Nocturne (2020)

April 30, 2024 8:43 PM

An incredibly gifted pianist makes a Faustian bargain to overtake her older sister at a prestigious institution for classical musicians.

JustWatch listing; currently available on Amazon Prime.

posted by skycrashesdown (3 comments total)

My notes were: "The Black Swan of music school. The psychological toll of an impossible drive for perfection and greatness. Also, spooky sheet music? 3 out 5 stars."

I remember the visuals being strong, and a nice, creepy mood throughout.
posted by mrphancy at 8:18 AM on May 1, 2024 [1 favorite]

Oh wow, I just re-watched this two nights ago. This movie is just right for me; part of it I think is that it strongly reminds me of Cultist Simulator, one of my favorite game/art pieces. E.g. in Cultist Simulator two of the most basic challenges you face are navigating between Despair/suicide on one side and Glory/madness on the other. Obviously the MC in this did not find a balance and veered way off to one side. The two pieces also share a a lot of the same visual language, and in general the movie does a great job of weaving the fantastical into the mundane, and having a steadily developed and revealed system of symbols.

Oh right I also liked how the movie gets the vast gulf between actual genius and just being a moderately above average try-hard, and how crushing that could be.

Also, her sister was only older by a few minutes! Sheesh, that poor girl.
posted by Balna Watya at 11:46 AM on May 1, 2024 [1 favorite]

*wait wait, rather than "Glory/madness" that should be "Fascination/madness". I think I'm remembering the correct terms now.
posted by Balna Watya at 4:39 PM on May 1, 2024