me realizing this was a wlw movie was like justin beiber’s voice change at coachella when he sang beauty & a beat

anyway this was insane 😭

me realizing this was a wlw movie was like justin beiber’s voice change at coachella when he sang beauty & a beat

anyway this was insane 😭

What an absolute experience.

This movie is raw, obsessive, uncomfortable… everything I expected and somehow even more. It really commits to putting you inside Alex’s head, and that’s where it shines the most.

The sound design is insane. The way it uses whispers, internal voices, and subtle audio details to pull you into her mindset is just brilliant. You don’t just watch her obsession, you feel it.

Visually, I loved it too. The camera work and overall structure keep that constant pressure alive, like you’re stuck in the same loop she is, always pushing, never satisfied. It’s exhausting in the best way possible.

Isabelle Fuhrman is unreal here. Seriously, what a performance. Physically and mentally, she nails every aspect of the character. The intensity in her eyes, the small gestures, the way she carries herself… it’s just on another level.

The supporting cast does a solid job backing her up, Amy Forsyth, Kate Drummond, Jonathan Cherry, Charlotte Ubben, Eve Kanyo, they all help build the world around her without taking focus away from Alex.

The story is told so effectively. It fully captures what that kind of obsession can feel like, how consuming it is. The argument scene with Dani is one of the best moments in the film, and the ending… that final look? Yeah, that gave me chills.

It’s honestly one of the best portrayals of obsession I’ve seen. And hey, I even learned a bit about rowing along the way, so that’s a win too.

100% a must-watch. Probably one of the strongest films out there when it comes to this kind of theme.

What an absolute experience.

This movie is raw, obsessive, uncomfortable… everything I expected and somehow even more. It really commits to putting you inside Alex’s head, and that’s where it shines the most.

The sound design is insane. The way it uses whispers, internal voices, and subtle audio details to pull you into her mindset is just brilliant. You don’t just watch her obsession, you feel it.

Visually, I loved it too. The camera work and overall structure keep that constant pressure alive, like you’re stuck in the same loop she is, always pushing, never satisfied. It’s exhausting in the best way possible.

Isabelle Fuhrman is unreal here. Seriously, what a performance. Physically and mentally, she nails every aspect of the character. The intensity in her eyes, the small gestures, the way she carries herself… it’s just on another level.

The supporting cast does a solid job backing her up, Amy Forsyth, Kate Drummond, Jonathan Cherry, Charlotte Ubben, Eve Kanyo, they all help build the world around her without taking focus away from Alex.

The story is told so effectively. It fully captures what that kind of obsession can feel like, how consuming it is. The argument scene with Dani is one of the best moments in the film, and the ending… that final look? Yeah, that gave me chills.

It’s honestly one of the best portrayals of obsession I’ve seen. And hey, I even learned a bit about rowing along the way, so that’s a win too.

100% a must-watch. Probably one of the strongest films out there when it comes to this kind of theme.

cannot tell her to relax anymore she basically married to self-pressure

cannot tell her to relax anymore she basically married to self-pressure

I was slightly worried going in that it’d feel a little tooooo similar to the likes of Whiplash and Black Swan (haven’t seen Perfect Blue yet) but it’s clear right from the get go that it has its own identity as a film which is cool!

I feel like this film’s main flaw is it very much has directorial debut vibes; it’s clear that Hadaway wanted to be ambitious filmmaking wise, experimenting with things like discontinuity editing to convey Alex’s pain to varying levels of success, I admire the fact that she didn’t play it safe but occasionally it feels very mechanical, I ultimately think this film is at its best when it lets the emotion breathe through longer takes, although there are certainly moments where the faster paced editing works well.

Sadly I also think this form of editing really comes at the cost of the emotion sometimes; like especially when Alex and Dani hug we should be given the chance to feel the emotional release of the scene but instead it’s shown in 3 quick shots and that’s about it, really frustrating stuff ngl.

Anyways idk what else to say I’m terrible at writing reviews on here lmao, performances were phenomenal esp Isabelle Furhmann and this is a really good debut; Lauren Hadaway clearly has a shit ton of potential as a director!

I was slightly worried going in that it’d feel a little tooooo similar to the likes of Whiplash and Black Swan (haven’t seen Perfect Blue yet) but it’s clear right from the get go that it has its own identity as a film which is cool!

I feel like this film’s main flaw is it very much has directorial debut vibes; it’s clear that Hadaway wanted to be ambitious filmmaking wise, experimenting with things like discontinuity editing to convey Alex’s pain to varying levels of success, I admire the fact that she didn’t play it safe but occasionally it feels very mechanical, I ultimately think this film is at its best when it lets the emotion breathe through longer takes, although there are certainly moments where the faster paced editing works well.

Sadly I also think this form of editing really comes at the cost of the emotion sometimes; like especially when Alex and Dani hug we should be given the chance to feel the emotional release of the scene but instead it’s shown in 3 quick shots and that’s about it, really frustrating stuff ngl.

Anyways idk what else to say I’m terrible at writing reviews on here lmao, performances were phenomenal esp Isabelle Furhmann and this is a really good debut; Lauren Hadaway clearly has a shit ton of potential as a director!

handily dissuaded me of any small thought i’d ever had to attempt rowing

this movie is essentially a recreation of me attempting to paddle in a dingy through rapids and then a hurricane whilst the bald man from whiplash yells at me

handily dissuaded me of any small thought i’d ever had to attempt rowing

this movie is essentially a recreation of me attempting to paddle in a dingy through rapids and then a hurricane whilst the bald man from whiplash yells at me