Movieposting: Chinatown
Jan. 16th, 2026 02:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
teslac0ilsWELL, SHIT.
This one came up pretty early in the room where I was initially building my movie list with friends and family, and I remember this because it prompted the question from one of the movie-suggesters of whether I want any particular trigger/content warnings. I deliberated for a bit, and decided that while I don’t necessarily want the details of specific shocking & disturbing elements spoiled and would rather have the experience of being surprised by them, I would appreciate a general note for movies that will NOT leave me feeling good. No to content warnings, yes to what we ended up calling the “bummer warning”. With that established, this one immediately got the first warning.
Watching it, when the incest reveal came up I thought, alright, that’s what the bummer warning was for probably. So, the ending still blindsided me. Holy shit. One of those few movies where I was not antsy to get up and stop sitting still once the credits roll, because I need a moment to stare blankly and process. I will take the bummer warnings seriously from now on.
I don’t know if I’d say I liked this movie- I don’t know if it’s meant to be liked, per se- but it did have my attention. The first half was honestly what I expected (hoped?) my experience with The Godfather would be like. Like I mentioned in that post, stories centered on powerful people and their political maneuvering aren’t inherently interesting to me, but this movie more effectively brought me in on understanding the stakes of everyone’s actions right from the start. The world around the main characters feels so much more fleshed-out with regular glimpses into the lives of the working class, who are disproportionately affected by the actions of the wealthy. (If I’m being extremely honest here: FARMERS! Tell me how the decisions of the powerful guy/s that affect the whole community specifically affect the farmers and it’s way easier to get me to care.)
Also, the main character of this movie is just super easy to immediately feel connected with. He can be kind of a shit, but he still has a moral compass- and that fact putting him at odds with the wealthy and the government forces that bow to the wealthy, it’s just instantly compelling to me, every time. So, this movie made me feel like shit… but it was a very earned feeling-like-shit, it felt right for the story being told here. A non-bummer would have been incongruous with the message that a person who is wealthy enough can just get away with whatever. A solid tragedy, I see why it was one of the first classic films recommended for my list.
This one came up pretty early in the room where I was initially building my movie list with friends and family, and I remember this because it prompted the question from one of the movie-suggesters of whether I want any particular trigger/content warnings. I deliberated for a bit, and decided that while I don’t necessarily want the details of specific shocking & disturbing elements spoiled and would rather have the experience of being surprised by them, I would appreciate a general note for movies that will NOT leave me feeling good. No to content warnings, yes to what we ended up calling the “bummer warning”. With that established, this one immediately got the first warning.
Watching it, when the incest reveal came up I thought, alright, that’s what the bummer warning was for probably. So, the ending still blindsided me. Holy shit. One of those few movies where I was not antsy to get up and stop sitting still once the credits roll, because I need a moment to stare blankly and process. I will take the bummer warnings seriously from now on.
I don’t know if I’d say I liked this movie- I don’t know if it’s meant to be liked, per se- but it did have my attention. The first half was honestly what I expected (hoped?) my experience with The Godfather would be like. Like I mentioned in that post, stories centered on powerful people and their political maneuvering aren’t inherently interesting to me, but this movie more effectively brought me in on understanding the stakes of everyone’s actions right from the start. The world around the main characters feels so much more fleshed-out with regular glimpses into the lives of the working class, who are disproportionately affected by the actions of the wealthy. (If I’m being extremely honest here: FARMERS! Tell me how the decisions of the powerful guy/s that affect the whole community specifically affect the farmers and it’s way easier to get me to care.)
Also, the main character of this movie is just super easy to immediately feel connected with. He can be kind of a shit, but he still has a moral compass- and that fact putting him at odds with the wealthy and the government forces that bow to the wealthy, it’s just instantly compelling to me, every time. So, this movie made me feel like shit… but it was a very earned feeling-like-shit, it felt right for the story being told here. A non-bummer would have been incongruous with the message that a person who is wealthy enough can just get away with whatever. A solid tragedy, I see why it was one of the first classic films recommended for my list.
