'Went to see Antonioni's film, The Passenger at the Sunshine this weekend and I was blown away. Among his other work, I really enjoyed La Notte and L'Avventura for their dreaminess and escapism and this film has those same qualities, but The Passenger has some of the mystery/intrigue that Blow-Up did and you can feel an uneasiness caused by some unknown person or force.
I think I enjoy his films because nothing feels fully described. There's always something lurking in the back of my mind, but I'm willing to leave it alone and let him show me the story instead of trying to figure it out - ultimately, because there's nothing to really figure out and I trust him. His stories are not complex from a plot perspective and I don't feel manipulated - they work because they let your emotions feel out the characters. You never feel clued in to what the character is thinking or feeling - like you're there in the room with them and you want to keep following them. Also, Antonioni is very good at keeping you a step behind them emotionally. His camera moves slowly and will drift away from the subject, making you want to "look around the corner" and see what's going on. Brilliant camerawork in everything I've seen of his.
P.S. Coincidentally, Campbell Scott and Patricia Clarkson were sitting right in front of me and they were equally engaged... Ms. Clarkson was sitting forward in her chair during half the film.
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