Cinematic Sorceress: The Films of Nina Menkes
**This is a look at the films included in Arbelos’s Box Set, “Cinematic Sorceress: The Films of Nina Menkes,” available on Tuesday, February 7. This is about the films only, watched via digital screeners; I have not seen any extras from the set.**
Whenever there is an opportunity to dive deep into a filmmaker, I try to take. In December, I was emailed about this two-disc set of films from the director of the recent documentary, “Brainwashed.” I did not see that either at Sundance or when it came out, but what I heard was polarizing enough to where I was curious to check these six films out. I cannot speak to the disc quality, but the digital screeners looked magnificent in watching them. What about the films themselves? You’ll find my capsule reviews of each below.
“The Great Sadness of Zohora” (1983; 39 minutes)
First up in my introduction to Menkes is “The Great Sadness of Zohora,” a short film about an orthodox Jewish woman in Jerusalem who feels alienated from society as a whole, and is drawn to the world of spirits. We begin with a quotation from the Book of Job, which is about a believer whom God tests constantly, and whom begins to question whether God loves him. As she walks through Jerusalem, Zohora (Tinka Menkes) is almost pestered by a voice, drawing her into a different realm of existence. Menkes’s camera is observing Zohara without really engaging with her as an individual; we are simply watching her alienation from society. That does not mean we do not feel for her journey, though. Anyone who has ever felt like an outsider in life with get a lot out of this film, as I did the more I thought about it.
Film Grade: A-
“Magdalena Viraga” (1986; 91 minutes)
Menkes’s first feature took its time to get going, but by the end, I was mostly on board with its story. The film tells the life of a prostitute who spends her nights in the bars, and hotels, of LA, before she is booked for killing a man. The film goes back-and-forth, showing the main character’s complete disinterest in those with whom she has sex, while giving us moments she has with a fellow prostitute where they give us insights into the mindset of their lives. The repetitive nature of the film felt tedious, but as the story comes into focus, so does Menkes’s themes of alienation and the isolation women feel when they are only valued for what they offer men. Visually, the film is not nearly as interesting as “Zohora,” but this film does capture the seediness of the lifestyle it portrays, and what matters is that we come to value these characters beyond their choices. And we do
Film Grade: B+
“Queen of Diamonds” (1991; 75 minutes)
“Queen of Diamonds” follows an alienated woman through her life as a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas. The woman is played by Tinka Menkes, Nina’s sister, and this might be the first time among their collaborations together (which includes the above two films) where her performance just does not work for me. Part of that might be because, if we’re being honest, the movie itself is dull and unengaging. This type of straightforward character study requires more than just a character drifting through life- we have to feel as though we’re learning about them, and this tells me nothing about the main character except that she takes care of her uncle, her husband has been missing for three months and she doesn’t seem interested, and we get extended sequences of her at the table, isolated from the lives she is impacting with her job. In time, this could be a film I revisit and appreciate more, but this film left me feeling distant and isolated from it.
Film Grade: C-
“The Bloody Child” (1996; 86 minutes)
In “The Bloody Child,” I feel like we get the most complete sense of what Menkes aims for with her films. Inspired by a true story, the film follows the aftermath of what happens when two Marines find another Marine digging a grave for his murdered wife in the middle of the Mohave Desert. One of the Marines who find him is played by Nina’s sister Tinka, and we also get flashbacks of her. The chronology of this film is part “Memento,” part “Irreversible,” and all in the service of exploring how life and death are transformed profoundly as a result of war. There’s a repeating scene where one of the Marines whom finds the scene is abusing the guilty Marine that is tantamount of torture. It is haunting, even more so by the voice of the woman who plays the killer’s wife, including quotations of MacBeth, which help build the sense of guilt in the film. There’s a mundanity to some of the moments that gets to how even moments of great drama can play out at a crawl, and how beauty can lead to violence. This is a powerful look at the destructive nature of violence.
Film Grade: A
“Phantom Love” (2007; 87 minutes)
“Phantom Love” follows a family who feels disconnected, and the woman at the center of it. Her life seems boiled down to her work, her mother’s demands on her, and a lover with whom we see her have sex with a lot. The film begins with them having sex, and it is a recurring idea that the film returns to often throughout its 87 minutes. The black-and-white cinematography and languid pacing brings to mind David Lynch, but one gets the impression that Andrei Tarkovsky- in particular, “Mirror” and “Nostalgia”- were also inspirations. I think Menkes utilizes the visuals well in this film, but narratively, it doesn’t really connect.
Film Grade: C+
“Dissolution” (2010; 89 minutes)
The final film in this set represents a strong close to this selection of six films, but also a representation of what can be maddening about Menkes’s work. While it’s laudable to not spell out every aspect of your narrative, some thematic cohesion is important, and in this film about a Jewish man who both witnesses- and partakes in- violence in the Israeli Arab area of Yafo, the thematic elements do not always line up with the brilliant black-and-white cinematography, which follows this man (played by Didi Fire) as he walks through life. It does stick the landing, however, and there are plenty of powerful moments throughout that resonate strongly as it explores life through the casual, sometimes heartbreaking death that punctuates it.
Film Grade: A
After all six films, I can honestly say that I probably respect Menkes’s vision as a filmmaker more than I like it. When it didn’t land for me, it really didn’t land for me, but by and large, her work is interesting in how it looks at isolation in life, the struggles of life, and the effects of violence on life. If you’re going to start anywhere, certainly “The Great Sadness of Zohora” is an ideal way to start, and if that captivates you, “The Bloody Child” and “Dissolution” should be next. If those work for you, you might get more out of her other films in this set than I did. I’m not sure if I will be exploring her work much further moving forward, though.
