The Deer Hunter

I watched this maybe 8 years ago for the first time and it was so depressing I remember it ruining my entire week. Revisiting now to ruin my night, it still holds up as one of the saddest movies I can think of. The plot is broken up into 3 major parts- Wedding/life before war, War, and Life after war/funeral. I love so many things about The Deer Hunter… I have an affinity for small towns in Pennsylvania so location is perfect, the mountain cinematography is gorgeous,  and the entire first hour that completely delves into their normal lives where they work and marry and hunt and make promises to be cashed in later is so so much sadder watching a second time. This is the part I cried at now that I know what comes next although it’s the happiest part of the film and probably one of my favorite introductions to a movie. Then War, and it’s abrupt and insanely brutal, including swimming rats, flamethrowers, and forced Russian roulette games, but for a 3 hour movie about the Vietnam War actual fighting is hardly shown. Meaningless violence, nihilism, what’s the point, you know the usual Vietnam War points are still covered don’t worry. Post war is where’s it at and it’s SAD. Christopher Walken literally looks like a corpse by the end of it, his final scene is so so good. The movie ends with a freeze frame/ song send out thing and I think it would’ve been funny if they added All Along the Watchtower but whatever.