Netflix movies to put on while you make a puzzle
Recently, I made a puzzle. It was a 1000 piece Disney themed puzzle. The design was exclusively the women and girl characters of Disney. Let me tell you, they were really scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of Disney characters. I consider myself a Disney fan, yet I didn’t recognise a handful of the characters in the jigsaw. It seems that even Disney suffers from being light on the representation of women.
Sadly, women in front of the camera and behind the camera are still thin on the ground. Films that are directed, written and/or edited by women fail to contribute to any major part of the movie output. While making my puzzle, I wanted to watch gory, dark movies that could take minimal attention while I attempted to slam my puzzle pieces together.
I chose two films that only really shared a similar tone in common, beyond that they are very different films. The first of which was The Invitation, directed by Karyn Kusama in 2015. The film feels closed off and intimate, following a handful of characters reconnecting at a dinner party after a tragic event caused distance between the main character and his former friends.
The second film I watched was David Fincher’s Seven from 1995. In Seven, we follow two detectives attempting to solve the case of a serial killer who’s calculated murders are inspired by the seven deadly sins.
This was my second attempt at watching this film. The first time I wasn’t paying much attention at all. I can’t say I was making a puzzle that time. I’m honestly unsure what I was doing but I will say that this film is easy to lose track of if you are not giving it at least part of your focus. I decided the film was dumb and far too slow after my minimal effort to engage with the story. While making the puzzle, I tried again. I had heard great things about the film since my first failed attempt to watch it. It was recommended on many a film podcast so I endeavoured to try again. This time I was a lot more engaged and also a lot more satisfied.
This film is very much a slow burn story. I urge you to keep your patience, as it will pay off in the end.
Will is our main character and he returns to the house he once lived in with his ex wife, Eden, after being invited to a dinner party. Both Will and Eden have moved on with their respective new partners. Will’s new partner, Kira, has agreed to be his plus one. Will appears to be making an attempt to make peace with his past trauma by revisiting the house he once lived in with his family. It becomes obvious that Will and Eden separated after the death of their son. Yet, both parents are dealing with their grief in distinctly different ways.
The narrative does feel distinctly feminine to me. I felt this in obligation of forced community and the use of emotional labour, even in the most trying of circumstances. Right from the outset, Eden, along with her husband David and their friends attempt to convince their guests to join a group known as “The Invitation”. The other characters are immediately distrustful, and rightfully so. Yet, out of a sense of obligation amongst their former friends, they override their discomfort to stay at the house. Familial bonds tie these people together and this vulnerability makes Will and his friends vulnerable to Eden and the other members of what appears to be a cult.
Kira, Will’s partner, becomes the most mysterious character of the film. At first, I thought she was a wonderfully supportive partner to Will. But as the story begins to unfold Kira is strikingly sent to the periphery of the focus. A host of characters are behaving very much outside of the normal range of human behaviour and you would think Kira, as an outsider, would be the most uncomfortable. I think this was a deliberate choice. Will, along with the viewer, grows suspicious of Kira who would otherwise be his lifeline in an increasingly dangerous situation. Kira does eventually start to urge Will to leave with her but at this point Will has become too obsessed with the past and is in search of closure.
I think that’s one of the main aims of this film, to create barriers between the characters as the events of the night become increasingly tense and boundaries are continuously crossed. What I found most unnerving was that Will, his former friends, and even relative newcomers to the friend group, repeatedly tell each other that they love each other. The declarations of love after their characters’ separation sound hollow.
This film presents suspense at its Hitchcockian best. As the viewer, we know with our knowledge of cults that Will and his friends are in grave danger. But with an unhealthy dose of gaslighting and a false sense of trust this unsuspecting group of people carry on into the night.
I really think we have come a long way since 1995, which is the year Seven premiered. I assume most people have seen this movie, more than a few moiders are committed and a couple of detectives work together to try to track down the killer. Our first detective is William, who is on the verge of retirement and apparently a bit literary. The other is David, who is new to the city and also really not that into books. As in, he tries to read in the car for some reason. This strange choice of reading nook goes unexplained. With William's experience and David's determination, the two reluctantly form a bond to take down the elusive, literature obsessed, serial killer.
I would be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy this film overall. I think the key to the film’s endurance is in its tight plot. I also think the story must have been considered innovative on its release. I think through osmosis I had heard about the storyline, which made it feel familiar to me even though it was a first time watch.
The women in this film see a really hard time, they are victim to some of the most gruesome murders in the film. Also, the only major speaking part for a woman is Gwyneth Paltrow as David's wife Tracy, who becomes quickly depressed living in this new, dangerous city. I was disappointed by the women in this film playing two dimensional stereotypes, either as victims, or the wife.
I think the major thought process behind the film was to blur our interpretation of the moral characters. William is mysteriously single. With further information coaxed out of him by Tracy, we learn that he has a complicated past with women. David is ill tempered to the point of abusive and treats criminals as subhuman, which I found particularly hard to watch.
There was an uncritical acceptance of cruelty towards criminals shown on screen. At one point, a drug dealer and child abuser is shown tied to a bed and tortured within an inch of his life by the serial killer. An officer approaches him, thinking him dead, and says “you deserved this.” I found this line the most disturbing because it portrays someone in a position of authority investing in the idea that criminals deserve to be tortured. This is not to mention the countless fatphobic comments about one of the murder victims who was forced to eat himself to death.
I said that we have come a long way since 1995 and I like to think that if Seven were to be made today, the women would be more than stereotypes. Also, the police relationship with perpetrators would be given more nuance. With that being said, Seven portrays an uglier side of humanity that still rings true today. I think the way we talk about Harvey Weinstein, for example, shows how little care we feel towards prisoners.
To my mind, there is no denying that Harvey Weinstein deserves to spend time in jail for sexually assaulting and intimidating many women working within his company. Coincidentally, Gwyneth Paltrow was amongst one of his most well known victims. With that being said, no one deserves to suffer a cruel death. By the end of Seven I think that the uglier sides of the human psyche are on display, not just by the serial killer, but also in the detectives. Seven may not be perfect, but its message is sound. We are all capable of darkness and we claim the power over the person at the other end of the weapon.
I watched both of these films on Netflix. For those interested, here is the finished product of my puzzle making-
Sadly, women in front of the camera and behind the camera are still thin on the ground. Films that are directed, written and/or edited by women fail to contribute to any major part of the movie output. While making my puzzle, I wanted to watch gory, dark movies that could take minimal attention while I attempted to slam my puzzle pieces together.
I chose two films that only really shared a similar tone in common, beyond that they are very different films. The first of which was The Invitation, directed by Karyn Kusama in 2015. The film feels closed off and intimate, following a handful of characters reconnecting at a dinner party after a tragic event caused distance between the main character and his former friends.
The second film I watched was David Fincher’s Seven from 1995. In Seven, we follow two detectives attempting to solve the case of a serial killer who’s calculated murders are inspired by the seven deadly sins.
The Invitation
This was my second attempt at watching this film. The first time I wasn’t paying much attention at all. I can’t say I was making a puzzle that time. I’m honestly unsure what I was doing but I will say that this film is easy to lose track of if you are not giving it at least part of your focus. I decided the film was dumb and far too slow after my minimal effort to engage with the story. While making the puzzle, I tried again. I had heard great things about the film since my first failed attempt to watch it. It was recommended on many a film podcast so I endeavoured to try again. This time I was a lot more engaged and also a lot more satisfied.
This film is very much a slow burn story. I urge you to keep your patience, as it will pay off in the end.
Will is our main character and he returns to the house he once lived in with his ex wife, Eden, after being invited to a dinner party. Both Will and Eden have moved on with their respective new partners. Will’s new partner, Kira, has agreed to be his plus one. Will appears to be making an attempt to make peace with his past trauma by revisiting the house he once lived in with his family. It becomes obvious that Will and Eden separated after the death of their son. Yet, both parents are dealing with their grief in distinctly different ways.
The narrative does feel distinctly feminine to me. I felt this in obligation of forced community and the use of emotional labour, even in the most trying of circumstances. Right from the outset, Eden, along with her husband David and their friends attempt to convince their guests to join a group known as “The Invitation”. The other characters are immediately distrustful, and rightfully so. Yet, out of a sense of obligation amongst their former friends, they override their discomfort to stay at the house. Familial bonds tie these people together and this vulnerability makes Will and his friends vulnerable to Eden and the other members of what appears to be a cult.
Kira, Will’s partner, becomes the most mysterious character of the film. At first, I thought she was a wonderfully supportive partner to Will. But as the story begins to unfold Kira is strikingly sent to the periphery of the focus. A host of characters are behaving very much outside of the normal range of human behaviour and you would think Kira, as an outsider, would be the most uncomfortable. I think this was a deliberate choice. Will, along with the viewer, grows suspicious of Kira who would otherwise be his lifeline in an increasingly dangerous situation. Kira does eventually start to urge Will to leave with her but at this point Will has become too obsessed with the past and is in search of closure.
I think that’s one of the main aims of this film, to create barriers between the characters as the events of the night become increasingly tense and boundaries are continuously crossed. What I found most unnerving was that Will, his former friends, and even relative newcomers to the friend group, repeatedly tell each other that they love each other. The declarations of love after their characters’ separation sound hollow.
This film presents suspense at its Hitchcockian best. As the viewer, we know with our knowledge of cults that Will and his friends are in grave danger. But with an unhealthy dose of gaslighting and a false sense of trust this unsuspecting group of people carry on into the night.
Seven
I really think we have come a long way since 1995, which is the year Seven premiered. I assume most people have seen this movie, more than a few moiders are committed and a couple of detectives work together to try to track down the killer. Our first detective is William, who is on the verge of retirement and apparently a bit literary. The other is David, who is new to the city and also really not that into books. As in, he tries to read in the car for some reason. This strange choice of reading nook goes unexplained. With William's experience and David's determination, the two reluctantly form a bond to take down the elusive, literature obsessed, serial killer.
I would be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy this film overall. I think the key to the film’s endurance is in its tight plot. I also think the story must have been considered innovative on its release. I think through osmosis I had heard about the storyline, which made it feel familiar to me even though it was a first time watch.
The women in this film see a really hard time, they are victim to some of the most gruesome murders in the film. Also, the only major speaking part for a woman is Gwyneth Paltrow as David's wife Tracy, who becomes quickly depressed living in this new, dangerous city. I was disappointed by the women in this film playing two dimensional stereotypes, either as victims, or the wife.
I think the major thought process behind the film was to blur our interpretation of the moral characters. William is mysteriously single. With further information coaxed out of him by Tracy, we learn that he has a complicated past with women. David is ill tempered to the point of abusive and treats criminals as subhuman, which I found particularly hard to watch.
There was an uncritical acceptance of cruelty towards criminals shown on screen. At one point, a drug dealer and child abuser is shown tied to a bed and tortured within an inch of his life by the serial killer. An officer approaches him, thinking him dead, and says “you deserved this.” I found this line the most disturbing because it portrays someone in a position of authority investing in the idea that criminals deserve to be tortured. This is not to mention the countless fatphobic comments about one of the murder victims who was forced to eat himself to death.
I said that we have come a long way since 1995 and I like to think that if Seven were to be made today, the women would be more than stereotypes. Also, the police relationship with perpetrators would be given more nuance. With that being said, Seven portrays an uglier side of humanity that still rings true today. I think the way we talk about Harvey Weinstein, for example, shows how little care we feel towards prisoners.
To my mind, there is no denying that Harvey Weinstein deserves to spend time in jail for sexually assaulting and intimidating many women working within his company. Coincidentally, Gwyneth Paltrow was amongst one of his most well known victims. With that being said, no one deserves to suffer a cruel death. By the end of Seven I think that the uglier sides of the human psyche are on display, not just by the serial killer, but also in the detectives. Seven may not be perfect, but its message is sound. We are all capable of darkness and we claim the power over the person at the other end of the weapon.
I watched both of these films on Netflix. For those interested, here is the finished product of my puzzle making-
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