DbcultAccessing Vault...
4.7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 4.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. That's What You Do When You Fall in Love remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies that feel like they were filmed in someone’s backyard thirty years ago, maybe. It’s definitely for people who prefer slow-burn atmosphere over anything resembling a plot. If you need a fast pace or high-stakes drama, you’re probably going to hate it. It’s sleepy. Very, very sleepy. 😴
The whole thing starts on this island that looks like it hasn’t changed since the stone age. Then the painter shows up. He’s got that look of someone who thinks he’s a genius because he owns a beret and a smock. Marika Xanthaki plays the girl with this wide-eyed, slightly confused energy that actually kind of works.
There’s a scene where she’s posing for him, and the camera just sits there. It sits there for a long time. I think I counted three separate flies buzzing around the frame before anyone said a word. It felt weirdly real, like the actors forgot the camera was even rolling.
Then they head to Athens. The city feels crowded in a way that contrasts with the island, but the movie doesn't really know what to do with that change. It’s just, here’s a street, here’s a cafe, here’s the guy looking at a painting again. 🎨
The dialogue? It’s pretty thin. Sometimes it feels like they’re reading lines off a chalkboard in the next room. There’s a moment where she’s crying, and I couldn’t tell if she was sad or just tired from walking around the set all day. Honestly, I get it.
I found myself thinking about The Woman in the Suitcase while watching this, mainly because both films deal with people who don't quite know where they belong. Though, to be fair, this one is much less eventful. It’s more of a mood piece, if the mood is "I left my island and now I’m bored in a studio."
The pacing is all over the place. Sometimes it sprints through a whole month of romance in two minutes of music, and then it spends ten minutes watching someone stir coffee. It’s a strange choice. It makes you feel like you’re missing the good parts, or maybe there just weren't any good parts to show.
If you’re into the idea of a movie that doesn’t really try to impress you, this is it. It’s not a masterpiece, it’s not a disaster. It’s just... there. It’s a slice of life that forgot to slice anything interesting. Still, there’s something oddly nice about how unpolished it is. It feels like a home movie that got a bit too ambitious. 🎞️
Community
Log in to comment.
