Reviews

Director Nikolaus Geyrhalter revisits buildings and places that once had human life and a pulsating community around them. Those places are now exposed to rain and weather, some of them inhabited by birds, insects and plants reclaiming the territory. Geyrhalter doesn't comment with any soundtrack or camera movements. You can only hear the (excellently integrated) sounds of objects and nature.

So, dear audience, what do you feel while watching human-built places without humans in slow decay? Nostalgia for the life that had been there? Relief that the intruders are finally gone? Melancholy in view of death and disintegration of all things? - A strong, challenging film for introspective people. Highly recommended.

An extremely cynical movie that justifies a lot of things: to make a difference in the war against drugs the "good" guys have to become animals, murderers, assassins like the enemy. No law restrictions attached.

And if you insist on procedure by the book, giving the drug people a minimum of rights, you are considered weak and not cut out for the job. The female FBI lead (Emily Blunt) is actually not leading anything, just coming along as a legal requirement. She is an awful and stereotypical depiction of THE woman among REAL men.

As was told to her at the end of the movie - she should go to a small town where laws still mean something. - Movie not recommended.

Was that supposed to be funny? No, awkward and shameful is more like it: how Camille Saroyan began to stammer and act really embarrassed when it came to Michelle dating a boy. And how would you see Booth's interference with the boy as anything else than an unsolicited intimidation by a puritan?

Would you, as a teenager, care to take advice from such persons who have failed to grow up and can't talk matter-of-factly about dating and sex? - Well, I thought so.

Hey, Hollywood writers, get your screenplays with such annoying father/mother characters up-to-date: in times where a lot of teenagers have access to the Internet and to information about sexuality, parents should act more maturely and lead their soon-to-be-adults teenage daughters and sons - not to chastity (that never worked anyway) but to self-determined, responsible decisions that could also welcome sexuality as an absolutely natural and enriching experience.

Let me start with the aspects that were great:

1. The Story. The screenplay was funny and original (what can't be said about most of the recent "big" Hollywood productions). It had wonderful dialogs and a believable sequence of events.

2. Fantasy Segments. Showing the readers' fantasies mixed with the story in the lesbian book as black-and-white interludes was very well done.

3. Locations - well chosen.

Points to work on are:

1. Acting. There's no help for it, not even in first projects - the director must demand better performances and, if not possible, look for other actors. The actresses need to convey more soul and expression.

2. Cinematography and Lighting: some parts really looked professional, some others lessened the intensity due to wrong lighting (too flat, without focus/concentration) and wrong choice of frame/detail (here also concentration on relevant aspects, use of close-up shots for emotional parts).

All in all, a highly entertaining movie that shows a lot of talent - keep it up, Ms Tremblay.

First of all to the formal qualities of the movie: it is well done regarding the score, the cinematography and the actors' performances. Nevertheless, it was extremely hard to watch till the end because it made me furious how it depicted men and women. If it's true that, according to other reviewers, the movie truthfully adapts the novella of Lawrence and his opinions, then it doesn't say any good about Lawrence's work either.

As a straight man, I'm not very fond of 90% of men (most of them haven't got the heart, openness, and sensibility that I can easily find in many female friends), but the guy in this movie was extremely disgusting and is shown as a typical 1960s smug, self-opinionated alpha male who doesn't ask a woman once he has made up his mind, and who isn't interested in her thoughts, doubts or feelings (this being another ugly stereotype in this movie: a man doesn't have second thoughts, doubts or too much feelings, while women are so despicably weak that they consist of nothing else). He unperturbedly returns to the farm despite Ellen's letter saying that she doesn't love him and can't marry him, and even then, he doesn't ask, doesn't wonder. What communication skills, what a role model to be married with!

The movie's/Lawrence's hate towards lesbians is clearly shown in the short dialog between Paul and Jill where he wonders why she would be a lesbian as she's "not bad-looking, features are good, nice legs" (we are to understand: you become a lesbian because no man wants you, i.e. as a last resort). Then he tries to "convince" her that it only needs a real man to convert her (yes, he means himself!). What a subtlety! At that moment, if I hadn't been a man, I would have sworn to become lesbian myself.

Furthermore there's the ridiculous tree cutting scene at the end where the movie/Lawrence finally gets rid of the stupid, stubborn dyke who stands in the way of another unhappy, but holy marriage of an idiot with a weak-willed woman who doesn't love him. Here again, the man doesn't falter, whereas Ellen stands around like a prop. Women are such ridiculous sheep-like creatures that they show no solidarity, not even in precarious situations. And they aren't supposed to as their foremost allegiance must be to their husband.

Is that what you wanted us to learn, Mr Lawrence (author) and Mr Rydell (director)? I'm glad we've overcome the stench of those times and thoughts.

FULL SUMMARY (skip this if you haven't seen the movie yet):

Alex (Katherine Woodman) visits the grave of her lover Emma Jo who has died of a speed overdose. In gloom and fury towards fate, she sets out to return to her home town, but her car won't start. A friendly and attractive groundkeeper, Haley (Emma-Jane Mezher), diagnoses a failure of the carburator the repair of which could take days (!). As it is vacation time and the only motel nearby is likely to be fully booked, she offers Alex to stay at her house. Alex grumpily accepts.

While Alex is taking a shower, Haley stumbles over the articles and photos of Alex's lover and realizes her guest is lesbian. But Alex isn't excited about telling details about Emma Jo. The next day they go out shopping and on return in the kitchen share a first kiss.

After a passionate night Alex is having dreams and feels she is betraying her love towards Emma Jo. So at dawn she drives back to her grave and assures Emma Jo of her never-ending love in order to be free to move on.

END SUMMARY

This is a short lesbian movie (40 minutes) that has the look and feel of a first effort in directing. There's nothing special about it, everything tastefully done, and glamorous nude love scenes with beautiful participants who, alas, aren't very good actresses.