Moscow Hotel is Sick of Your Tears
January. 01,2024Drawing on influences from Abbasid astronomer Thābit Ibn Qurra in "On Talismans" and French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s theory of embodiment and the hand, the film brings together a cast of media personalities to shed light on voices from the subaltern [the internet], following a fictional palm reading session taking place in Dubai’s rococo vintage hotels of the Deira district [old town]. Hotels in the region are associated with the privilege of anonymity. Patrons often take solace in occupying this neutral space to perform illicit or secretive conduct: from romantic rendezvous to transactions often too esoteric to be recognized within the structures of commerce today. Characters in the film include TikTok fortune-tellers, female islamic scholars and current US presidential candidate Marriane Williamson -- Williamson's interest in wellness has landed her in unpredictable cyber spaces, where she gained popularity amongst a new generation of e-girls and podcast dwellers.
Reviews
Truly Dreadful Film
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.