“i think that he should’ve been loved.”
super atmospheric, super crushing, very lonely coming of age type horror/drama. this feels like something a24 could’ve produced if it had a bit more polish and structure. i liked this movie, in general, but i feel like the horror aspects were pretty weak. it works better as a moody elevated horror, and as a murder mystery drama, than it does as a supernatural horror. i feel like the scenes with frances were largely unnecessary, and could’ve been omitted with no real damage to the story. that time would’ve been better spent exploring the relationship between jamie and adam, because the relationship develops inorganically. it’s a weird juxtaposition to adam’s relationship with gracie, which DOES develop on a pretty clean and concise way. i can appreciate what the movie wants to do in regards to bullying and teen suicide, and it handles it in a generally favorable way, but i still feel like there was so much meat left on the bone. i also feel like actresses liv tyler and judy greer were misused in the movie and, though great actresses in their own right, fell flat and were mainly used as fluff. i understand that their relationship is supposed to highlight the power of healing and forgiveness but it just doesn’t work too well because adam isn’t seeking forgiveness from jamie. cameron monaghan is pretty good in this, as he usually is, but i was more impressed by morgan saylor. her character, although a bit mpdg at times, serves as an excellent anchor for adam and kept me engaged throughout the film. i wish the movie gave us more reasons to care about adam or explored why he feels so connected to jamie, as well as more exploration of his familial relations, but overall i thought this was a fine movie and would recommend it to most people.
“i think that he should’ve been loved.”
super atmospheric, super crushing, very lonely coming of age type horror/drama. this feels like something a24 could’ve produced if it had a bit more polish and structure. i liked this movie, in general, but i feel like the horror aspects were pretty weak. it works better as a moody elevated horror, and as a murder mystery drama, than it does as a supernatural horror. i feel like the scenes with frances were largely unnecessary, and could’ve been omitted with no real damage to the story. that time would’ve been better spent exploring the relationship between jamie and adam, because the relationship develops inorganically. it’s a weird juxtaposition to adam’s relationship with gracie, which DOES develop on a pretty clean and concise way. i can appreciate what the movie wants to do in regards to bullying and teen suicide, and it handles it in a generally favorable way, but i still feel like there was so much meat left on the bone. i also feel like actresses liv tyler and judy greer were misused in the movie and, though great actresses in their own right, fell flat and were mainly used as fluff. i understand that their relationship is supposed to highlight the power of healing and forgiveness but it just doesn’t work too well because adam isn’t seeking forgiveness from jamie. cameron monaghan is pretty good in this, as he usually is, but i was more impressed by morgan saylor. her character, although a bit mpdg at times, serves as an excellent anchor for adam and kept me engaged throughout the film. i wish the movie gave us more reasons to care about adam or explored why he feels so connected to jamie, as well as more exploration of his familial relations, but overall i thought this was a fine movie and would recommend it to most people.
