I remember watching The Bling Ring (directed by Sofia Coppola) not too long after it was released in 2013.
It was an ok movie. Nothing much happened. It was a blasé affair with not much in the way of plot or sympathetic characters but was very much in the vein of the type of stories that Sofia Coppola was know to explore in her previous work. Quiet, contemplative, self-reflective narratives that explore the female psyche through the eyes of characters that seemingly live a charmed life but are longing for something more.
Although it wasn't anything really to write home about, the movie stuck with me and I would explore Coppola's other filmography in the years since, finding her 2017 film The Beguiled quite captivating and piercing, and from there looking forward to her latest release, the 2020 film On The Rocks.
Through the interviews that she had done in the lead up to the release of On The Rocks I began to recognise and find an increasing appreciation for Coppola's directing style which is very unique in the realm of auteur filmmakers especially with her being one of the only female filmmakers that have carved out a niche for themselves in that echelon. Her vision and mode of storytelling is strikingly feminine (which I don't think there is enough of in filmmaking) and even more importantly, honest in its approach.
So let's loop this back around to The Bling Ring.
Soon after I had seen On The Rocks, I decided to put on The Bling Ring once more as I was packing up my belongings from my old apartment to prepare for the next chapter of life in my new place.
I remember thinking, 'well, there's not much going on in the movie from what I remember so I'll just let it play as I organise my clothes and other items this evening'. It was probably my first viewing experience that stuck in my mind where I contientiously put something on to play in the background as I went on moving through life. I have heard this about others, that they could just put something on in the background as they did their thing but I always thought 'how?'. I am usually intent on really absorbing every minute of a movie; analysing its set design, the costumes, the performances, everything that lends itself to the story, the picture, and the message its trying to convey. But this time around I let go of all that and this experience has stuck with me ever since and made me ponder, 'did I watch it this way because it's not that good a movie, or does this kind of film lend itself to be watched in an alternative manner?'.
Plagued by a diminishing attention span, my generation and the younger generations are used to changing focus from one app to another, from one browser tab to the next, switching back and forth continuously; sign of the times. Social media has also had a tight grip on us by bringing us closer to the glamorous lives of celebrities, showing off their riches including expensive clothes, cars, vacations, what have you. So with a movie like this, where there isn't much going on but you can admire individual scenes and frames at a time as you're enticed by the attractive people, the glitz and the glam, and the dangerous line these characters walk to experience the rush of getting closer to the lifestyle of celebrities, is in a way a reflection of what our generation experiences and possibly craves much more so today than when the film was made or when the real-life events of this story took place.
I'd argue that this is one of the first movies where its style, content and sensibility feeds into it being viewed much like how we interact with online content instead of a regular movie. Ahead of the curve? Maybe.
But on its own, is this considered a good movie by general consensus? What constitutes a good movie? And can the movie viewing experience influence your perception of the quality of a movie itself?
Speaking for myself, I have had a few memorable movie viewing experiences where the movie wasn't that good or wasn't very good at all but in my mind, how I felt watching it, who I was with, and the conversations and fun that was had while watching the movie, would make me think that the movie was much better than it actually was.
Curious about others' thoughts on this phenomena.
Regardless, I was initially fascinated by this film and have grown to love it even more because I have found the optimal way of watching it where I can enjoy it to the fullest. And by watching it multiple times, it allows you to analyse the film just a bit further each time and appreciate its artistic merit and what it means to you.
Now let's go to Paris'. I wanna rob. 😉
Originally published in July, 2021