For the most part, this was a very stressful film... but in a good way. It reminded me very much of Uncut Gems and weirdly a little bit of Monster (2003), especially with how things escalate and with the constant lying and bad decisions made by Tilda Swinton's character Julia.
Tilda Swinton gives a great performance as always. I don't really think there are very many actresses or actors working today that are on the same caliber of talent and commitment to their role as her. She is the best thing about this film and mostly carries this film on her own. The other actors in the film are fine but aren't given all that much to demonstrate their acting, besides maybe Kate del Castillo who plays Elena, the mother of the boy who Julia kidnaps. I think her character deserved a little more screen time.
The script for the most part is decent. There isn't really any cheesy dialogue and it seems sort of realistic to an extent. I really did enjoy the story and how things with the situation at hand kept constantly escalating and becoming more insane and stressful.
There are a few things that are holding this film back from being more memorable and more outstanding. The cinematography and the score aren't all that amazing. They're fine but I think if the presentation of this film was pushed a bit more, I think it would improve the film overall. The biggest thing that's holding this movie back is the pacing. I don't think the 2 hour and 24 minute run time is that justified. I think a good 25-30 minutes could've been cut from the film. The third act is where things start to lose some steam and I'm starting to wonder how much longer the film is. Also, in the third act (spoiler), Julia and Tom end up going to Tijuana and come across some Mexicans who later then kidnap Tom from Julia. I thought that these characters came across as more of stereotypical caricatures of Mexican kidnappers and didn't seem realistic to me at all. They even come across as a little bit offensive.
Besides for the pacing and some issues I had with the third act, I would recommend this film, especially if you are a fan of Tilda Swinton and stressful films like Uncut Gems.
I'm giving this one a 7/10.
Tilda Swinton gives a great performance as always. I don't really think there are very many actresses or actors working today that are on the same caliber of talent and commitment to their role as her. She is the best thing about this film and mostly carries this film on her own. The other actors in the film are fine but aren't given all that much to demonstrate their acting, besides maybe Kate del Castillo who plays Elena, the mother of the boy who Julia kidnaps. I think her character deserved a little more screen time.
The script for the most part is decent. There isn't really any cheesy dialogue and it seems sort of realistic to an extent. I really did enjoy the story and how things with the situation at hand kept constantly escalating and becoming more insane and stressful.
There are a few things that are holding this film back from being more memorable and more outstanding. The cinematography and the score aren't all that amazing. They're fine but I think if the presentation of this film was pushed a bit more, I think it would improve the film overall. The biggest thing that's holding this movie back is the pacing. I don't think the 2 hour and 24 minute run time is that justified. I think a good 25-30 minutes could've been cut from the film. The third act is where things start to lose some steam and I'm starting to wonder how much longer the film is. Also, in the third act (spoiler), Julia and Tom end up going to Tijuana and come across some Mexicans who later then kidnap Tom from Julia. I thought that these characters came across as more of stereotypical caricatures of Mexican kidnappers and didn't seem realistic to me at all. They even come across as a little bit offensive.
Besides for the pacing and some issues I had with the third act, I would recommend this film, especially if you are a fan of Tilda Swinton and stressful films like Uncut Gems.
I'm giving this one a 7/10.