dooglesdead

I, no doubt like others, discovered this film after seeing Gosling's latest movie 'Drive' that made such an impression recently. I had no particular expectations going into it other than that it would be something quite different (prejudged after reading the synopsis), and while this much is true, I could never be prepared for the impression it would make on me.

From the beginning right through, the story is very well played out by all the lead actors (who were excellently cast), and despite the unusual plot it is very realistically written. Sure there are some brief quirks that seem a little odd, but these are easily subdued by the emotional honesty that underpins the whole movie.

Comparisons can be easily made with Mike Binder's powerful film 'Reign Over Me' which looks at the struggles of helping someone with a mental disorder, but instead of focusing on the battle, the writer of 'Lars' is looking at the solution. It is a story about people, and about the importance of empathy over judgement- not just as an individual but also as a community.

Add to this good cinematography, a soundtrack so subtle you'll seldom notice it's there, and direction that ensures that every scene adds something to the movie, and I can think of no film that delivers its message more effectively. If you're an open-minded person you may be surprised by how much it speaks to you.

I don't have any complex insight into the pros and cons of this movie, but as far as I remember I've never had such mixed feelings about a film, so these are my initial reactions.

When the end credits rolled, my immediate feeling was 'wow!', not because the film was incredible (it's not) but because it is incredibly diverse. Right up until the last minutes the director switches between happy, melancholy, distressing, and relieving scenes. On the one hand it's impressive that this is done without distracting the viewer from the plot, but on the other it seems as though this is artistically lazy. The same can be said for the voice- overs, which appear too seldom to have anything but superficial meaning, and therefore seem like they were inserted to add the bits that the script missed! Other reviewers have also been spot on about the peripheral nature of all but the main four characters, and the speed at which the story resolves itself.

Yes these are all flaws, but I still really enjoyed 'Little Children' for the unbridled and honest way the main themes of desire and adulthood/childhood are tackled. It's clear that this is where the most attention was placed in creating the film. Also, visually it's actually very good, and I found myself drawn into some scenes just by the visual style.

All in all, not a film that you should expect to blow you away, and its potential was certainly not met fully, but its well worth watching for the different perspective on what people look for in relationships.