Writer’s revenge and monster verses

Teevee

Laureen Rossouw's recommendation of the week:

Movie: Nocturnal Animals
Platform: Netflix
Director and writer: Tom Ford
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon

When I see names like Tom Ford (A Single Man), Amy Adams or Jake Gyllenhaal, I look no further. That's how I got to a movie this week that was made in 2016, and I'm sure I'd seen it before. But I didn't regret one moment, and luckily I couldn't remember any detail.

It's interesting how many times one cannot remember who committed the murder in a book or a movie. My mother could read Agatha Christie books over and over without remembering the storyline.

Susan (Adams), a successful gallery owner, receives the manuscript of a novel from her ex-husband, Edward (Gyllenhaal). The captivating storyline touches on a story within a story and takes Susan and the viewer on a suspenseful journey as she has to confront her weaknesses and the similarities between her current life and her previous marriage.

She interprets it as a revenge story.

The movie is suspenseful, full of symbolism, and explores themes such as remorse, guilt and closure. The artistic hand of the fashion designer Ford is visible throughout and the brilliant performances by two of Hollywood's best actors make this movie a must watch for anyone with a strong nervous system.

High-Fivers

Award-winning poet Pieter Odendaal shares his top five poetry collections

#1 Monsterverse — Wilma Stockenström
#2 grond/Santekraam — Ronelda S Kamfer
#3 Time Is a mother — Ocean Vuong
#4 Die beginsel van stof — Breyten Breytenbach
#5 Everything is a Deathly Flower — Maneo Mohale

Tiaan Nagel's five best South African art galleries:

#1 The Stevenson team is fun to work with and to soundboard art with in Cape Town or Johannesburg (and Amsterdam).
#2 Whatiftheworld always chooses interesting places for its galleries. It has such an anti-establishment air that I find refreshing.
#3 Heinrich Groenewald and Shona van der Merwe of Reservoir Projects in Cape Town have a good eye.
#4 It doesn't happen every day, but I like it when the Johannesburg Art Gallery, JAG, puts up a show. The previous one about Dada Khanyisa was brilliant.
#5 Banele Khoza's BKHZ in Rosebank. Now and then, Banele exhibits a few of his own pieces, but usually also a nice collection of other artists' work.

And his five best international galleries:

#1 Hauser & Wirth is superb! All the galleries, scattered around the world, are total must-sees.
#2 Every show of Bourse de Commerce in Paris. The combination of the art and the architecture of Tadoa Ando takes your breath away every time.
#3 David Zwirner's galleries in London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong. 
#4 White Cube in all the great art cities; Mathieu Paris does excellent work.
#5 MOMA in New York, always great, just like the Guggenheim.

♦ VWB ♦

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