Rashida: A Slow, Dusty Relic That Mostly Works

Is it worth the time?

Honestly, it depends on your mood. If you want something that demands your full attention while you sit on the floor, yeah, maybe. If you’re just looking for background noise, keep moving. Rashida isn't interested in being background noise. It’s too stubborn for that.

Ezra Mir does a lot with what is essentially a very simple frame. There’s this one scene where he’s just staring out a window, and the light hits his face in this really weird, slightly unflattering way. It felt… real. Most movies would have fixed the lighting or cut away. This one just let it sit there. I liked that.

The rhythm of it all

The pacing is all over the place. Sometimes it feels like a marathon, and sometimes it just stops. It reminded me a bit of the aimless wandering found in Mysteries of Yucatan. Not in story, just in that weird, lopsided energy where you aren't quite sure why you're watching, but you're too invested to leave.

• The sound mixing is a bit wonky. Sometimes the dialogue drops out like the microphone was in the next room.
• The outdoor shots have this grit to them that I haven't seen in a while. Actual dirt. Not digital grain.
• There is a moment in the second act where a character walks across a room and it takes about forty seconds. It’s almost painful. I loved it.

It’s not trying to be a masterpiece. It doesn't have the grand, sweeping narrative strokes of In Old Arizona, and it doesn't try to fake it. It just sits there, feeling a bit like a half-finished conversation at a diner. There’s a messiness to the edit that makes me think they just didn't have enough film to redo the takes. That’s probably exactly what happened.

If you've spent any time with The Smart Set, you know that era of filmmaking had a certain… let's say, loose grip on reality. Rashida feels like it belongs to that same family of slightly broken things. It’s not smooth, but it’s got heart. Or maybe it’s just stubborn. I can’t quite decide. 🤷‍♂️

I left the screen feeling like I’d just talked to a stranger who told me a story that was 60% true and 40% invention. You don't get that from the big studio stuff anymore. It’s fine if you don't like it. I’m not sure I even liked it. But I definitely watched it.