Abel

Funny, but maybe a little too weird for me. The characters just aren't very interesting on their own terms and the bizarre stuff they do gets a bit old.

How am i just now discovering van Warmerdam? I mean it was pretty much a guarantee i was going to love this, it's like the exact meeting point between Kaurismaki deadpan and early Almodovar over-the-top campiness. Pretty much the only thing stopping it from being completely perfect is the slight undercurrent of Solondz/Seidl-esque condescension and meanness (that said, the "date" scene is the embodiment of awkward hilarity). Still, i'm really looking forward to seeing more by this guy.

Funny and a tiny bit better than The Northerners. It has a wonderful weirdness to it, and I love those looks out over the city which looks really rather surreal.