marydm-43470

Don't listen to those who have given it really low rankings. "Not what I expected" and "What did I just watch?" are not critical evaluations of a flick, they're a testament to that viewer's lack of attention span and understanding of how movies work.

Is it a perfect flick? Certainly not, but neither are many films by "auteurs" whose acolytes have a hive mind. Scorsese's endless voice overs are the most tedious, off putting "technique" imaginable. If you can't fit the stuff into the frame, you're not making cinema but writing an audiobook...with pictures.

This independent flick is low budget and modest alright, but it absolutely does manage to fit all its narrative, dramatic and thematic stuff into the actual frames, and some of them are pretty fantastic cinematography to boot.

There's no whiz bang sci-fi effects here, spaceships doing battle and wiping out mutual enemies, but a deeply philosophical and heart felt emotion about what we humans have done to the planet and to each other.

And the aliens are not Independence Day grade monsters, though the visuals do pay tribute to the visuals of ID, but unseen entities come to save the human species. Do some viewers actually have a problem with well meaning, non military invasion type aliens who are not bent on destroying earth but saving humanity? To discount the possibility that the universe may contain entities of good will and charity who are not warlike and conflict driven like humans are is stupid and short sighted and hugely anthropocentric. The universe has no obligation to make sense to you and be like you, people!

You want something to meet your expectations? Try making your own.

What did you just watch? I don't know, watch it again and pay attention this time.

Definitely worth watching and indeed worth rewatching. Full marks for integrity and honesty, for humility before the universe, and the message of positivity and hope. And for some stunning cinematography on a budget. Now that's original cinema, and any small faults in execution are utterly forgiven.

People didn't get this over the top, gloriously in your face, astounding metaphorical series: this isn't about crimes and cops, that's just a plot device; it's about how poisonous women can be for men.

And I'm a woman, wife and mother.

Elmer is utterly controlled and destroyed by the women in his life: his mother, who would give a bad name to Medea and Lady Macbeth; his lover who has him on a leash and strings him along when it suits her in an on and off relationship he has no strength to walk away from. And a posh lady "client" who's hell on earth.

The head injury in a car accident, the benign brain tumour, the "successful" brain surgery are all just another device that enables these women to shut off Elmer's capacity for any emotion so they can go on controlling his entire existence. And just as well, for only someone unable to feel any emotion can possibly "survive" such a collection of harpies.

That's a devastating suggestion about the nature of some of the human relationships society considers the most sacred in human life.

Absolutely brilliant stuff not to be taken literally. Look for subtext here and you won't be disappointed. It's not just the acting and the other cinematic qualities of this drama: it's the daring to suggest something utterly devastating about human "love". In the end it's only Elmer with his emotions turned off that is capable of any practical love at all.

I was mesmerised and binge watched it over two afternoons. Powerful and memorable metaphorical cinema.

What a waste of a brilliant cast! I sniffed the pretentiousness 15 minutes into it but watched to the end hoping to be proven wrong Yeah, Nah!

You don't transfer a play to the screen without some serious adaptation. Terrible artificial over the top pretentious dialogue, can't imagine it working on stage let alone in a film. Nobody, just nobody speaks like that. Except pretentious fifth graders trying to impress their peers.

Why would such luminaries as Sarandon, Keaton, Gere and the sublime Macy fall for such piffle? No thespian talent as impressive as these four can save a script that's so fake and trying too hard.

Pointless commenting on any further cinematic attributes when the core of the film, the script, is so off.

What were they all thinking?