This really didn’t hit for me, idk.. I understand they’re not actors and it’s all about the music, which helps a bit but I was bored more often than not. 3 stars for the songs because Glen Hansard really is very talented. It also helped to know the behind the scenes of the film crew being sneaky with filming in Dublin without permits.
I did learn that it was adapted as a stage production and honestly, I feel like I would love it much more if I saw it in that capacity.
I’m pretty sure I could act out this entire movie in my sleep and yet it’s still taken me a million+ viewings to clock the joke of Emmett wondering what he’d look like blonde and Elle responding he couldn’t pull it off.
I’ve lost count with how many times I’ve seen this movie but it’s been about 10 years and it felt like wrapping up in a favorite blanket.
It would be so easy to approach this with cynicism, especially as it was made in the height of the indie movie renaissance, but it feels so much better to choose sincerity. It asks you to believe in the innate kindness of people, which seems almost impossible with the state of the US…
I’ve devoured every review and hot take on this movie and I’ve found that I don’t really care about any criticism about Eggers, valid or not. I’m always going to love him and his beautiful, atmospheric films and you can pry them from my cold, dead Count Orlok hands. Cast was top notch and Willem Dafoe screaming “Redemption!” into a fiery void was just icing on a delicious cake.
