FilmsLaw of DesireLike this

Films like Law of Desire.

Law of Desire (1987) reads as Neutral, kinetic, measured drama / romance, inventive in texture. Ambivalent, intimate, measured. Every film below is ranked by distance across the same twelve hand-scored axes — with what it keeps, and where it walks away. Not a genre dump.

High Heels (1991) poster
1. High Heels1991

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the heightened unreality — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989) poster
2. Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!1989

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the heightened unreality — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Diva (1981) (1981) poster
3. Diva1981

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the heightened unreality; trades toward a bone-dry seriousness.

Avanti Popolo (1986) poster
4. Avanti Popolo1986

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the heightened unreality; trades toward a patient, unhurried pace.

The Very Late Afternoon of a Faun (1983) poster
5. The Very Late Afternoon of a Faun1983

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the heightened unreality — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Husbands and Wives (1992) poster
6. Husbands and Wives1992

Keeps the heightened unreality and the unmistakable directorial hand — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Kinfolk (1981) poster
7. Kinfolk1981

Keeps the heightened unreality and the unmistakable directorial hand; trades toward a cold, bleak undertow.

Dark Eyes (1987) poster
8. Dark Eyes1987

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the heightened unreality; trades toward a grounded, familiar shape.

Boogie Nights (1997) poster
9. Boogie Nights1997

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the heightened unreality — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Karmen Geï (2001) poster
10. Karmen Geï2001

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the heightened unreality — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (1992) poster
11. Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda1992

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the heightened unreality — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Out of Sight (1998) (1998) poster
12. Out of Sight1998

Keeps the heightened unreality and the unmistakable directorial hand; trades toward a grounded, familiar shape.

These are Law of Desire’s neighbours — where are yours?

Rate five posters and the same twelve axes read you — then tonight’s pick comes from your own centre of taste.

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