Reviews

The movie is quite disappointing, despite a promising cast and an excellent start. For the first half, the narration is dense and the story keeps you glued to the screen; the idea of fusing a road movie with science fiction themes is, in itself, absolutely genial and, at the beginning, the movie can boast an effective directory and a solid writing. We are given some information on the backstory: past and present are skillfully woven to raise questions we expect to see answered at the end of the movie and, somehow, we identify with the awkward "expert"Paul Sevier (Adam Driver), who tries to figure out what is actually going on with Alton, the enigmatic protagonist, and the cult settled in a mysterious "Ranch", whose adepts regard at the strange child as their savior. On the other hand, we witness the odyssey of a father, Roy Tomlin (Michael Shannon) prepared for anything in order to save his son from the persecution of the fanatics, whose effective relationship with both father and son will remain a mystery, despite how intriguingly set to persuade us of the danger "The Ranch" represents. As the story goes on, we are presented with Roy's wife, Sarah, a melancholic, lovely Kirsten Dunst imprisoned in a character whose potential has been clearly wasted, reducing it to a mere archetype- "The Mother"- and, definitely, a Marie Sue. From now on, Midnight Special reveals the inconsistency of its plot: all the interrogatives we collected so far remain without solid explanation, the backstory looks flat since no clarification is offered to justify the actions of each protagonist and we have to be content with the mere fact that "things are as they are". In the end, the whole construction shows off in a quite predictable reinterpretation of notorious alien sci-fi tropes, an evident tribute to Spielberg's cinema, without either narrative strength or evocative power of, say, J. J. Abram's Super 8. I would like to spend some words on the cast. Some have argued Michael Shannon's interpretation is "shallow, monotone": it is, but it is exactly what we expect from the character and, in the end, I found it convincing, since Roy is probably the only character give us glimpse of a more complex background behind his actions. To be honest, I'd dare say that, if the movie retains any value, it is mainly due to to him and to the talented Jaeden Lieberher (Alton), whose recitation appears plain, measured and, yet, totally fitting for the subject. As said before, I reckon Kirsten Dunst gave her better, but the character did not allow her much more room for interpretation: despite the actress' s declaration about Sarah being a strong woman, we are left with the impression that every effort she makes for her son is completely mechanic and not supported by anything more elaborated than an a-logic, rough "maternal love"- a theme which has its own dignity, but that would have required more than 40 minutes or so of flat exposition. Now, let's come to Adam Driver. Again, he does his best, and, in some scenes, he is truly effective; despite his talent, however, one cannot come to understand the sense of Paul Sevier's character, who looks rather like the embodiment of a modern Saint Thomas, the paradigm of the wondering scientist (well, actually rather a goofy science-nerd, as it appears, since we are never given any clue about which is the specific field of research he is employed in) who eventually abandons his skepticism to embrace a mystical truth as easily as he would stumble into a table.

The movie surprised me. I was not expecting the plot to take the turn it does. The acting is good, though I liked Ben Stiller and Adam Driver's performance way more than their feminine counterparts. The strange friendship between these two men and, particularly, the keen depiction of Josh's spiritual "infatuation" for Jamie (a character you won't easily forget) was among the things I liked best. There is something terribly cruel about the entire story, and the film is quite effective at striking more than one sore point. Not a masterpiece, but a clever movie- one the like I would see twice. What I can say is that the ending really did not convince me. I would have liked to see how plot could be developed and made more complex and, to be honest, less banal. After almost two hours of movie, I expect the story to reach a final compromise between the starting point and all the assessments either verified or countered by the events the spectator has witnessed. Instead, the characters have been only partially transformed by their experience: let us say that, if the goal of a story is to bring a character from A to D passing through B and C, it seems to me D is a mere copy of, say, B. On the other hand, the movie tells a lot about acceptance and humility: if regarded under this specific point of view, even a not completely satisfying ending acquires its sense, no matter how bittersweet is the impression the movie leaves you with.

Either you expect an on- screen Gothic novel or From Dusk Till Dawn, this movie has nothing to do with the latter and very little in common with the former. I liked it, but it is a slow, pensive piece of cinema, and definitely less horror-like than you may think. There is a lot of poetry and melancholy- a good deal of despair, too. Saoirse Ronan' s Eleanor Webb is perhaps the sweetest, most courageous and compassionate creature of her kind I have ever seen. Much of the story is about love, solitude, and the struggle to bear the burden of a secret that haunts you, stealing from you every freedom, every hope for love or even domestic peace. The photography is neat, the music hypnotic- some scenes a real pleasure to the sight. The actors are good- all of them. At the end, I was left in a haze of sweet sadness, with many questions and lots of ideas in my head. It might be neither perfect nor a classic within the genre, but Byzantium certainly gifts its spectator with something magic and unique: imaginative worlds to explore, even after credits have faded on the screen. Watch it when you have time, when you can simply sit down and enjoy the story her protagonist wants to tell you. Consider it a crooked, dark, yet delicate fairy tale.