Still an amazing film

Rating: 10/10 (18 March 2020)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, and often mentioned as THE greatest ever, so expectations are undoubtedly high before watching a movie like this. It's been 80 years since this movie came out and it is still gripping, relevant and awesome. Leaving behind the countless ways this movie innovated and inspired countless other filmmakers to come after it, Orson Welles' masterpiece works as a drama, a movie filled with suspense and simply as a brilliantly told story about a very powerful man's life. I believe the last scene in the movie puts everything together nicely, when the newspaper guy says something along the lines of "I don't believe one word can define a man's life. Charles Foster Kane was a man who got everything he ever wanted in life and then lost it. Rosebud was something he couldn't get." I think this refers to how every single decision we make in our lives is important, and ends up tilting things towards the better or worse. Even though Charles Foster Kane found material success, his relationships suffered and therefore his own soul suffered, too. Rosebud is the representation of something pure that he can never get back: his childhood.
The way the story is told is very smart, as well. Showing us the story of Charles Foster Kane through the perspective of the people who knew him, people who loved and hated him (often both) and also of some who only kind of knew him. This allows us to realize that his life was very complicated and there no is real answer to whether he was a "good" man or a "bad" man. But it just shows that he was a very interesting character and his life was definitely worth paying attention to.
Citizen Kane is without a doubt one of the greatest films ever made. Is it the greatest? Well, I don't think anyone can answer that to any reasonable degree. It's certainly "up there". Like any other piece of art, the film is timeless and in 2020, upon third viewing, continues to impact me in how good it actually is as an extremely well told story. Great dialogue, first time acting for many and Welles' first feature film as a director. Awesome direction, cinematography and feels relevant to this day.