The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
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The Dancer Upstairs
Crime · Drama · Romance · 2002
A police detective in a South American country is dedicated to hunting down a revolutionary guerilla leader.
Movie details
The Dancer Upstairs
“An honest man caught in a world of intrigue, power and passion.”
2002 Crime · Drama · Romance 2h 12m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.1 / 10
Community rating
A police detective in a South American country is dedicated to hunting down a revolutionary guerilla leader.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Dancer Upstairs?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Blood Ties
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The Public Eye
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A crime photographer gets involved in a conspiracy.
Blindfire
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A police officer who while responding to a violent hostage call, kills the African American suspect only to later learn of his innocence. Sensing this was a set-up, and facing repercussions, he must track down the person responsible while examining his own accountability and the ingrained racism which brought him to this point.
I Am All Girls
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A special crimes investigator forms an unlikely bond with a serial killer to bring down a global child sex trafficking syndicate.
Shimmer Lake
Thriller · 2017
Shot in reverse day-by-day through a week—a local sheriff embarks on a quest to unlock the mystery of three small-town criminals and a bank heist gone wrong.
Stolen
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A detective becomes obsessed with solving a child's 50-year-old murder, uncovering striking similarities between the case and his son's disappearance.
Suburbicon
Thriller · 2017
In the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect family turns to blackmail, revenge and murder.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
John Malkovich
Written by
Nicholas Shakespeare
Javier Bardem
Agustín Rejas
Juan Diego Botto
Sucre
Laura Morante
Yolanda
Elvira Mínguez
Llosa
Alexandra Lencastre
Sylvina Rejas
Oliver Cotton
Merino
Luís Miguel Cintra
Calderón
Court is in session
Put The Dancer Upstairs on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.