directed by Matt Porterfield, 2013
With exacting emotion pouring out of its bruised and faded surface, I Used to Be Darker represents director Matt Porterfield’s most mature work yet—a film that plays like a soft-spoken folk song, one in which we can’t help but identity with the internal struggle of its rough and worn subject. Though it’s more conventional in its narrative structure than his previous films, Hamilton (2006) and Putty Hill (2010)—both of which took a non-narrative approach in exploring the dynamics within their respective Baltimore communities—this third film of his still showcases the same sort of poetic grace while eloquently highlighting similar shades of pain and loss.
serene cinema 