Six Degrees of Separation

I liked Six Degrees of Separation (SDS). It is out of my normal range of movies, but that makes it even more delightful. I tend to stick to weird, out-of-the-norm films and documentaries (documentaries are my favorites). SDS was enjoyable for me because one could tell without formal film training that it is a classic. It employs much diegesis by having the characters recount their "anecdotes." It is also self-referential. This is obvious when Flan refers to "color" and "structure" when looking at a painting. Rich color saturates every frame. Much of the movie occurs in lavish settings, which adds even more depth and richness. Self-reference comes in again at the end of the movie when Ouisa shares an outburst with the dinner party. She talks about how life should not be "distilled into anecdotes." The structure is complicated, but it is there. SDS is also nonlinear. It flip-flops between the past and the present with ease and coherence while seamlessly melding story and plot. All of this will contribute to SDS being discussed by film classes fifty years from now.