Starfish

I really enjoyed this movie. It's one of those movies that gives you just enough information to keep you interested but keeps you in a place where you are never fully sure of what's going on. It is abstract and beautiful with a great soundtrack. I walked away from it knowing that I really enjoyed it but not knowing exactly how to express why. I recommend it. Not for movie-goers who demand an explosion every 30 seconds.

It's never easy to assign stars and ratings to movies or books. In this case it is particularly difficult and this can be a good thing. Halfway through the movie I found it simply pathetic and pretentious. In the end l had a different opinion, although I do not consider it the masterpiece that many consider. It strives to be an indie film, with indie songs, indie dialogues, indie narrative, indie art direction. For me, this doesn't work very well because it turns out to be partly, a deconstructivist work, which turns out badly in architecture and can't make wonderful films either. However, it is not a film to forget, it is another movie that keeps us waiting for the next ones. Clearly a story that originates in the author's intimate life, so perhaps for this fact it captivates many people.

I've been excited to see "Starfish" since I saw the trailer a month or two ago - my expectations were wrong, but not in a bad way.

"Starfish" is a worthy entry in the indie sci-fi genre, it reminded me of the works by Zal Batmanglij & Britt Marling, and also Von Triers "Melancholia". Visually it's quite impressive actually, very simple, but carefully executed. Cinematography is rich and creative, editing's crafty and done with a sure hand, there's a subtle amount of decent cgi & color grading is on point. The visual atmosphere is accompanied by a fitting, raw original score.

The story is narrow, questions won't be answered & that's alright. Be warned and don't come looking for substance and logic in "Starfish". While there's not a lot of action (close to none) & the pacing is slow, even draggy at moments, it's the atmosphere and emotional side of the story that should hold your attention, it did hold mine, to some extent. Feel for the character, watch in silence and you might just get mesmerised by the simplest things - there were a few, short movie magic moments. Personally, I liked the drama part more than the sci-fi part, there are thoughts put in this film, however metaphoric. The main character, by the way, is acted out well, props for that.

A lot of people say that "Starfish" is unique - I disagree, it's been done before, different styles, maybe less style. There's no doubt that this is a style-over-substance kind of movie & I happen to love them. Oh and I would hardly call this a horror movie, it's a sci-fi drama. Who do I recommend this to? Art-house lovers, low-budget indie sci-fi fans & for those who like style-over-substance slow-burners. Those were my honest thoughts on this inside-out-indie avantgarde flick. My rating: 6/10.

It is very pretentious though. This is a one-man live action dream, a nightmare or a trip. It has a single track plot, nauseatingly slow with chaotic details and a few peekaboo scares. It reconnects with reality and speeds up closer to the end. Monsters and vfx here are not to amaze but to add to sophistication. Somber and ethereal music makes for a more enjoyable experience.

The good: the lead is breathtakingly beautiful. Good actress too. The cinematographiy is very clever and eyecatching. The bad: a "thriller" this ain't. It could be bottled and sold as a sleep aid. I literally fell asleep halfway through.