Cruel & Unusual

There are a few unimportant details that prevent me from being able to vote this higher but in many ways this movie was a 10.

This film blew me away. I was expecting it to be typical nihilistic garbage but I was surprised by the almost John Steinbeck way that at the beginning you have no sympathy, or even have hatred for the main characters, only to love them in the end as you realize that they are just like you. Also, they have a sort of nobility that you never expected.

The film doesn't have much character development but the development it does have is absolutely amazing. Somehow the movie is absurdly dramatic in some ways, but the overall tenor is that it is beautifully understated and as such many people will not appreciate it.

For those of you who have never struggled with an addiction or committed a crime, you will not understand the power of the group 12-step program scenes, the realization of who you are and what you have done that slowly dawns on a person. Also, if you have never been tempted to suicide or gotten into the heart and mind of a friend who is tempted to suicide, in order to help him or her, then you won't appreciate a lot of this movie.

The scenes with the adopted son and mother as well as with the mother and her daughters, and even the one with the man next to the river, and the man and his parents, were some of the most memorable I've ever seen, memorable because they made me do the work as the viewer.

Again, the power of the movie was what it didn't say, leaving the most important statements to the mind of the viewer, so that they can be said more powerfully than a filmmaker ever could. And in that way, my hat is off to those who made this film, they didn't pander to the audience, the movie held back so that it could be more than it would have been, giving the viewer space to learn about themselves as they watched.

I came across this movie by accident on Netflix and almost didn't watch it. It is a great little gem.

I Went for the premiere of this film in Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. Everything is perfect, the performing of actors and actresses are persuasive, the story is simple in fact, but by the editing, it makes the plot more interesting and digging deeper. The philosophy of life and love in the film makes it worth seeing it again and again. The twists in the second half of the film leads the story to an unexpected touching ending. In the end, it turns out to be a movie warm and full of love. Really impressive, and it blows my mind. The movie score seems a little weak comparing to other aspects. In addition, for the first half, some scenes repeat too much times but reveals less. But those are not so important. Please go and see it.

There's a classic sense of horror to this story, something that seems vaguely like something that Terry Gilliam would have done. I'm hesitant to provide specific details about the story, but I can say this- It's unpredictable. Every time I thought I was certain about how things were going to play out, the story surprised me. It's manipulative, but not in a way that bothered me. You keep getting exposed to new information throughout, and you are forced to re-evaluate your perspective each time.

It's a distressing, but also very uplifting exploration of human failings as well as our ability to force ourselves to rise above those failings.

I realize I'm writing this review in a vague way. All I can say is that you should watch it. It very gradually ramps up, and the longer you watch, the more you'll want to see what happens.

I enjoyed this movie. My wife went to sleep after about twenty minutes. I tried to get her to watch it because the story was a worthwhile tale. The feeling of the beginning was kind of depressing. A lot of people might not want to give it a chance but the plot and ideas expressed are thoughtful. It was imaginative and compassionate. It had that Rashomon element, if you know what I mean. I don't want to say anymore. Just watch it if you enjoy conceptual stories.

Very surprising !well written directed and acted !.stumbled upon this on prime well worth a watch