Jonathan

This is a "thinking-man's sci-fi movie." If you appreciate such things, you will definitely not be disappointed.

If you are in the mood for drama, with a little bit of sci-fi, this is for you. Or, you are a deep thinker - because this movie really made me stop and think - about many important questions regarding life, relationships, lies, trust, loss...

I rated this movie so highly because, as far as I know, it's really something original, something different, for a change. I'm sure there's other movies and stories out there which are similar, but I consume a lot of media and can't really think of anything like this.

I highly recommend watching this movie - and, no, I was not a part of the cast or production team. :)

This beautiful little film might best be described as an interesting new take on the Narcissus myth, with an impressive central performance by Ansel Elgort. Both stylish and moving, this small scale story raises questions about the nature of desire, compassion, self-reflexivity and unconventional love.

It's not that often that I don't really know what to think about a movie. The technical part is really enjoyable. The synopsis strange and mysterious. We enter little by little, day to day, in the reality of Jonathan and we understand very slowly what this reality means. It's dark. But not really sad. It's complex. The movie doesn't try to simplify or over explain it, which is great. But also left me with too much questioning to be at ease. I don't know if the ending is great and really smart, or a bit dull. I don't know. And it's fine.

And perhaps this movie is great because of this: it leaves you with more questions than answers.

Jonathan (Ansel Elgort) is a buttoned up reserved guy. He wakes up at 7am everyday and watches a video of a doppelganger who seems to be a much more relaxed version of himself. He goes to work at an architecture firm and visits Dr. Mina Nariman (Patricia Clarkson) who is treating him for an unknown condition. He always goes to sleep early in the afternoon. One day, he runs into Elena (Suki Waterhouse) on the streets. She claims to know him at night which reveals the shocking truth.

The premise is intriguing and it holds its mystery well for the first act. I was thinking clones or twins. Spoilers, it's not. I actually like the reveal. It's setup for something tense. I want the paranoia. I want the distrust. It gets delivered but not in a satisfying way. So much of this movie is one guy watching the other on video that it drains the intensity out of the flow. I also want real action and tension in the plot. Once the reveal happens, the movie's intensity slowly slides down. I like some of the ideas but this needs more to appeal to a bigger audience.

I like bold stories. Every day I learn to watch movies and have fun with them without wanting to be so demanding and precise in details. Great performances and a different and engaging story.