Rose (2026, Markus Schleinzer, Austria,Germany)
An academic exercise with wonderful still cam cinematography. I get that Schlienzer is trying to capture the historical otherness of his characters but it’s all undone by a few moments of heavy handed dialogue and narration. Seems like this is caught half-way in between The Zone of Interest and Days of Heaven. The final act goes further to undo this pursuit by becoming so patently a projection of our modern values echoing the current discourse around the matter.
Even so, I do like the quieter moments where Rose and Suzanna share their concern for each other in subtle ways. I wish this invested more in either the dramatic potential or the quotidian nature of the their relationship. Was constantly thinking about Reichardt’s First Cow and Meek’s Cut Off, both of which do what this does to far greater effect.