(Writing this review to counter the industry’s postmodern reviewers who don’t understand it.)
For those of us who love movies, especially movies as moral mythology, the tragedy as heroism in the face of moral life, and the play as cultural religion, it’s a tense study in a horrifying parental nightmare.
I was tense the entire time. And the ending was a possibility it wasn’t a probability and it was delivered at the right moment.
Good script, better than good acting from Skarsgaard who always delivers, King who communicated in tone, expression, and body language, the puzzling unsaid. And especially Enos who is one of the top three or four women who can play this complex conflicted mother character.
Nice (slow) pacing letting the actors work rather than over-reliance too much script. Especially good use of light, flawless editing, and post-production color and quality control.
Marketing promised what was delivered. One of my favorite movies of the year. I don’t know the financials so can’t comment. The film is a remake of the German original.
For the commentariat (reviewers) addicted to novelty, it doesn’t fit the postmodern mold of novelty for novelty’s sake, civilizational self-hatred, ridicule of the heroic, and celebration of the depraved ordinary. That’s ok. The commentariat doesn’t matter to those of us who still recognize moral lesson when we see it.
Like Ebert, I rate on the premise that a movie should fulfill its purpose and promise and be well crafted. And my interest is in novel application of universal lessons not novelty without those lessons.
Great film.For those of us who love movies, especially movies as moral mythology, the tragedy as heroism in the face of moral life, and the play as cultural religion, it’s a tense study in a horrifying parental nightmare.
I was tense the entire time. And the ending was a possibility it wasn’t a probability and it was delivered at the right moment.
Good script, better than good acting from Skarsgaard who always delivers, King who communicated in tone, expression, and body language, the puzzling unsaid. And especially Enos who is one of the top three or four women who can play this complex conflicted mother character.
Nice (slow) pacing letting the actors work rather than over-reliance too much script. Especially good use of light, flawless editing, and post-production color and quality control.
Marketing promised what was delivered. One of my favorite movies of the year. I don’t know the financials so can’t comment. The film is a remake of the German original.
For the commentariat (reviewers) addicted to novelty, it doesn’t fit the postmodern mold of novelty for novelty’s sake, civilizational self-hatred, ridicule of the heroic, and celebration of the depraved ordinary. That’s ok. The commentariat doesn’t matter to those of us who still recognize moral lesson when we see it.
Like Ebert, I rate on the premise that a movie should fulfill its purpose and promise and be well crafted. And my interest is in novel application of universal lessons not novelty without those lessons.
Great film.