cjamesdueck

I was very pleasantly surprised by this little gem. It feels like Errol Morris directed a Todd Solondz script. The fact that this is a 20 something year old's first feature is really exciting, as this guy has a whole career's worth of work ahead of him. Absurdity has never been so humane.

Though hard to watch, it's very important that this story is known across Canada and the world. This is not just a tragic story of one young woman's victimization- it's an example of an entire community complicit in the torture of a beautiful young soul.

The four rapists, the rapist's families, the RCMP. the healthcare workers, the school system, etc are all guilty of monstrous behaviour both direct and negligent. Props to Anonymous for forcing the hand of a bunch of useless law enforcement that like to call themselves "heroes" while acting like scum.

As cheesy as it sounds, after watching this film I felt stunned with emotions of heartache, beauty, and hope. you know a piece of art is great when you think "I wish I could have made that!"- You know it's a masterpiece when you're just perfectly thankful and content that it exists as is. Like seeing a couple where you think "aww she's too good for him, I bet we'd be happier if she were with me". But then sometimes you see a couple that seems so happy and connected and right for each other that you're just happy for them and wouldn't dare try to come between them. Watching this film felt like seeing that couple. It reminds you of your own lonliness and past failures, but it also reminds you of how much beauty and love is in the world.

I'm not an overly sentimental guy, but this movie just put me in that headspace. Cianfrance is one of my favorite working filmmakers, but the fact that this is a first feature for directer/co-writer Darius Marder is incredible- I'm so excited to see what he does in the future. And of course Riz Ahmed is astounding, he really just nails this one so hard it's incredible to watch. Olivia Cook was great as well, truly believable in her dual personalities. And it was a nice treat seeing Mathieu Amalric pop up unexpectedly.

As a musician who spent a lot of time playing in bands, as well as a recovering addict/alcoholic, maybe this film was just tailored for me personally, but I haven't been hit this hard by a film in a long time.