How to describe Stellar...
Some films just need to be seen to understand. Stellar is one of those, walking a fine balancing act between experimental cinema and narrative so that it is both accessible and viscerally exploratory. A woman walks into a bar and sits next to a man she apparently hasn't met. It becomes clear as they talk the world seems to be ending/changing and they are both okay with it. The film builds an erotic tension between them that is palpable without being pornographic and as people come and go from the bar the otherworldliness of their circumstances becomes more and more explored.
Yet it is all grounded in the carefully crafted connection between the leads Tailfeathers and Clarke, both demonstrating incredible screen presence and a sensitivity to the subject matter which makes them impossible to turn away from. They build the film's central connection so artfully it is just joyous to watch. It is their connection which makes all the rest of the film's story, so gorgeously shot by director Naponse, relatable.
The film takes on a lot of themes from our connections to nature, colonialism, racism, sex... I guess humanness generally, and sets it in this quiet little moment between two people. It is really something to see if you get a chance.
Stellar
Starring: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Braeden Clarke
Writer/Director: Darlene Naponse
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