Films like The State of Things.

The State of Things (1982) reads as Sombre, slow-burn, gentle drama, grounded in texture. Nihilistic, 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.

Days of Being Wild (1990) poster
1. Days of Being Wild1990

Keeps the patient, unhurried pace and the cold, bleak undertow — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Killer of Sheep (1978) poster
2. Killer of Sheep1978

Keeps the patient, unhurried pace and the cold, bleak undertow — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Documenteur (1981) poster
3. Documenteur1981

Keeps the patient, unhurried pace and the unmistakable directorial hand; trades toward a cold, bleak undertow.

Paris, Texas (1984) poster
4. Paris, Texas1984

Keeps the patient, unhurried pace and the cold, bleak undertow — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

That Day, on the Beach (1983) poster
5. That Day, on the Beach1983

Keeps the patient, unhurried pace and the cold, bleak undertow — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Identification of a Woman (1982) poster
6. Identification of a Woman1982

Keeps the unmistakable directorial hand and the bone-dry seriousness; trades toward a cold, bleak undertow.

Land of Silence and Darkness (1971) (1971) poster
7. Land of Silence and Darkness1971

Keeps the patient, unhurried pace and the cold, bleak undertow — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Days of Heaven (1978) poster
8. Days of Heaven1978

Keeps the patient, unhurried pace and the cold, bleak undertow — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

On the Hunting Ground (1985) poster
9. On the Hunting Ground1985

Keeps the patient, unhurried pace and the cold, bleak undertow — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Effi Briest (1974) poster
10. Effi Briest1974

Keeps the patient, unhurried pace and the unmistakable directorial hand — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

La Luna (Bertolucci) (1979) poster
11. La Luna (Bertolucci)1979

Keeps the patient, unhurried pace and the unmistakable directorial hand; trades toward a cold, bleak undertow.

The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) poster
12. The Spirit of the Beehive1973

Keeps the patient, unhurried pace and the cold, bleak undertow — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

These are The State of Things’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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