“Saint Maud”
Rose Glass’ sensual and psychological horror “Saint Maud” relishes physical sensations, mapping the ways our body manifests fear and pleasure equally. It’s why the poster, with its simplicity, captures the mood perfectly: Morfydd Clark, as the title character, is recoiling in ecstasy, hands over her eyes to navigate the overwhelming feelings. Her hair is ablaze, the warm orange hues also nodding to the intense pressure of this film. But it’s never gory or excessive; there is always beauty in all the horror. It’s powerful and precise: a vision sure to stick with you for a long while to come.
“Da 5 Bloods”
The poster for Spike Lee’s galvanizing Vietnam War drama “Da 5 Bloods” is just as colorful and cacophonous as the film itself. Splashes of paint evoke danger and adrenaline, while the painting of the four war veterans returning to Nam in search of their fifth Blood (Chadwick Boseman, whose performance feels even more poignant now) stands tall in the profile of their fallen war buddy’s helmet. A scene of modern protest fills part of the page, too – it’s an explosive look at the inside of Lee’s mind. Always a searing place to be.
“Possessor”
Brandon Cronenberg is making sure we remember his name. No longer just the son of horror master David Cronenberg, his new film invites the viewer in with a hazy orange cloud of smoke, as a version of Andrea Riseborough with a face, well, unlike the one we know, sags and falls to the bottom of the frame. The key in the simple poster here is the tagline: No Body is Safe. That one space between the first two words makes a world of difference. Things aren’t quite as they should be – two letters in the title are written in reverse, the yellow seems sickly more than sunny. This will not be one for the faint-hearted – something the poster is warning you about from the off. Get ready to be swallowed alive.
“Tigertail”
The alternative poster design for Alan Yang’s delicate homecoming portrait “Tigertail” leans into the film’s hazy glow, its sense of intimacy that is earned, and so craved. The film tells the story of a man’s life between Taiwan and New York, grappling with an identity between cultures and a major ambition to live the American Dream. But the poster focuses on the film’s more romantic side: the hands of one lover lazily drop onto the back of another, as we see but a fragment of an embrace. Are they dancing? Is this a reunion? A goodbye? The context is unclear, but the feeling is potent: what matters the most is the people who make you feel like home, as well as the places.
“Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets”
The Ross brothers’ beguiling docu-fiction hybrid film feels like home from the second you walk in, as a number of loyal customers in Las Vegas reckon with the closing of their beloved dive bar, the Roaring 20’s. The poster, a wonderfully intricate monochrome design drawn by Turner Ross himself, brings to life these talking heads with vivid detail. Leanne Wagner’s title design shines bright in a butter yellow, as the whole world comes to life perfectly. It feels like there’s a cartoon spin-off in the making here (and everyone in the film certainly has enough personality for it), and enough wit, confidence, and imagination to keep the cult of the Roaring 20’s alive.
Technically, they’re not 2020 films and just re-releases, but let’s also shout out to Tony Stella‘s lovely posters made for Wong Kar-Wai’s touring 4K retrospective and his classic film, “In The Mood For Love.”