I could write a short novel with all my thoughts on this one. And that's partly one of my chief critiques of this guys movies, in particular this one... he doesn't half throw a LOT of themes in there for you to think about about. There's a lot to chew on almost to the detriment of the narrative... whether it be the social mores of modern Sweden, the bystander effect, art and the perception of art, class systems and all their inherent ironies, pretensions and contradictions... its so much! And in the end its hard not to feel like we've not come to any understand by the end, we've not reached any resolutions or even potential resolutions. Themes rise into focus and next thing you know they're gone, we're onto the next theme.
The films high point is a clear example of this. It's a stunning and riveting sequence that really isn't only tangentially set up and at its conclusion its immediately forgotten about and no consequences are ever felt or alluded to at all, which is kind of a hollow feeling to have after being so invested right throughout.
That said, I was thoroughly invested throughout and utterly captivated.
I could write a short novel with all my thoughts on this one. And that's partly one of my chief critiques of this guys movies, in particular this one... he doesn't half throw a LOT of themes in there for you to think about about. There's a lot to chew on almost to the detriment of the narrative... whether it be the social mores of modern Sweden, the bystander effect, art and the perception of art, class systems and all their inherent ironies, pretensions and contradictions... its so much! And in the end its hard not to feel like we've not come to any understand by the end, we've not reached any resolutions or even potential resolutions. Themes rise into focus and next thing you know they're gone, we're onto the next theme.
The films high point is a clear example of this. It's a stunning and riveting sequence that really isn't only tangentially set up and at its conclusion its immediately forgotten about and no consequences are ever felt or alluded to at all, which is kind of a hollow feeling to have after being so invested right throughout.
That said, I was thoroughly invested throughout and utterly captivated.
