Euphoria

OK quite frankly I had no intention of writing a review about this movie because truth be told I had to stop it and go back to it about five times wasn't that it was incomprehensible it was that it was boring But something happened right in about the middle of it that angered me so much I'm writing this now We get to see the heroine's body almost right in the beginning of this riddled with cancer that's why she's there she's dying then in the middle she has an erotic experience with another sick person and that just infuriated me I had the misfortune to have a husband who died of stage four cancer when he was 42 years old believe me when I tell you and he was not mis- formed it was internal that there was absolutely no sex drive none So to see this romanticized on screen when this is not supposed to be a fantasy just hit me the wrong way As I stated this movie did nothing for me from the get go and when I got to this point that just clinched it for me. it's just not a good choice of a movie.

"To be one with the night," said the poet Gunnar Ekelöf "one with the crowds of flowers leaning out of darkness to listen to something I had on my tongue to say but never got said." Two sisters aim to get this chance, this moment together. Emilie is an extrovert, a New York photographer, and Ines is her polar opposite. They drifted apart in their adult years and Emilie is trying to pull them back together again with a mystery, luxury trip she is paying for deep in Eastern Europe. Ines agrees to go, yet comes to regret her decision when Emilie insists upon confronting their shared past and altering their future.

This deep meditation on life and mortality explores the nature of honesty and trust. It encourages us to live authentic lives, keep an open perspective and release internalized feelings. Actors Eva Green and Alicia Vikander are amazing, as is the supporting cast. I immensely enjoyed the classic introvert and extrovert clash. Even though it is a Swedish film, the actors speak English throughout. The soundtrack could have been better. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Euphoria this isn't. Well not in the sense you may think at least. More of moral bliss, enjoying certain things in life in a quieter fashion. I did not read what this was about, but even so you can feel a weight on Eva Greens shoulders when she meets up with Alicia Vikanders character. Two different people and yet related, with quite some past.

Of course that past will unravel and unfold during the running time of the movie and while some things feel petty, it's still human emotions. And then you have decisions that are being made against the will of a character and other things that may make you wonder ... many things not just about life. Depending on your state of mind, on your current situation and other things

I was bored .. plain and simple. The story is beautiful, the emotions are there, the acting is great .. and the cinematography is spot on.

There are no surprises in the story, no twists. It is straight forward at a brisk pace towards the conclusion.

But you kind of have to be in the mood for a story about existence, questions of meaning, value of life and the human psyche - or you will likely be - bored.

That does not mean that the story was flawless. I couldnt stand the protatonists as well as most of the side characters. They were all terrible - as in terrible people. Lacking communication skills as well as coping mechanisms.

I also did not like the cult like setting .. with its somber mood and kind of "numbing filter" over everything. (kind of muted sounds, slow movement and all) and also poor world building. You do not see enough people that are not "protagonists" of this resort but that keep it running .. people that would be the polar opposite of the residents, people with meaning and purpose .. a side effect that should affect the entire "life" there.

Anyway, i could write up plenty of problems i had with the movie as a story .. but as i said, mainly because i was not in the mood for it.

Just pointing out IMDb's classification genre as adventure, drama. There is no adventure at all but a heck of a lot of well-acted drama. Secondly, plot synopsis "Sisters in conflict travelling through Europe toward a mystery destination.". Well, there is a tiny bit of travelling (car trip), but not through Europe and the mystery destination is arrived at about 15 minutes into the movie.

Not giving anything away here but I thought it was a well-acted drama on a contemporary and, for some, controversial subject. I "enjoyed" it but it might not be everyone's cup of tea.