Suspension of Disbelief

I will normally sit and watch a picture that may have a director attempting a novel treatment. I can usually interpret what is going on - I do watch silent pictures.

In this picture I vainly tried to work out what was going on, who was what and where was whom. All to no avail.

In the end I gave up after about half an hour - I was becoming bored and restless.

I do wish that some people making pictures would realise that their audiences go to pictures to be entertained and pay good money for this.

After watching this load of cods-wallop, my first thought was to send an invoice to the director to compensate me for my time in having to sit through it.

I saw this during a screening in Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square. I will confess that I don't normally watch independent movies and have no idea about the director's previous work. I wasn't expecting much. The shots, lighting and environment were pretty good, the editing was good too. Considering the limited budget and that they made this movie in 22 days I think the movie is pretty good. But having said that if I judge this movie neutrally I would say it's an average plus. The plot resolves around a death of a pretty (and lost?) girl. The whole plot resolves around this and sometimes becomes too boring and lagging. The director has tried hard to make this like an art movie but sometimes the artistic expressions don't make any sense. There is some nudity and sex in the movie but they are neither erotic, not do their presence contribute to the movie in any way so I don't see the point of having those. It feels like they just wanted some skin in the movie. Still the movie is enjoyable. The major complain I have about this movie is that it does not give you a satisfactory ending or a proper ending with answers. I really dislike open ended movies that leave the conclusion to the viewers and if you are like me you will not like the ending too.

15 September 2013 / by Bart (Amsterdam/Holland)

Nothing Personal but so far I find the rating of this film rather low. The cause may be that it requires some effort and a tiny bit of insight from the viewer. On top of that: this is an independent production and it is no straight 'Thriller'. Mike Figgis even provides us with a manual right from the start. Martin (Sebastian Koch) is a socialite screenwriter and teacher who gets intrigued by a beautiful French woman (Lotte Verbeek) gone missing in London. But she's part of an identical twin … So here we are right on the spot: 'Suspension of Disbelief'. Although presented as a thriller, the film heavily leans on the insights of Carl Jung. The wary film noir interludes and erotic touches to this film are cleverly shot and edited as they precisely fit this theme (and the sheer beauty of my fellow citizen). The average viewer will find this movie fairly enjoyable, great Leads, good script and pitch perfect music (Jazzy Figgis, Wagner, Radiohead). But no real sex, no fast pace and a strange, confusing end. The lives of others however will be mesmerized by the gradually emerging different realities and the big question mark at the end.

It's just totally unbelievable that Mike Figgis, an Oscar nominated and celebrated director made this movie. Everything is wrong. The acting is on an amateur level, the cinematography likewise. A lot of stupid ideas, all done in a most hopeless manner. The music used is of the lowest quality, and never used in a good way. The story is almost non- existent and the characters are shallow and absolutely not believable at all.

It looks like some sort of rejected film school project. An absolute snoozefest, and one of, if not THE worst movie I've ever seen. Shame on the people behind this.

Mike Figgis continues to move in his own inimitable fashion creating films that require concentration, patience, and some indulgences from the viewer, but films that in the end are like wonderful paintings to hang in a gallery for repeated exposure and admiration. Figgis wrote, directed, composed the musical score, edited, and performed the cinematography for this puzzling work: it works very well if your mind is sharpened and up to a challenge.

Socialite Martin (Sebastian Koch) is an accomplished writer of cinema and theatre who now teaches his trade to film school students. Fifteen years ago his wife disappeared after an argument, has not been seen or heard from since, and Martin has been left to singly raise his daughter Sarah (Rebecca Night) who aspires to be an actress like her mother. At her 25th birthday party, Martin encounters the mysterious Angelique (Lotte Verbeek) who is found dead the next morning. An investigation by the police leads to Martin being the prime suspect and with the arrival of Angelique's twin sister Therese, who comes to London regarding her sister's death, and with whom Martin has a fascination, comes even more questions concerning their brief fling. The are subplots galore: the entire film is being written as we see it and the director of Martin's film (Eoin Macken) is obsessed with Martin's daughter Sarah who also becomes physically involved with Therese. If all this sounds confusing it is meant to be: Martin's creative ploy is the concept that the character is the plot – and while it is puzzling at times, the manner in which it plays out is absolutely masterful.

Other actors in the supporting cast include Julian Sands, Lachlan Nieboer, Frances de la Tour and Kenneth Cranham. Every aspect of this film is creative – split screens, naming of scenes, strange photographic images, and interplaying story lines that somehow connect. This is a tough film but deserves the attention of those who love art films. The only problem is the level of sound of the spoken lines – it needs subtitles despite being n English, but none are available.

Grady Harp