Daily Movie Rec 7/3/2023

Sebastiane (1976)


"He is as beautiful as the sun. The sun which caresses me is his burning desire."

Cinematography by: Peter Middleton

Plot:
Loosely based on the story of the Christian martyr Saint Sebastian, a Roman soldier is exiled to a secluded island due to his religious beliefs and develops an unhealthy relationship with his commander in which he lusts for punishment.

Reasons to watch:
[Gonna be hitting up all 11 of Derek Jarman's feature films on The Criterion Channel before they leave the platform at the end of the month. An outspoken civil rights activist and an icon within the arthouse scene, the openly gay British director is widely recognized as a pioneer and one of the most influential Queer filmmakers of all time, known for the sensational avant-garde imagery, innovative formal experimentation, nonconformist ideologies, and uninhibited homoeroticism within his work. Sadly, Jarman passed away prematurely in 1994 due to AIDS-related complications. I've kept him in the queue without ever watching him for far too long, but I'm excited to finally experience the singular artistic vision and fearless voice that made him a legend.]

[As for this film...] In Jarman's feature debut, which he co-directed with editor Paul Humfress, the dicks are on parade. I barely know what else to say about this movie because it's mostly just dudebutts and dangly bits glistening in the sun without much substance (fun fact: it was the first non-pornographic film to show an erection). The dazzling aesthetics, poetic flourishes, and Brian Eno's vibe-filled ambient score lend Sebastiane enough formal intrigue to keep it compelling - and I appreciate Jarman's panache to come out of the gates guns-blazing, unreservedly challenging homophobic values head-first - but I am hoping his movies either go full-send into formalism and/or involve more narrative depth as his filmmaking develops. Like many debuts, the talent is brilliantly apparent, but it's wandering and inconsistent.

Where to watch:
The Criterion Channel/Kanopy

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