The film "All of Us Strangers" completely destroyed me without any warning. The film shows direct emotional moments but its most powerful scenes emerge from its subtle and understated moments. The small actions of Adam when he adjusts Christmas decorations in his childhood home and Harry's interrupted laughter during his speech create these subtle moments….

The pet store stockroom scene in "May December" shows Elizabeth attempting seduction through exact reenactments of her twenty-year-old self which caused my entire body to shudder. The way I responded to the situation developed from my observation of how people try to understand others by repeating their traumatic events. Todd Haynes masterfully guides the uncomfortable…

Sandra interrupts her trial testimony to declare "No one understands what a couple represents because it creates complete disorder which makes everyone lose their way."The word "chaos" has remained in my mind since she used it during her court proceedings. The relationship between people creates an unmanageable situation which makes them unable to understand its…

The scene where Hae Sung stands at the base of Nora's apartment building stairwell to gaze at her silhouette through warm light remains in my mind because it shows their deep separation. The physical separation between them exists but there is an additional form of distance that separates them. Song maintains this extended camera view…

What does it mean to be an artist if no one sees your work?The film "Showing Up" by Kelly Reichardt presents the question indirectly through Lizzy's detailed finger tracing of her ceramic sculptures which creates a sense of pressure throughout each scene. Michelle Williams plays Lizzy through her controlled facial expressions which show her growing…

The camera shows Léo's face for a prolonged moment during Close as he observes Rémi sleeping next to him which reveals all the unspoken emotions that thirteen-year-old boys should not experience. The movie shows how young people face danger through their need for affection during their most vulnerable time. The film demonstrates how teenagers become…

The film Women Talking shows Autje saying "We didn't talk about our bodies. The absence of words to describe their experience becomes the central focus of the entire movie when Autje says "So when something like this happened there was no language for it," according to Polley. The entire film shows how frightening it is…

Bill Nighy displays a subtle change in his facial expression when Mr. Williams looks at his untouched beer at the pub table during "Living."The expression becomes slightly more relaxed as his eyes show a tiny amount of softness and his jaw releases a tiny amount of tension. The moment I watched him I grasped the…

Cáit observes Eibhlín perform clothes hanging while they share a silent understanding through their eye contact in The Quiet Girl. A recognition. The way Colm Bairéad depicts children learning love through daily care activities includes moments like when someone places a glass of milk on a table and when someone warms a towel by the…