O Som e a Fúria

I'm not a big fan of Faulkner and always found his stories to be somewhat overemotional and difficult to understand, but I was captivated by this movie interpretation. There is a lot that is not explained as the action unfolds, and the order of events barely follow a chronological sequence, which can make it difficult for those who expect a more traditional mode of story telling. It almost felt like the images were being laid over each other, like thin paint that is applied and then allowed to dry so the colors and textures can be built up.

The acting is quite phenomenal throughout, and there's a high level of energy maintained as this confusing story circumvents about, serving as nothing more than the memoir of a family and the extreme emotional dependencies they inflict upon one another. The relentless and intense interactions are performed in a nearly senseless fashion, which I believe emulates the family's feelings of futility as they plummet through to their pathetic end.

Often, there was a mysterious musical track that almost sounded like the dull drone of a plane flying overhead, a very good way to bind the action together. If the music were more intense or melodramatic the movie could come across as sappy and ridiculous. As it is, the confusion and disparity could turn off even the most ardent viewer, but I found the experience rewarding on a number of subtle levels one might find in films by the likes of Ingmar Bergman.

This film tells the story of a family with four children, whose family fortunes steadily decline in the 1800's USA.

I have not read the book, and I am not familiar with the story. Honestly, after watching the film, I really have very little idea what it is about. The first segment is the easiest to understand, as it is about the intellectually challenged son called Benjy. It tells the story of his hidden existence on the ranch, against a backdrop of racial divide. The other two segments made me super confused. Firstly, I thought Quentin was the bespectacled guy, and only in the third segment did I discover my mix up. By then, it was too late to understand the story. I find the pace super slow and snooze inducing. Actually within thirty minutes I find my eyelids very very heavy. I managed to keep myself awake and finished the film, but I cannot say I understood it or enjoyed it.

I watched this movie today in a blizzard mainly because it was a classic novel and because James Franco was in it. I never read it so I had no idea what I was in for. Right from the beginning I had a feeling of doom looming over this family. While I will admit it was very confusing there was an undercurrent that consistently led me to believe something terrible was about to happen. The score of the film took one even deeper into this morose feeling. When it was over I actually felt ill and had a raging headache. Now I must read this novel. I feel this alone makes this film earn a ten star rating.

I feel Mr Franco was successful in allowing you to peer into the subconscious of the characters and let your mind fill in the fine details. I suppose this is the way it was written. This film took me someplace I did not want to be but I could not turn away. I found it fascinating and am looking forward to reading the book.

I watched this on netflix, expecting it to be ridiculous. It turned out to be a credit to Franco's seriousness and ambition. The tone was right, the pacing was right, the visual language was right, and I thought three of the principle characterizations were fantastic (Jason III, Quentin the son, and Jason IV). Actually I liked the Dalton Ames and Cady and Luster. And the Mother too. Anyway, I accepted from the beginning that a movie adaptation of TSTF is a huge challenge - it's a book I know pretty well, and I imagine anyone who sees this movie without having read TSTF a few times would wonder WTF? So hats off to James Franco. He's such a hottie that I don't think people give him credit for serious work. Here's it's deserved.

I was surprised by the low reviews of this movie by the critics. Once I got into it, I was drawn in by the various characters. This movie is worth watching.