The Pleasure of Being Robbed

I stumbled upon this used DVD in a thrift store and knew nothing about it. It just caught my eye and something told me to buy it. I'm so very glad I did. Sometimes the stars align and miracles happen, and that's what it took for me to find out about this excellent little movie.

I was expecting it to be a micro-budget indie film with bad acting, and hoping for a few redeeming moments and a whole lot of charm, which is about the best you can ask for from that type of film (I thought). But I was blown away. Five minutes into the movie I realized I was watching something else entirely. I've never seen anything like it. I didn't know indie films could be made this well.

Everything about it is just perfect and far better than any attempt I have seen before. The cinematography is beautiful and the editing is very good, as it the acting, which surprised me the most. The actors here are all ones I'd never seen before, so no big stars, but they all did an excellent job (aside from a few moments of mediocre acting in some of the smaller roles).

Now let's get to the story. It's about a young woman in her twenties who lives in New York. We've seen it a hundred times, right? Nah, this woman happens to be a pickpocket. And for the first time ever, we get to watch a pickpocket going about her day. Some have argued that there's no plot, but wouldn't a plot just make it so boring? That's been done before! It's better just to watch the characters sometimes. This one is fascinating!

Everything was very well done for such a low-budget film, although I later found out that multimillionaires Andy and Kate Spade had something to do with this production. I believe that most of that money went to acquiring film stock, however, as this film was shot on good old film rather than digital, the latter being the preferred medium for films like this. But the film look really makes this all that much better, and really adds to the style and makes it look more legitimate while still maintaining wonderful raw and gritty feel.

I've seen a lot of terrible reviews about this movie, and I don't really understand why. It's not a terrible movie for the masses, it fits a select few tastes.

If you like Sofia Coppola type films, realistic feel without begin reality or a fake documentary, than you will probably like this one. Don't go into it expecting an amazing plot line, and a twist ending, because than you will be disappointed.

I think the cinematography was done beautifully. They got the right, and the wrong angles, in all the right ways. You almost feel as you are following her around and getting a real time look into someone else's life.

I don't want to give too much away, but I would give the movie a chance before you decided to hate it. Watch the trailer - so you get the basic idea of what kind of film it is.

THE PLEASURE OF BEING ROBBED (dir. Joshua Safdie) A brash example of LoFi Mumblecore that presents an unapologetic look at a whimsical sociopath who believes that anything that strikes her fancy is hers for the taking. Elenore swipes everything from kittens to Volvos, and the film's uncomfortable message seems to be that her victims are only being blessed by her wonderfulness. Needless to say, it's nearly impossible for a rational viewer to rally round a character with such an extreme egocentric focus, yet the film might only be a sly cinematic valentine by director Joshua Safdie to articulate his feelings for the star of the film, Eleonore Hendricks.

You people just cant see the inner beauty of this film. Humanity can sometimes be a lonely thing. Eleanor (however you spell her name) appreciated everything she "stole". You could see the appreciation and connection she felt from the objects that she stole from other peoples lives. Hence the title of the film. Which is beautiful. And the cinematography was wonderful. The grain, the tightness of the shots, the cuts. I loved it. There really was no plot. It was mainly the character analysis that kept me watching. Just the spontaneity of her was so inspiring and I truly admire that. She was living and not just breathing. She was innocent as a child. Yes the things she did were not so innocent, but she had an innocence about her. There wasn't even any sex in the film just to further prove her innocence.

I saw this film at Cannes twice and I can't seem to either get away from it or get it out of my mind. I keep thinking about the surface nature of the main character Eleonore in the beginning and throughout. But what is crazy is she knows it.

It is not that she is annoying. I Think it is sad to see someone hide their true emotions. She smiles and you wonder why is she smiling, It is uncomfortable to be in the room. These are negative qualities and that is why they are on film (and yes beautiful 16 mm, finally!). They are just an exaggerated type of personality that forces us to see what we all sometimes fall victim too, too big a self-conscience.

She is a great thief, but she is not really stealing. She just wants to learn more about people because she is afraid, or unwilling, to say hello in a genuine way.

At times I didn't like her but so what? Film is not about feeling comfortable, it is about thinking about how you can change parts of yourself. When I didn't like her or what she is doing, I asked myself why? And that is what I liked. I liked also seeing the other people in New york who don't have her problem. Heck, there is a guy walking around saying how beautiful everything is. And wait, here we see her wonder what that life might be like. Also, when she listens to the trumpet playing, I Thought how sad, she realizes her faults. Sometimes you can't change them (Having been in therapy I should know, haha).

Thanks for showing me the pains of holding back, and the beauty of letting it out.