended. In fact, I just found it ironic that after such a grueling week, the profession in question would be the butt of so many jokes in a film about the nuances of clubbing.
And I say that with the utmost respect. It’s a fantastic film and it made me nostalgic for a clubbing experience I never had, but which I imagine would be much more fun than what clubbing is today. I wouldn’t call myself a Stillman fan, but in The last days of the disco I appreciate the sincerity of the writer, actor and director that peeks out from behind the mannered pasquinade. There is a seriousness, both genuine and partly caricatured, despite the affectation of it all, that does justice to the genre of music – a genre that was ironically “killed” right here in Chicago, at the July 12, 1979 Disco Demolition Night in Comiskey Park, which ended in a riot.
Perhaps The last days of the disco is exactly what I needed to remind myself of what is really important and how to best spend my days (not necessarily going to disco clubs, but watching movies about it, of course). In an interview with vultureStillman seemed to lament that such a culture of fun and going out is now being abandoned in favor of staying at home, presumably to recover from what our generation calls the “hustle.” “I think it would be good if people thought about long-term priorities,” he says, “and maybe not get into a situation where people are forced to work more than they really have to.” Amen to that!
On Sunday I also saw Edward Yang’s debut film at the Film Center, On this day at the beach (1983), screening as part of the Entrances & Exits series. It’s hard to believe this was anyone’s first film, but it makes sense that it was Yang’s – although it’s so fully realized that I kept having to remind myself of its place in his body of work. One aspect of the film involves a character who gets sucked into corporate culture, leading to the enigmatic ending that leaves you wondering what downfall that lifestyle ultimately led to. Yang masterfully traces the impact of a widespread cultural shift in attitudes toward the workplace and family in a way that still resonates today.
OK, back to work. Until next time, moviegoers.
Reader recommendations: FILM & TV
Our critics rate the best on the big and small screen and in the media.
cuckoo is far from perfect, but Hunter Schafer’s acting and a satisfying twist make the film worth watching.
M. Night Shyamalan’s Catch is cheesy and superficial, but there is still a twist that needs to be unraveled.
Sugar cane is a balanced and powerful documentary about individuals affected by the trauma of an indigenous residential school.
The folk horror drama Starve Acre finds tension in the silence.
Near you is a silent celebration of queer life.
Didi is a melancholic, worthwhile coming-of-age film.
