One of the best things about Netflix, besides the incredible potential for binge watching its extensive library of TV serials, is the opportunity to unearth cinematic gems that might never be discovered otherwise. Whether by suggestion or while browsing its substantial yet occasionally infuriating collection of titles (wasn’t The Long Goodbye just on there last week?), the likelihood of finding a remarkable and never before heard of film is quite high. Such was the case with the Peter Glanz written and directed indie romance The Longest Week.
Clearly an aspiring disciple of Wes Anderson, the artistic Glanz is somehow able to employ a similar stylistic motif and make it just a bit less theatrical. Like the masterful Anderson, Glanz controls his mise en scene with the same iron fist as Hitchcock, but his palette is more subdued and, perhaps, authentic. The photography in The Longest Week harkens back to American New Wave films of the 70s, and the voluminous lashes of Olivia Wilde’s Beatrice carry an emotional weight rarely felt outside of an Audrey Hepburn performance.
If only for its numerous cocktail references, for a microshiner, this film is a must see. Add to that Bateman’s endearing if ignominious Conrad, a vision of New York few can imagine, and enough objet d’art to fill an entire Tumblr, and you have what could easily be the most under-appreciated bit of American cinema in recent history.
Of course, Roger Ebert has a different opinion, so we recommend you mix up a stiff Tom Collins and decide for yourself.
TOM COLLINS
2 ounces Whyte Laydie Gin
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
1/2 ounce lemon juice
club soda
Combine the ingredients in a Collins glass 3/4 full of cracked ice. Stir briefly, top with club soda or seltzer, garnish with lemon circle, and serve with stirring rod.