The Staircase
Films I love
This page is for listing (in a random order) films I love because I keep forgetting them whenever people ask me about them.
Maybe this will make you discover new films to watch, too ♡
Under construction ♡
Sedmikrásky
(Daisies)
1966
by Věra Chytilová
Two girls named Marie having fun and doing pranks.
Two girls, using the infantilization of women by men to get what they want (mostly free foods), and who are unapologetically free. I love them, I love their chaotic life and I love the equally chaotic montage that this film is.
Content Warnings* :
Suicide attempt, War images, Lots of food eating
Valerie a týden divů
(Valerie and Her Week of Wonders)
1970
by Jaromil Jireš
Valerie live with her grand-mother and a pair of hearrings as sole memory of her mother. Her life turns more and more dreamlike as both a company of actors and a group of missionaries come to town, leading her to encounter a devious priest, vampires and the mysteries of the past.
This film is an adaptation of a surrealist book of the same name and, as such, can be a bit confusing at time, just like a dream ! Lots of characters Valerie meets claim various identities making it hard to know for sure if they are who they say they are. I love that confusing state and the movie in itself has a very soft, hazy aesthetic that really fits that dreamlike feel.
Content Warnings* :
Sexual assault attempt, Pedophilia, Incest, Suicide, Animal death
Picnic at Hanging Rock
1975
by Peter Weir
Australia, 1900, the teenage girls of a private school goes on a picnic at Hanging Rock to celebrate Valentine's day. As everyone slowly fall asleep under the heat, four of the girls go exploring the rock. Only one of them comes back, the three others having disappeared along with one of the teachers.
I've been obsessed for years with the girls' white dresses and that alone makes me love this movie immensely. Add to that the unexplained mystery, the private girl school, the lesbian school crush, the warm summer that makes everything feels like a dream... Oh I love it !
Content Warnings* :
Suicide
The Love Witch
2016
by Anna Biller
Elaine, a young and beautiful witch, is starting a new life in a new town after the (dubious) death of her husband. There, she uses magic to have men fall in love with her with disastrous results.
The aesthetic of this film is drop dead gorgeous with its whole 70's esoteric style. It's an interesting discussion on women's body authonomy and sexuality as well as the independance from men. I originally watched it for the magic and witch theme and stayed for the moral disaster that is Elaine.
Content Warnings* :
Suicide, Murder, Sexual themes, Partial nudity
Peau d'Âne
(Donkey Skin)
1970
by Jacques Demy
The king wants to marry his daughter. To avoid that, the princess asks of him increasingly difficult tasks culminating with the skin of his magical donkey who poops jewels. When that doesn't work, she runs away, hidden under the donkey's skin.
It is a French musical and one of my favorite movies as a child. There is a whole song about how father-daughter marriage shouldn't be a thing and it's an absolute bop. It's a fairytale, the costumes are beautiful, it ends well... The nostalgia may be speaking for me here but it is a really good comfort movie.
Content Warnings* :
Incest mention (it is a kid movie so everything should be pretty tame)
Shimotsuma monogatari
(Kamikaze Girls)
2004
by Tetsuya Nakashima
Momoko is a lolita living in a small town in the Japanese countryside. She has no friend, a fact that does not bother her as she only needs lolita clothings to be happy. While trying to sale her father's old bootleg clothes for more lolita money, she mets Ichigo, a member of an all-girl biker gang and slowly becomes friend with her.
A true classic in the lolita fashion community and the clothes aren't the only reason for its success. The story is very charming and quite funny at time. Momoko's style is a huge inspiration to anyone who likes early 2000's lolita fashion, including me ! Unfortunately, I don't have any of her clothes in my size save for her heart bag but I do have two of the doll size sets that were produced by Volks and Baby the Stars Shine Bright for the premiere of this movie.
Content Warnings* :
A little bit of violence and blood, Gambling
*I try to write content warnings about each film but my memory isn't the most reliable nor am I the most sensitive about a lot of common upsetting situations. If a type of content is liable to really upset you and you wish to watch one of those films, I'd suggest to check a website like does the dog die to see if said content appears in it. You can also ask me for precisions (is it graphic etc). Stay safe ♡