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6.8/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Liliom remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies that feel like a fever dream from 1934, you'll probably dig this. If you need your protagonists to be likable or make logical life choices, steer clear. You’ll just end up shouting at the screen while the poor girl tries to make sense of her life.
Charles Boyer plays this guy Liliom with such a specific kind of arrogance. He’s the type of dude who thinks he’s the smartest person in the room even when he’s completely broke and unemployed. It’s infuriating, but you can’t look away. He’s a nightmare.
The beginning of this movie has this weird, buzzy energy. You can almost smell the sawdust and the cheap perfume. It’s not polished, and the lighting is all over the place, but it feels like a real place.
There's this moment where the music just keeps grinding on, way longer than it should. It’s uncomfortable. It reminded me a bit of the frantic, desperate energy in The Wolf of Wall Street, though obviously in a much older, black-and-white register.
Liliom treats his girlfriend like a prop, and it’s hard to watch. She’s quiet, and he’s loud. The way she looks at him—like she’s trying to solve a puzzle that has no answer—is the real core of the film. It’s heartbreaking.
Fritz Lang directs this like he’s bored with normal human interaction. He skips over the big dramatic confrontations and focuses on weird side-glances or the way a character walks out of a room. Sometimes I wish he’d just let us see the fight, but then I realize the silence is way more damaging.
Is it a classic? Maybe. Is it a bit of a mess? Definitely. It doesn't have the clean, sharp edges of The Dying Swan, but it’s got a pulse. Sometimes that’s enough. 🎡
Anyway, I think the movie gets better once it stops trying to be a romantic drama and gets weird. Just lean into the chaos. Don't expect a happy ending, or even a logical one.