There’s a lot of buzz around the release of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, and the buzz is warranted. The movie received an 8 minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, and the Arrival (wink) of the theatre release date isn’t fast enough. So, in the meantime, my friend Romy Sunny and I thought we’d take a lot at other Denis Villeneuve’s movies to pump ourselves up more for Dune (if that’s even possible).
1. Arrival, 2016
Arrival is arguably the best Denis Villeneuve movie to date. A sci-fi movie about alien invasion, the topic the movie discusses isn’t new— we’ve seen many great movies that fall in this genre. What makes the movie standout is how the interaction between humans and aliens was presented— the invasion was presented humanely. If David Fincher ever did a sci-fi movie, Arrival would be it. The movie hinges on the emotions of the audience, connecting our past, present and memories to a Big Bang.
2. Enemy, 2013
In a sentence, Enemy is a mind-fuck movie. Again, we’ve all seen a lot of movies within this genre, and this film was one of the firsts. When you place an actor like Jake Gyllenhaal in a movie like that, we know exactly what to expect— Donnie Darko but 12 years later. What stands out in this movie, more than the brilliance of the director, is the performance. Complimenting this movie without divulging spoilers is an impossible feat, so it suffices to say that the movie is a must-watch.
3. Sicario, 2015
The politics this movie deals with is a sight to behold. The story documents an FBI agent’s assignment navigating through the Mexico-US drug war, but draws deep inferences on the extent of the corruption within the system. It’s a slow-paced thriller that keeps you glued to the edge of your seat. Every emotion felt by the characters will be felt by us, too. Villeneuve has a way of pulling people’s emotions to the foreground, whatever genre the movie falls into.
Sicario, a movie that deals with US’ drug wars, was a platform the director used to blatantly but subtly incorporate politics, and we can expect the same for Dune. Villeneuve has built a reputation of saying whatever the hell he wants to say.
4. Incendies, 2010
First thing’s first— go look up how Incendies is pronounced. Once that’s done, gear up for some deep sense of despair towards the thought of having to live.
Incendies is a movie that deals with the aftereffects of war. In a movie like that, Villeneuve incorporated feminism. If we’re looking at similarities between all his movies, a common thread would be including politics in the movie’s discourse. In Arrival it’s subtle, in Enemy the inner conflicts of a man are heavily driven by his politics. In all his films, politics is discussed properly, something we can look forward to in Dune. You can call Incendies a feminist movie, but it’s not solely feminist. It’s a movie you truly need to feel, to experience. You’ll need a day to recuperate from watching this movie. The aftereffects of war are presented as dark, through the story of a mother writing a letter to her two children informing them of their half brother right before she dies. The story then takes off when the children begin pursuit of her past.
The struggles a woman had to go through during war, the effort it took to reach a place high enough for her to do something as simple as protest— the culmination of all of it will have us wondering whether this life is even worth living.
5. Prisoners, 2013
Prisoners is Villeneuve’s most celebrated movie, and ironically the least politically presented. The highlight of this movie is the actors’ performances. Taking the emotional and mental state of the characters, and giving it a David Fincher treatment made it exceptional. The movie was a big deal when it was released, dealing with the concept of being a prisoner of one’s own mind. Thinking back on it now, the most hard hitting part of the movie wasn’t the theme, it was the performances.
6. Blade Runner 2049, 2017
A sci-fi movie dealing with robots being acclimated into human society, Blade Runner 2049 surprises us with the angle it chose to take when addressing this story. The movie is politically charged, but only in the background. Front and center is the Other, the robot, or what in this movie is referred to as ‘Replicants’. We’ve seen movies of this genre before— Will Smith’s I, Robot is a good example. But the lens Blade Runner 2049 chooses to adopt isn’t that of explaining the nuances of this futuristic dystopia, but instead to focus on the loneliness of it. Added to that the visual brilliance of the film, the slow but seething pace at which it moves, and one of the most phenomenal endings we’ve seen in a while, this movie is a staple Villeneuve.
7. Dune, 2021
We know Dune’s not out yet, but out of the 10 movies Villeneuve has made, Dune will definitely be in the top 7. We predict it’ll take the first place, but let’s not get carried away just yet.
After watching Villeneuve’s movies, one thing becomes brazenly apparent— he is a man of statement. With Dune, colonization will probably be the subject he deals with, and we’re sure he’ll present it brilliantly. All of his movies are visually extraordinary; even while showing the most gross subject matter, the visual will still be painstakingly beautiful. In Prisoner, Enemy; even his low budget films are a testament to his skill of making the visuals move. The way he makes use of night, of light— these are all things to look forward to in Dune.
Another reason to look forward to Dune is Hans Zimmer. An acclaimed music composer that never missed the chance to work with Christopher Nolan passed up on working for Tenet to work on Dune instead, which means exciting things are coming.
And finally, the star-studded cast of Dune. Every person in that movie has been commended for their acting prior to this, and it will predictably be a sight to behold.
October 22nd just can’t get here fast enough.
A great article. Well put.
Yeah I agree with this article...