Without Ward

Nice to see something refreshing that's not your same old, same old. The theme of the necessity of human connections to mental health and survival is very appropriate to this time when many people have been shut-in due to Covid or with an obsession with "social" media. Interesting this movie was made a while back.

Loved the window scene. Marin Landau soliloquy was touching.

This is awful, awful writing, awful direction, and awful acting.

Awful, awful, awful, awful, cheap 'n' nasty, awful.

It doesn't fill you with awe, just awful.

Is the director independently wealthy? I don't understand how something this bad gets made. Bad acting, bad audio, bad writing. 2 hours of exposition and crap dialog.

It's hard to believe this was filmed over 10 years ago as it is very relevant to what is going on today. Amazing cast for what appears to be a very low budget film. Very serious story line told in an almost cartoonish way at times but I think that's what the director as going for and he pulled it off. This is not the type of movie I usually go for but I absolutely loved it.

I was really touched by the story behind this film, how it took 15 years to complete, how it all started when the director was on the verge of suicide himself and stumbled upon an obituary of his high school peer who committed suicide, "I had to make some art out of this. Something positive that is all about connection."

However, the reality of the film doesn't live up to its epic sci-fi premise or enlightening moral. It's a poorly-made grotesque Noah Baumbach family drama with a cool indie sound track. It's missing the anguish and pain of being disconnected and the desperate yearning for connection. I'd say Martin Landau's beautiful speech in the teaser is all you really need to see.

It reminds me of Terry Gilliam and his Don Quixote, where his filmmaking journey is more interesting than the finished product.