The Trial (opens in new tab)

Orson Welles, 1962, ★★★★ A surrealist nightmare of expressionist lighting and skewed compositions made from colossal pre- and postwar European architecture, oppressive even when it’s beautiful, its sharp angles stuffed to the gills with detritus, evoking a civilization abandoned in a panic. Even the scenes with hundreds of extras feel lonely. It talks too much but my god does it look incredible. Tagged: May 2026, film diary, film, review, Orson Welles Reply via email