In celebration of the 400th issue of Concrete, this article looks back at Venue’s past by reimagining an article from 2015. Inspired by Adam White’s curation of six ‘beautiful and provocative’ film posters, I have chosen the same number from movies released from 2015 onwards. Unfortunately, because of copyright laws, you’ll have to search for the posters online if you’re not familiar. 

Suzume (2022, dir. Makoto Shinkai) 

Produced by the same studio that made Your Name, Suzume is a feel-good coming-of-age fantasy film. The art of the film itself is beautifully detailed and the magic of the movie is captured by the sense of movement and breath-taking sky in the poster. Signature to Shinkai’s films is his use of both hyper-realistic and traditional animation, utilising both 2D and 3D artwork, as can be seen in the poster with the difference between the art style of the landscape and the foreground.  

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022, dir. Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert) 

Everything Everywhere All at Once is a sci-fi black comedy film unlike any other and this internatinal advance poster, created by James Jean, succeeds in representing this. Jean’s use of colour, movement, and composition results in an almost hypnotic kaleidoscope-like effect that entrances the viewer. The slight use of abstraction in Jean’s painting technique adds to this dream-like quality. Additionally, the inclusion of tiny references to minute aspects of the film captures the chaos and high detail of the movie.  

Emma (2020, dir. Autumn de Wilde) 

Photographer Autumn de Wilde made her directorial debut with Emma. The movie poster showcases Wilde’s skills as a photographer and her use of colours, textures, and lighting. The mustard yellow text colour for the title of the film enhances the matching shade of Emma’s dress and its contrast with the misty background of the English countryside, presenting Emma’s independence and exceptionality.  

Poor Things (2023, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos) 

One of the many unique designs for Poor Things, the poster  variant with Bella wearing a pink dress immediately suggests the Baroque style with its use of light and dark, contrasting the character of Bella Baxter with the backdrop, as well as the ornate details of her clothing and the sense of awe evoked by Bella’s upwards gaze and the dramatic grandeur of the painting behind her. Meanwhile, the editing of Bella’s body references the surrealism of the film.  

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019, dir. Céline Sciamma) 

The poster for Portrait of a Lady on Fire evokes a painting style called ‘tenebrism,’ which features extremes between light and dark, often with a sense of drama or violence imbued in its sparse use of light. In this painting style, as in the poster, the use of light often focuses on illuminating the face or hands of the subject matter, creating a distinctly striking effect. This technique, along with the melancholy expression of Héloïse looking directly at the viewer creates a sense of high drama and emotion. 

Asteroid City (2023, dir. Wes Anderson) 

The main poster for Asteroid City captures the unmistakable directorial style of Wes Anderson with its bright pastel colour grading and symmetrical framing whilst simultaneously hinting at the meta aspects of the film; the choice to pose all of the cast staring at the camera distinctly and poignantly breaks the fourth wall in harmony with the movie’s themes of loneliness, sense of self, and performance. 

Image: Unsplash