Boxwalla is a really unique subscription box service that offers four different types of subscriptions: Food, Beauty, Books, and Film. Subscribers can subscribe to multiple boxes, or can hop around among the four boxes from shipment to shipment. Fun! I love movies! Boxwalla's website states:
'Art Cinema is Boring.' The Film Box challenges this notion by demystifying the work of the best filmmakers, by creating a context within which to view them.
Boxwalla kindly sent us this box for review purposes. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This review is of the Boxwalla Film, $49.95 every other month, box.
The Subscription Box: Boxwalla Film
The Cost: $49.95 per shipment (every two months)
The Products: Two films from The Criterion Collection plus an insert are mailed to you. Additional material is emailed to you before and after you have watched the films.
Ships to: U.S. for free, Canada for $11.95, Internationally for $18.95
Check out all our Boxwalla reviews and the Artisan Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
Boxwalla's packaging is beautiful! The box is really high quality and very sturdy. It could easily be used for storage or gifts. This letter was included with information about the films that I was sent. This month's theme is "Sculpting in Time." Honestly, I never read it before I watch the movies because I hate any kind of spoiler! I always read it afterwards, though, and it is always helpful. I received a post-film discussion, as promised, which I also read after watching the films. It, too, was very helpful. I have to mention here, that Boxwalla sends their film box at the very end of the month, and the post-film discussion follows 3-4 weeks later.
Film #1: Persona - Value $31.96
This is the first time I have ever seen an Ingmar Bergman film, so it was an exciting experience for me. This film is the very definition of a psychological thriller! It's about a woman who does not speak and a nurse sent to care for her. At some point in the film I realized, wow, there has really only been one woman talking almost the entire film! It is very deep and sometimes confusing, but at its core does a very good job questioning the concept of identity.
This booklet was included with the film. It is full of wonderful supplemental material all about Persona and Ingmar Bergman.
Film #2: Stalker - Value $31.96
This movie is not about a stalker as we think of the word, so that was a little disappointing to me, personally. True crime is a guilty pleasure of mine, haha! This film was so interesting. It's basically a sci-fi film with no traditional sci-fi effects. Tarkovsky (the director) does a brilliant job using nuances in sound and a sepia filter to make completely normal settings seem super creepy. This was definitely a think piece.
This email was sent to me this month in lieu of a Post-Film Discussion. It looks like Boxwalla is changing the content of their PFD's going forward. I guess we will stay tuned to see how it works out!
Both movies are part of The Criterion Collection, which is an organization that works to preserve and restore classic and modern films that are considered important. The films are published in editions that offer the highest technical quality as well as fantastic supplemental material.
As it mentions in the email, Boxwalla Film has a discussion group on Facebook! Subscribers can now meet up online to chat about the movies!
Verdict: This was another awesome box from Boxwalla Film! The quality of the films they send is just excellent. The movies this month were both really challenging but equally rewarding. This month's value is outstanding as well at $64 for a $50 box. The value has risen in recent months and seems to now be consistently higher than the cost of the subscription. More importantly, however, I think Boxwalla Film is a great way to feed your brain if you enjoy independent cinema!
What do you think of Boxwalla Film box? Which film is your favorite?
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