7/10
I really have no idea what to make of this one. I enjoyed it a lot while watching it, and the ending caught me completely off-guard as I suspect it did to most everyone who watched it. I find myself impressed by its brazenness despite being frustrated with it. I unashamedly looked up the movie on Wikipedia right after it ended to see just what the hell happened and I'm not really a whole lot clearer (and I'm not sure I like the explanation) but I remain intrigued.
Jake Gyllenhaal gives a really good performance in the dual role. Despite the identical appearance of both characters the mannerisms, body language and speech Gyllenhaal uses for each really sets them apart. I really liked the mood of the film too - the score is suitably creepy and paranoid and the way the whole movie is awash in this sickly, pallid yellow does a lot for the atmosphere.
As for That Ending, well...I really like movies that pull the bait-and-switch, when you think it's about one thing but it's really about another. I can understand people feeling frustrated or cheated but I like having my expectations subverted. I don't know how much I loved Denis Villeneuve's subversion in this instance but I certainly admire it. Roger Moore, in a less-than-favorable review, says the movie is "essentially a frustrating puzzle without a solution". Which may be true, there may be no solution in the end (or no satisfying one). But the solving process, however futile, is fun and engrossing. The movie is short enough to not overstay its welcome and makes appealing the idea of revisiting it to see if things make more sense on a second go-around. I might do that sooner rather than later. For now this will be a hard one to forget.
No comments:
Post a Comment