...Blue Strait is a masterpiece near beyond compare. With what seems effortless ease, Jost reaches visual realms unparalleled in the thousands of films I have seen. The film is (from what I can tell) entirely constructed through techniques that have been used for decades, yet the way they have been perfected here is simply magnificent. The dissolves are enchanting, the use of reflected light is magical, and every cut seems perfectly situated to perpetuate the film in the viewers mind. The visual language of the film is possibly the most unique and informative of the capabilities of cinema I have encountered since perhaps even The colour of pomegranates. Just the placement of the camera alone would be enough to sustain fascination with the film, but it offers so much more than that. Blue Strait's is perfect in every element, from the cinematography with it's stunning colour palette, to the suitably restrained yet somehow virtuosic performances of its actors. The film is a most welcome peak to Jost's digital era of films, with referential flourishes made towards other films of this era, such as dialogue scenes reminiscent of Coming To Terms, and green-screen experiments reminding one of They Had It Coming. However the scope of Blue Strait's achievement goes well beyond it's immediate predecessor, which is no small feat. All in all, Jost's most recent and greatest triumph is THE greatest underappreciated gem in all cinema.
...
