by Afra Nariman

Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (2022)

Director: Ana Lily Amirpour

Stars: Jeon Jong-seo, Kate Hudson, Ed Skrein, Evan Whitten, Craig Robinson

REVIEW:

“The world’s burning, she’s burning; but she’s dancing.”

Wanted to love this, as I really loved A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, but was unfortunately a bit underwhelmed. Mona Lisa & the Blood Moon has its fun stretches, some commendable aspects in style, and even features a few heartwarming moments; but it just didn’t all click together for me the way I had hoped. 

Effectively captures the mood of a nocturnal odyssey, though perhaps does not maintain its intended mood in such an absorbing way as Amirpour’s prior masterpiece of mood and atmosphere, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. Additionally, each scene in A Girl Walks, is crafted with such urgent attention to detail and each scene feels necessary; while here, some select scenes feel simply like images used to fill space and to actively act upon the story to create the film’s excess energy and its mood. In A Girl Walks, mood and story felt intertwined and completely in sync, but in Mona Lisa, it feels like more of a cause/effect relationship between these cinematic elements — which is still executed effectively most of the time, but the film just doesn’t offer much more than what we are given on the surface, making for a less lasting experience.

MY RATING /5:

View this Review on Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/3nTpcn

Like and Follow on Letterboxd to see my other reviews, and for new ones regularly.