Film
Shangri-La
- Star-crossed romance
- Magical realism
- Slow-burning
A ten-minute reverie set during the Depression, where a Filipino farmhand and her white lover use a confessional as a stage for intimate roleplay and fantasy. Director Isabel Sandoval transforms constraint into ecstasy, collapsing past and present as the woman multiplies into alternate selves who can love without prohibition. Sensuous, formally inventive, and achingly tender.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you are drawn to short, dreamy films where a single room carries a whole emotional argument, and you don't mind being left to fill in the gaps yourself.
Skip it if you need a story with plot and clear stakes; at ten minutes it is more sensation than narrative, and its dreaminess may feel slight.
What it asks of you: Ten minutes, mostly one confessional room and a single long voice, moving at the unhurried pace of a reverie; the mood shifts arrive slowly and quietly.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Carol2015
A forbidden love story between two women in 1950s America, shot with painterly precision and genuine erotic charge. It finds beauty and defiance in stolen moments and sidelong glances.
But Glacially paced in places, and the period setting means the world actively conspires against the couple—which is the point, but can be exhausting to watch.
Moonlight2016
Three acts across a life shaped by race, sexuality, and intimacy. Visually stunning, emotionally devastating, and structured as poetry rather than plot. Each section rewrites what came before.
But Deliberately oblique; it withholds explanation and easy catharsis. Some find it too quiet or too slow to pay off emotionally.
The Handmaiden2016
A labyrinthine con between two women in 1930s Korea that folds desire, betrayal, and tenderness into a sensual puzzle. Visually baroque and erotic without ever feeling cheap.
But Complex narrative structure means you're constantly reorienting. The sexual content is explicit and integral, not for everyone's taste.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Shangri-La
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Mulholland Drive2001
Both use formal fragmentation and female multiplicity to explore forbidden or impossible love; both prioritize fever-dream atmosphere over narrative clarity.
Lynch's nightmarish Los Angeles unfolds as a woman's fractured fantasy of herself as a star. Like Shangri-La, it uses doubling and alternate identities to explore desire, loss, and the stories we tell ourselves. Visually intoxicating and structurally daring.
But Deliberately plotless and circular; if you watch it seeking answers or linear sense, you'll feel punished. Some consider it indulgent rather than profound.
More like this (8)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire2019
A painter and her subject fall in love while painting a wedding portrait. Shot like a dream; the film moves at the pace of longing and observation rather than plot mechanics.
But Extremely slow, almost entirely dialogue-free in places. If you need conventional narrative momentum, you'll find it frustratingly static.
Passing2021
Two childhood friends navigate race, identity, and desire in 1920s Harlem. Shot in black-and-white, formally precise, with tremendous emotional weight beneath its restrained surface.
But The restraint can feel cold; ambiguity about the characters' feelings might leave you wanting clearer emotional landmarks.
First Reformed2018
Ethan Hawke as a tortured minister grappling with faith, environmentalism, and connection. Visually austere and morally complex, it doesn't offer easy answers or comfort.
But Deeply bleak and unresolved. The spiritual crisis at its center never resolves, which some find liberating and others find punishing.
Paris, Texas1984
A man returns from self-imposed exile to reckon with love, loss, and the impossibility of return. Wim Wenders' masterpiece is about longing more than plot, scored by Ry Cooder's aching guitar.
But Plotwise, almost nothing happens. Long, meditative sequences and sparse dialogue mean it requires patient attention.
Certain Women2016
Three interlocking stories of women in rural Montana seeking connection across class and circumstance. Understated, funny, and achingly human—Reichardt's most generous film.
But Narratively loose and deliberately anti-climactic. If you need clear story arcs and resolution, this will feel incomplete.
The Fits2016
A young girl finds community and identity in a competitive dance program. Visually inventive, spare, and genuinely mysterious—it captures adolescent hunger with unusual grace.
But Oblique and dreamlike; the mystery at its center is never explained, which some find fascinating and others find frustrating.
Chungking Express1994
Both are hyperstylized love stories that prioritize internal emotional states and fantasy over external plot; both use visual language to convey yearning that dialogue cannot.
Wong Kar-wai's neon-soaked Hong Kong romance moves at the speed of daydream and glances. Two parallel stories of connection and near-misses, shot with such visual rapture that plot becomes secondary to mood and feeling.
But Style overwhelms substance for many viewers—if you need character depth or plot coherence, the aesthetic beauty might feel hollow.
A Gentle Creature2017
Both use confessional modes and limited spaces to compress enormous emotional intensity; both transform powerlessness into a kind of austere grace.
A Russian woman's quiet resistance unfolds through glances, silences, and small acts of refusal. Structured as confession and testimony, it uses constraint and formal precision to build devastating emotional pressure. Like Shangri-La, it transforms restriction into a form of power.
But Glacially slow and emotionally punishing; long takes and sparse dialogue mean patience is not optional. Its bleakness offers no comfort.
People
Cast
Directing
- Isabel SandovalDirector
Writing
- Isabel SandovalWriter
Production
- Serene BynumCo-Producer
- Kevin HindsExecutive Producer
- Max BrunExecutive Producer
- Julien LemaitreProducer
- Robert K. RockProducer
- Tani CohenProducer