Take Me to the River

On the edge of my seat throughout. It really makes poignant commentary about family, cruelty & ignorance. Did not know where this was going to go.

This movie is so poorly made, its like they used an iphone camera. It lacks description and clarification. Has you wondering the entire time. Its not even interesting it's just out right nasty. The movie is really dry, its not exciting at all and it has a very poor ending.

This movie was way too drawn out and had no solution or resolution other than them not facing the problem. The characters were annoying. It contained things that were going on or mentioned that made you think there was more to it than it seemed but in actuality had nothing to do with anything. Even though you wouldn't suspect what the overall issue was you kinda didn't care once it was brought to the surface because of how long it took as well as realizing that the initial incident that caused everything is never explained.

Let's just start with the ending:

Holy sh**. Well done on subverting expectations. I knew what I thought was happening (which is what made the characters' actions throughout the majority questionable and frustrating), so when the truth came out, it changed everything.

That said, the gambit was a bit too big and likely would turnoff other viewers. The fact that Ryder's family stayed and seemed to embrace abuse for so long was confusing and disappointing. I tend to give LGBTQ+ films the full watch, which is the only reason I watched the whole thing. If I didn't have that investment, I likely would have stopped.

The acting was well done. Tension was not lacking in this film, and I felt uncomfortable the entire time.

That said, I think the reveal needed to come sooner, or the buildup needed to be smoother. More hints would have built intrigue and a desire to understand why, but otherwise a great film.

In other reviews I have talked about the hidden eco-system within the modern film. It is a system with its own boundaries and borders and rhythms. Most Hollywood films do not explore the possibilities of this world in depth, but Sobel more than makes up for that in this film. Every shot, every scene, every nuance of the incredibly sparse dialog shows you what is possible, how to get the most from the least.

It is a good solid effort and if you are hooked by the opening premise, you will be hooked all the way through.

That said, I was surprised when I read the IMDb "summary" for the film because the information there goes far beyond the clues and puzzle pieces in then actual film, and frankly that summary "assumes" the viewer has access to more information about the story (right off the top) than than most viewers will actually have.

The acting is first rate. Watching what happens when the world's most naive 17 year old boy meets the world's most sophisticated 9 year old "Lolita" is like watching a play within a play. And works on many levels since, in spite of the sparse dialog, the story itself is like an onion, with layers to peel back as you try to understand it.

Big fan of Weigert ever since Deadwood, where she stole entire episodes from heavyweight actors.

Recommended.