“i love you, you love me. we’re trying to figure this out.”
bounced back and forth between giving this a 4 and 4.5 but i think the flat ending and the slowness in the middle decided it’s fate for me. i did enjoy it though! have been wanting to watch this for awhile and was not disappointed with my decision to spend my time with this film.
clayne crawford is really good here as david, a father trying desperately to keep his family together. the opening to the film is really really strong, as it puts you in this headspace of his where he feels desperate enough to do something he would almost certainly regret. every moment we get with david, you feel his anguish, his inability to answer questions about his situation. it’s easy to sympathize with him but at the same time feel frustrated at his inaction in all of this.
sepideh moafi is also good at playing nikki, the tired wife. nikki feels like a character that’s checked out of her marriage, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have love for david. as a mother of four who also is working, and who has been in this relationship since high school with david, i feel like it’s a missed opportunity that we don’t get to spend at least some time with her to see her perspective. all we see is david’s feelings of despair but we aren’t privy to what caused all the cracks in their relationship. in this way, i think it’s excellent as it doesn’t let you really pick a side because you’re lacking some information.
chris coy isn’t in the movie a lot as derek but the moments we do get with him are enough for me to not like him. derek presents himself as a nice, understanding guy but i do think he’s been waiting for this moment and he’s just an asshole. even the first scene we get to meet him in, he’s a dick. that might be because that’s how we, as viewers empathetic to david, are made to see him, but even in the moment when he shows up to the house he feels too comfortable inserting himself into a role that isn’t his.
really interesting sound design. i liked the ominous tones but also enjoyed all the clicking, the gun sounds that punctuate the air. the aspect ratio is also a great decision as it forces you to watch everything in this sparse, desolate landscape. very good movie, although the ending will leave you at least a little unsatisfied.
“i love you, you love me. we’re trying to figure this out.”
bounced back and forth between giving this a 4 and 4.5 but i think the flat ending and the slowness in the middle decided it’s fate for me. i did enjoy it though! have been wanting to watch this for awhile and was not disappointed with my decision to spend my time with this film.
clayne crawford is really good here as david, a father trying desperately to keep his family together. the opening to the film is really really strong, as it puts you in this headspace of his where he feels desperate enough to do something he would almost certainly regret. every moment we get with david, you feel his anguish, his inability to answer questions about his situation. it’s easy to sympathize with him but at the same time feel frustrated at his inaction in all of this.
sepideh moafi is also good at playing nikki, the tired wife. nikki feels like a character that’s checked out of her marriage, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have love for david. as a mother of four who also is working, and who has been in this relationship since high school with david, i feel like it’s a missed opportunity that we don’t get to spend at least some time with her to see her perspective. all we see is david’s feelings of despair but we aren’t privy to what caused all the cracks in their relationship. in this way, i think it’s excellent as it doesn’t let you really pick a side because you’re lacking some information.
chris coy isn’t in the movie a lot as derek but the moments we do get with him are enough for me to not like him. derek presents himself as a nice, understanding guy but i do think he’s been waiting for this moment and he’s just an asshole. even the first scene we get to meet him in, he’s a dick. that might be because that’s how we, as viewers empathetic to david, are made to see him, but even in the moment when he shows up to the house he feels too comfortable inserting himself into a role that isn’t his.
really interesting sound design. i liked the ominous tones but also enjoyed all the clicking, the gun sounds that punctuate the air. the aspect ratio is also a great decision as it forces you to watch everything in this sparse, desolate landscape. very good movie, although the ending will leave you at least a little unsatisfied.
