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5.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Lena Rivers remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Look, Lena Rivers is one of those movies you watch when you have absolutely nothing else to do and you're feeling a bit nostalgic for 1930s-style melodrama. It’s definitely not for everyone. If you hate characters being treated poorly for zero reason, you’ll probably want to turn it off after ten minutes.
Basically, poor Lena just wants to belong. She ends up with her rich uncle, but the wife and daughter act like she’s brought a plague into the house. It’s incredibly stiff. You can almost hear the actors waiting for their cues.
There is a scene near the middle where the daughter just stares daggers at Lena for what feels like an eternity. It’s almost funny how much they hate her. I found myself checking my phone, which is never a great sign.
It lacks the punch of something like The Woman of Lies, which at least had a bit of grit to it. Here, everything feels like it’s happening on a stage, even when it’s supposed to be in a home.
The dialogue is so polite it’s actually kind of mean. Everyone is constantly saying exactly what they think in these long, flowery sentences that nobody would ever actually use.
I guess if you’re a total completist for early thirties cinema, you’ll sit through it. But if you’re just looking for a movie to enjoy on a Tuesday night? Skip it. It reminds me a bit of the pacing issues in Autumn, where things just stop moving forward for long stretches.
It’s not a bad movie exactly. It’s just… tired. The whole thing feels like it’s covered in a thin layer of dust. 🎞️