Episode 115: The Card Counter (2021)

I revisit Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter, a film I’d only seen once before but remembered really liking. This time around, I found myself thinking much more about William Tell, his need for control, the guilt he carries and whether you can really build a normal life without dealing with your past. Oscar Isaac is fantastic in a very controlled performance, and I loved the atmosphere, the music and the recurring imagery of the white sheets. It’s not really a film about poker. It’s a film about guilt, trauma, responsibility and redemption.