Hooptober 11: #33
[Criteria: 2/6 countries, Poland]

Andrzej Żuławski's debut feature, The Third Part of the Night, is a perfect example to illustrate the genius of a filmmaker arriving at the scene when he's fully matured into his style and philosophy. An oppressive narrative that is as indecipherable, tyrannical and brutal as the times it is set in. A movie full of deception, horror, timeloops and existential crisis where the atmosphere is actively trying to suffocate the audience and the characters alike in its unforgivable cruelty. For the first half hour I was scratching my head trying to make sense of what the hell was going on but once the narrative between the lines started becoming more apparent, the actual plot began to matter less and less while the thematic implications began to overwhelm until the point where I was genuinely finding it hard to breathe. When the final credits came on I was thoroughly and completely exhausted, even the previous Żuławski movies that I had seen (Possession and On the Silver Globe) did not feel this crushing. My mind is a complete mess right now but I am floored by the artistry on display.