#MondayMovies: Clemy Clarke
Clemy clarke
Clemy Clarke is a French-born and American-trained filmmaker with a deep appreciation for cinema. No surprise that she is drawn to stories of outsiders searching for a home.
Her short film After Anyuta, a modern take on the Chekhov short story, is about a young woman who has a vague relationship with her roommate. He’s a medical student studying for his exams and she serves both as his anatomy model and a nude model for their neighbor, a painter. Deeply uncomfortable, this film pushes the hypnotic “pedestrian” style of Chekhov into a new and primal space.
Where to Watch
Here are 4 films that Clemy finds inspiration from!
1. apocalypse now
“I remember being shell-shocked. I was so immersed in the jungle and Martin Sheen’s character…the psychology of someone who becomes insane. Seeing this film at a young age, I learned from this film to embrace my wild side! This movie is so wild. My parents (who are filmmakers and editors) always thought I would be an actress, but seeing this movie made me realize I wanted to be behind the camera.”
Where to Watch
2. The double life of veronique
“I don’t want to say too much about this movie, it’s a mystery. It flirts with fantastical elements with subtlety. My cinematographer for After Anyuta, Irene Gomez-Emilsson, feels very close to Krzysztof Kieślowski’s visual world. We used as much natural light as possible, with colors representing people’s auras and their world. We are very close to their bodies, but not close to who they really are.
In this movie, we are on a wild ride with this woman but never really understand who she is or what she wants. There’s certainly something mystical about this movie, and although After Anyuta isn’t mystical per se, there are definitely moments where time stops, eternal moments. People painting each other…heightened ritualistic moments. Ethereal moments.”
Where to Watch
3. BADLANDS
“This movie is a furious ride. A young woman who falls in love with the wrong guy…she knows she’s not supposed to be with him on this journey. She knows that it’s not gonna end well. I’m drawn to impossible love. Malick had a vision, and if it meant burning a house down to meet it he would do it. This movie is a perfect example of how independent film and commercial film can intersect in a very interesting way. Also, Sissy Spacek (the lead), looks like CC Kellogg (Anyuta screenwriter and producer). And again, Martin Sheen stole my heart.”
Where to Watch
4. ARIZONA DREAM
“I’m very attached to this film, it is really about the American dream. Very surreal, the music is really interesting. Sort of a crazy story about a man who falls in love with an older woman who wants to build a flying machine…there’s a love triangle. I feel connected to the violence in their romance…but it’s a love that defies everything. A recurring theme, I know!”