A powerful and moving gem.
Simplicity and truth
blended together.
This film was a big surprise for me. I was expecting quality and I had heard some praise, however I did not expect anything particularly outstanding. A good lead performance and some decent social commentary, nothing more really. However what I got was a triumph, one of the best films of the last few years and one of the most emotionally mature films I will ever review. It has some rough edges and oversights, however overall I was shocked by how affected I was by this little marvel.
The most important aspect of the film is it's performances. Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Keith Stanfield and Kaitlyn Dever, all are outstanding in their performances. In particular Brie Larson in the lead role, I insist that she be given further prominent roles in future films. She demonstrates such emotional realism and proficiency in her role. She is the glue that holds this beautiful ship together, and is responsible for so many powerful moments along with the rest of the excellent cast. The cast all work the fantastic script with fluid ease, it really is heartwarming to see so many unknown actors with so much talent in one place.
The film looks great too. On the surface to aesthetic is quite simplistic, safe even. However that simple ambiance allows for a subtle level of intimacy which really assists in delivering the great performances. However despite the simplicity, the director clearly understands film language. This is seen in the very clever lighting in select scenes, and the frequent use of extreme close-ups to showcase moments of intense emotional turbulence. A one-take rap scene around a third into the film took my breath away drove me to actually shed a tear. A subtle but unbelievably effective zoom throughout the long take reflects on the audience. We are sucked into the characters plight and feel deeply affected. Credit to Keith Stanfield for delivering the best scene in the film and totally knocking it out of the park, he was outstanding.
The film's pacing and atmosphere are incredibly intoxicating. It is similar to reading a gripping novel, this obsession with finding out where each character ends up, this desire to see things resolve. It is really indescribable. These elements are helped by the sparse, but also effective score, which helps to emphasise the hugeness of the onscreen actions. That is perhaps the film's greatest secret, nothing at all is trivilaised. Even the seemingly smallest achievement with the development of the kids, or the smallest emotional victory feels massive. It is an indescribable effect.
The film does have flaws however. I find the character of Nate to be obnoxious, superflous and unnecessary. He is introduced as an audience avatar, however one is not needed here, the film explains itself so beautifully without one, The character does not develop, or truly impact anything, and the actor's performance is perhaps the only grating one in the entire film. In addition I feel the film's magic dims in the third act ever so slightly. Realism dissipates for a few scenes and the effect is lessened because of it. However things pick up by the ending.
Overall, despite these issues, director Destin Daniel Cretton should be showered with accolades because of this film. It seems that every year a small number of indie films are selected to become popular within the mainstream. It is horrifying to see a film as meaningful as this not given this arbitrary honor. I beg of all readers to track this film down on Netflix, because it deserves better than to be a footnote.
By Jack D. Phillips
A Zoom Film Review
The film looks great too. On the surface to aesthetic is quite simplistic, safe even. However that simple ambiance allows for a subtle level of intimacy which really assists in delivering the great performances. However despite the simplicity, the director clearly understands film language. This is seen in the very clever lighting in select scenes, and the frequent use of extreme close-ups to showcase moments of intense emotional turbulence. A one-take rap scene around a third into the film took my breath away drove me to actually shed a tear. A subtle but unbelievably effective zoom throughout the long take reflects on the audience. We are sucked into the characters plight and feel deeply affected. Credit to Keith Stanfield for delivering the best scene in the film and totally knocking it out of the park, he was outstanding.
The film's pacing and atmosphere are incredibly intoxicating. It is similar to reading a gripping novel, this obsession with finding out where each character ends up, this desire to see things resolve. It is really indescribable. These elements are helped by the sparse, but also effective score, which helps to emphasise the hugeness of the onscreen actions. That is perhaps the film's greatest secret, nothing at all is trivilaised. Even the seemingly smallest achievement with the development of the kids, or the smallest emotional victory feels massive. It is an indescribable effect.
The film does have flaws however. I find the character of Nate to be obnoxious, superflous and unnecessary. He is introduced as an audience avatar, however one is not needed here, the film explains itself so beautifully without one, The character does not develop, or truly impact anything, and the actor's performance is perhaps the only grating one in the entire film. In addition I feel the film's magic dims in the third act ever so slightly. Realism dissipates for a few scenes and the effect is lessened because of it. However things pick up by the ending.
Overall, despite these issues, director Destin Daniel Cretton should be showered with accolades because of this film. It seems that every year a small number of indie films are selected to become popular within the mainstream. It is horrifying to see a film as meaningful as this not given this arbitrary honor. I beg of all readers to track this film down on Netflix, because it deserves better than to be a footnote.
By Jack D. Phillips
A Zoom Film Review
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