I will preface this by saying the cultural significance and emotional impact of this film I cannot truly understand or comprehend as an American.
With that said, what will stand out most, especially when the film opens is the beautiful mountain shots. They might be the most amazing mountain shots I've ever seen in film, and Carbonera likes to hold the still shots with this lovely choir in the background.
Aside from these high points, the cinematography of the main action wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Tarantino has made it a point to still shoot his films on real film as opposed to digital cameras. The more newer films I watch, especially on lower budgets, the more I'm starting to understand the visual difference in digital shooting vs real film. This one has that distinctly digital look throughout, besides the wide shots of the landscape. It's a petty thing, but it's so noticeable that I felt taken out of the experience sometimes.
Unfortunately for me I did not find myself actively engaged with the film even when I wanted to be, and the emotional silence throughout the film with its long shot lengths is clearly trying to invoke something, but none of the characters gave me enough grip to pursue the stakes of what is going on. Having a passive, introverted protagonist can work, although I will admit I have somewhat of a bias against them. Even then, however, even with a great performance from the lead there wasn't enough there for me. The script could've been tighter and, although the actors did alright with what they had, their performances weren't standout enough to overcome some of the flaws.
My last thoughts are that a film can be slow, can be deeper. But here I wasn't finding that.
With that said, what will stand out most, especially when the film opens is the beautiful mountain shots. They might be the most amazing mountain shots I've ever seen in film, and Carbonera likes to hold the still shots with this lovely choir in the background.
Aside from these high points, the cinematography of the main action wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Tarantino has made it a point to still shoot his films on real film as opposed to digital cameras. The more newer films I watch, especially on lower budgets, the more I'm starting to understand the visual difference in digital shooting vs real film. This one has that distinctly digital look throughout, besides the wide shots of the landscape. It's a petty thing, but it's so noticeable that I felt taken out of the experience sometimes.
Unfortunately for me I did not find myself actively engaged with the film even when I wanted to be, and the emotional silence throughout the film with its long shot lengths is clearly trying to invoke something, but none of the characters gave me enough grip to pursue the stakes of what is going on. Having a passive, introverted protagonist can work, although I will admit I have somewhat of a bias against them. Even then, however, even with a great performance from the lead there wasn't enough there for me. The script could've been tighter and, although the actors did alright with what they had, their performances weren't standout enough to overcome some of the flaws.
My last thoughts are that a film can be slow, can be deeper. But here I wasn't finding that.
