This arthouse film has poignant moments (some I could relate to -- ouch) but I don't feel like I learned anything, nor was I entertained. What's the point here? Getting old sucks?
Javier Bardem's character is arguably a poster-child for someone who's out of control and needs to live with a care-giver (but ideally not institutionalized). The fact that his daughter is NOT treating the situation realistically borders on elder abuse. I know the film has artistic pretentions that overlook such mundane issues (that I happen to have lived through), but it's difficult to overlook the obvious here.
The alternate reality theme is weak. The boring present-day story is interrupted by a plethora of flashbacks to memories of other boring times (some of which are apparently the imagined results of different major decisions -- i.e., forks in the timeline).
I give this 2.5 stars, with a half-star bonus for an above-par ending (though it reeks of film-critic bait). That's three (3) stars total.
Javier Bardem's character is arguably a poster-child for someone who's out of control and needs to live with a care-giver (but ideally not institutionalized). The fact that his daughter is NOT treating the situation realistically borders on elder abuse. I know the film has artistic pretentions that overlook such mundane issues (that I happen to have lived through), but it's difficult to overlook the obvious here.
The alternate reality theme is weak. The boring present-day story is interrupted by a plethora of flashbacks to memories of other boring times (some of which are apparently the imagined results of different major decisions -- i.e., forks in the timeline).
I give this 2.5 stars, with a half-star bonus for an above-par ending (though it reeks of film-critic bait). That's three (3) stars total.