While I understand it’s importance in film history and the merits of its production and experimentation, I didn’t connect with it at all unfortunately. It’s shot well and the bits that explore the life and struggles of the fishing village were interesting enough. But I felt the scenes with the couple were painful to get through. Filled with sauceless acting and mediocre, overexplained dialogue. At least it had the decency to run under 90 minutes.
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This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
A wild, perverse whirlwind. An abyss of near infinite shades, all of them as black as the deepest trenches the human soul is capable of reaching. It feels like an intrusion into something we were never meant to see, confusing, stunning, and frightening. It also functions like a Rorschach test of evil, shaping itself around whatever darkness the viewer brings to it. Zulawski doesn’t just tell a story (if we can even call it that); he translates raw, unbearable emotions…
Very, very Indieriffic in its style, structure, and dialogue, with quirky characters and its heart in the right place. Films like this usually offer a more realistic take on life, as Frances isn’t chasing some grand ambition or concrete goal to drive the plot; she’s just trying to get by. She drifts from place to place, meets new people, makes impulsive decisions, fucks up, and pays for it before moving forward. She’s very likable and human, and her relaxed and…
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
I can’t remember where I heard or read it, but it was something along the lines of Isao Takahata saying that Grave of the Fireflies wasn’t anti-war, but rather anti-stupidity. Whether it’s true or not, I think the sentiment tracks. In tragedies like this, it’s easy to get sucked into the story, to grow attached to the characters, to desperately root for them to survive and find happiness in the end. But Takahata subverts all that and tells us from…
