Watched at Tribeca screening.
Really dope it was put together with little to no money and with minimal resources and a good testament to just going out and making your project, but dang does that aspect really show here... in not the best way.
Cool visuals but wow too jarring - a movie goer mentioned they felt motion sickness. It was too distracting and took away from the actors, focusing more on parts of their ear rather than their expressions. I sat in the back kind of and still felt like I was getting whiplash, it's SO in your face to an obnoxious degree. Besides some pretty good acting at times, the real issue is its terribly hollow plot. You can tell this was just strung together in the editing room. Would've worked so much better as a short. It's just the same "magic trick" over and over again, it got tiring. Characters come onto screen, act erratically like "a classic underbelly, eccentric, New York character" and then just disappear. Main character goes to get "something" and then just never does. I wanted more from the main actor too... never quite progressing as a character and staying pretty much the same the entire time. Didn't allow me to care for him or anyone for that matter. Also, expected SO MUCH MORE for the ending and it just fell so flat into absolutely nothing.
The director, $eck (yes... with a dollar sign lol), uses these like strange jpg insert shots of biblical images that they just slapped into the movie - felt easy and that they are reaching for this "deep artsy fartsy" thing that just comes off as a cheap Yorgos Lanthimos - trying to say something more meaningful but the visual communication is just too opaque.
A lot of the movie is this "sonic experience" with all this interesting music underlaying most of the film, but the director mentioned it just ended up being music that he took from the internet that wasn't even cleared that they just threw into the movie... Tribeca... is that allowed?? I don't know.
Coloring was not bad and tone was pretty consistent, but overall, felt ham fisted and a bit pretentious. "Artful messiness" that just ends up being messy. Style over substance, some elevation with no evolution.
