My Affair with Art House Cinema

Phillip Lopate fell hard for the movies as an adolescent. As he matured into an acclaimed critic and essayist, his infatuation deepened into a lifelong passion. My Affair with Art House Cinema presents Lopates selected essays and reviews from the last quarter century, inviting readers to experience films he found exhilarating, tantalizing, and beguilingand sometimes disappointing or frustratingthrough his keen eyes. In an essayists sinuous prose style, Lopate captures the formal mastery, artistic imagination, and emotional intensity of art house essentials like Yasujir Ozus Late Spring, David Lynchs Mulholland Drive, and Andrei Tarkovskys Solaris, as well as works by contemporary filmmakers such as Maren Ade, Hong Sang-soo, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Christian Petzold, Paolo Sorrentino, and Jafar Panahi. Essays explore Chantal Akermans rigorous honesty, Ingmar Bergmans intimacy, Abbas Kiarostamis playfulness, Kenji Mizoguchis visual style, and Frederick Wisemans vision of the human condition. Lopate also reflects on the work of fellow critics, including Roger Ebert, Pauline Kael, and Jonathan Rosenbaum. His considered, at times contrarian critiques and celebrations will inspire readers to watch or rewatch these films. Above all, this book showcases Lopates passionate advocacy for not only particular films and directors but also the joys and value of a filmgoing culture.