"Full of powerfully emotional scenes, even if it's almost entirely untouchable -- obtuse, bewildering and almost agonisingly slow."-Rich Cline, SHADOW ON THE WALL
"The overall intention remains inscrutable, despite the strong presence of the performers and Bonnello’s attempt to will significance into the material by holding each shot over a glacial time-span."
-TIME OUT LONDON
"Intense, intriguing, beautifully framed and intellectually challenging, TIRESIA defies easy categorisation (much like its principal character)."
-Anton Bitel, EYE FOR FILM
In a film movement linked by the connection between transgression and transcendence, Bertrand Bonnello's TIRESIA stands out as one of the New Extremes most difficult, frustrating, and rewarding works. A film that demands you meet it more than half way as well as requires a fair knowledge of Greek mythology, TIRESIA is steeped in classical traditions as well as modernist filmmaking. Following the imprisonment of a pre-op transsexual prostitute and her subsequent blinding and gift of prophecy, the film touches on the abject and issues of fate. As an in-between body, on that challenges preconceived order, such as gender, Tiresia, the character, and TIRESIA, the film, are an interesting addition to transgender film.
Suggested Supplemental Screenings: TRANSAMERICA (Duncan Tucker, 2005), HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (John Cameron Mitchell, 2001), ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER (Pedro Almodovar, 1999), XXY (Lucia Puenzo, 2007), BOYS DON'T CRY (Kimberly Peirce, 1999)
I have very interesting feelings about Tiresia. I was unfortunately tired when I watched it, and so it was hard to keep my attention to it, and so every time I felt it slipping I did something else for a second to get back into the right mind frame. At one point I went to sleep for a while, then got up and went to eat. When I came back I had 40 minutes left and I was wide awake, and I really enjoyed those last forty minutes.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very challenging film, there were so many ideas floating around in it, with some very intense and some very long scenes. Probably my favorite parts of the film are when the preacher comes in contact with Tiresia post-blinding him. They are so interesting as you try to figure out whats going on in their heads. I think that Tiresia absolutely knows that it is the priest that did this to him, and I think that the priest knows as well, and so the scenes have this amazing tension in them. It should probably also be said that I was a huge fan of the performance by the priest/captor. It was so interesting to me. I loved just watching him, especially in the scenes between him and Tiresia after he had blinded her, but also when he witnesses her changing into a man. The turmoil that the character of the priest has with his faith is remarkable.
Also, the movie is absolutely brilliantly shot and is always beautiful to look at.
The film "Tiresia" can easily be called a difficult film to watch, especially with the subject matter it deals with. It is not difficult to watch in the sense that it is a boring film or has gruesome imagery , not counting the eye gouging scene of course, but more how it questions the boundaries of sexuality. The main character, Tiresia, is a male to female transgendered person from Brazil, who came to France as a prostitute. She is kidnapped by what the audience presumes to be a priest later shown in the film. What I liked about the film was how it presented to the audience the character of Tiresia. She wasn't shown to be hated or to be seen as disgusting, but more as a person. I loved how the film was stock full of greek references and themes, especially since the name of the character derives from the greek god Tiresia who was both a man and a woman at points in his/her life. The film itself feels split. Literally in the middle of the film the whole style and look of it changes to the point where you would believe it is a different film. One part of the film focuses on Tiresia as a more female person and the other half she borders on a more male appearance. What I didn't like about the film was how they used two different actors to portray Tiresia. The entire time I thought it was amazing how they were able to get this transgendered person to make such a remarkable transformation then it just ended up being two completely different people.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure exactly how I feel about this film. It was definitely interesting from the first frame in that it kept posing questions and unconventional situations which made me think "wow, what the hell is going on?". Usually I really like that in a movie because it keeps you there, wondering and revealing small pieces of information as it goes on. So, I had some expectations of this movie that weren't really fulfilled and I think that's what screwed it up for me. Unlike Regarde La Mer, where Ozon clearly chooses not to show us what happened the night that the backpacker goes into the woman's room; It felt like Bonnello didn't make such choices. For me, it felt like he was simply showing us the story of this deeply sad individual. Tiresia, the main character didn't seem to go on a journey to discovery, instead, she sort of rode the waves of her life, letting it take control. My point is that I didn't feel that the action of the film was supported or motivated by anything. It was more of a: "oh, here's what happened. Now, think about how bad the transgendered have it while I show you my deep knowledge of Greek Mythology and how I can tie it all together in my beautifully shot film"
ReplyDeleteAHHHHHH JESUS THE EYE STABBING!!!! wow. that priest must really have some crazy divine intervention to create a profit. then again, was tiresia a profit? he most definitley was not a self-proclaimed profit, as he readily denied it. simply tells the stories he sees. "i am a whore. fuck me" "not to me" --the priest sensed a greater purpose for this young man, who really should have made sweet love to the farm guys' wholesome young daughter. they could live happily ever after.
ReplyDeleteTiresia was different from any movie I've ever seen. At times it felt like the director's goal was to shock you at every turn in the best way possible. He would build up a scene in a certain way and then do the unexpected. For instance he made it seem like the priest was taking care of both the porcupine and the hooker. However, suddenly and instantly without warning he smashed the porcupine and stabbed out the eyes of the hooker. Once the first half of the film was done the director tried to bring in new elements that would further con volute by adding a religious element having the now blind hooker turn into a prophet capable of seeing the future. Where just before he was making many references to the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. It seems to me that the main goals of this director was not to create a film with a message, but one were the audience is bombarded with so much information and twists that they get overwhelmed. Overwhelming the audience is not always the easiest thing to do and some viewers out there would enjoy this. My own personal opinion of this film was that I while I liked the ideas in this movie I was not the biggest fan of the sudden new elements they would introduce without any warning or build up.
ReplyDeleteI watched this film with Steven and we both ended up falling asleep at some point. I think the first half of the film was interesting however the second half seemed as if it was a different film all together. When I found out that the second half used a different actor I felt a bit cheated and it puzzled me why they would do so. I felt this film was more abstract and lacked some narrative structure. The ending baffled me and personally I hated the film. I couldn't stand this film however when I found out that it was based on a Greek myth I researched Greek mythology and it the film then made more sense to me and I understood it much better.
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