Hard to Watch
How to Fall in Love with Difficult Movies
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Book Presentation:
We’ve never had better access to movies than we do today. Thanks to streaming services, video-on-demand, boutique physical media, repertory theaters, and the wild frontiers of the internet, we have ready access to a huge range of titles—Hollywood classics, art films from around the world, and audacious contemporary works are all right at our fingertips.
Yet, despite this embarrassment of riches, most of us gravitate to the popular and familiar, barely scratching the surface of what’s available. According to philosopher Matthew Strohl, we’re doing ourselves a disservice by overlooking the range of so-called “difficult” movies. Hard to Watch is a joyous celebration of cinema that might seem boring, pretentious, or offensive at first glance but that offers its own distinctive rewards when we give ourselves over to it. Writing with infectious enthusiasm—and a refreshing lack of condescension—Strohl discusses everything from the challenging late works of beloved directors like Terrence Malick and David Lynch to such visionary but divisive films as Alain Resnais’s Muriel, or the Time of Return, Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, and Julia Ducournau’s Titane, evocatively showing why they're worth the time and effort to engage with, and how to get the most out of them.
Whether you’re a film lover looking to step up your game or just someone who’s bored with Netflix, Hard to Watch is a brisk and accessible guide to expanding your horizons.
About the Author:
Matthew Strohl is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Montana. He received his doctorate from Princeton University and writes about movies and philosophy of art. He is the author of the book Why It’s OK to Love Bad Movies.
Press Reviews:
I thought I was already a cinephile, but reading Matt Strohl’s lively book taught me how to love the cinema even more.
-- Prof. Carl Plantinga, Calvin University, author of Moving Viewers
"Hard to Watch is not hard to read. Matthew Strohl offers a passionate, engaging, and utterly convincing case that seemingly difficult films (of all kinds) are worth persevering with and fighting for – for the sake of both the collective, public health and our individual, personal growth. Without snobbery, defensiveness, or fear, Strohl shows the way to love demanding cinema."
-- Adrian Martin, Monash University, author of Mysteries of Cinema
As with Strohl's first, excellent work — Why It's Ok To Love Bad Movies — there is real ambition driving this book. He sets out to show us why there's no such thing as a balanced aesthetic diet without difficult art. Over the course of the book we come to understand why films that disturb our standard mode of perception are good for us; why films that demand a little more might be the needed antidote for our culture of boredom and quick fixes; and why the all-too common bad faith responses to art that challenges us must be resisted. Strohl takes us through high-level film analysis and also suggests in practical terms how we might embark on the road to true cinephilia — or go about deepening our already profound love for the form. And perhaps most impressively, Strohl performs that act of humility so rare in the world of criticism: he discusses his initial, lesser assessments of films, and demonstrates how, through serious consideration of alternative approaches, he achieved a deeper appreciation of those works. We should all pay close attention. This not just a book about film. This is also a book about how to live a life of meaning in the midst of our distracted, cracked America. There's no cotton candy here. These pages are straight protein. This book is good thinking from start to finish.
-- Sterling Holywhitemountain, Jones Lecturer, Stanford University
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