Drown (I) (2015)
7/10
Interesting, but...
27 June 2023
Australian films and TV series have always interested me. Such a far and isolated western society has brought us so many different point-of-view and awkward plots and directed novelties. From The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) to Lonesome (2022), from Mad Max (1979) to Romper Stomper (1992), there's always an unexpected editing or plot.

This movie is not at all to be put in this hall of fame. First, it took me like 29 minutes to understand what were flashbacks, what were fantasies, and even to be sure when I was really into the regular story. So if you're going to watch it, be aware that you'll need special attention to keep track. The editing is not good enough to show you where you're at. In addition to that, I kind of understood that the same scene is shown again with a different point of view near the end (I mean, I think so, not sure). Not everyone is as good as Gus Van Sant with Elephant (2003) doing that. It's almost ridiculous. Like an extremist art house terrorist movie directors competition, the one that make the audience the most lost, wins.

Not to spoil it, but to help, I'd just say that it's the story of one night. Everything else is flashbacks, or dreams, or fantasies (it took me a while to define this). And that night is cut with flashbacks of that same night !!! (Wow...). So let's redefine it again, it's the story of one end of the night.

Then I had to watch it in two parts. My mate made me shut it down at about the half of the movie, telling me, "that's again one of those movies made by straights about things they believe to know"- This happened at a useless disgusting scene with vomit, even given the fact that the actors were handsome. "He's a straight". I guess my friend meant that this actor whatever he's straight or not, didn't play well enough the forbidden attraction he's supposed to feel and to restrict towards his friends - this is not true in all the scenes, but a general feel. Meanwhile, he plays well a homophobic hater.

Plus, the sound editing is not good. Even equipped with a 5.1 home theater system, some dialogues were hard to decipher.

But all in all, I was interested to know what that closeted, self-hating and psychotic gay guy was going to become (or do), it kept me watching it until the end. So at least, the plot was somewhat not that bad. It should have been directed in a much better way, most of the time there aren't bad actors, but bad directing of them. I wouldn't watch this twice.
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