For Ellen

The scenes with Ellen and Joby getting to know one another are tender and heart breaking. I wanted more interactions between Joby and Ellen but the brevity was very powerful. The actress who plays Ellen seemed thoughtfully wise beyond her years. For example she initially want to tell her Dad about Abigail or something very important about her mom that Joby didn't know.

I enjoyed the very deliberate toy store scene with Joby and Ellen where much was unspoken. The silence and slowness contrasted with the fact joby only had a short time left to be with her.

Paul Dano gives a subtle peformance as a somewhat immature young man who hasn't found out what really is important in his life -ie. His wife and daughter. It's amazing to think Paul Dano did this film many years before he had his own children and became a dad himself.

The ending was bittersweet and stayed with me. I liked Ellen playing music for Joby and the promise of her musical talents. A beautiful quiet movie.

Paul Dano is one of my favorite younger character actors and I have decided to watch all movies with his presence - luckily, it is not impossible as he is selective in taking roles... I like his versatility as well as courage to accept roles not arousing compassion or expanding fame.

Joby Taylor is a de facto loser with personal and self-assertion issues without any ideas how to solve the status quo, thus, the pace is slow (often protracted) and events depicted are trivial, amplified by gloomy winter weather and interiors. Dano is constantly on screen, often alone, so the script is more suitable for a stage. Topics like children custody and personal coping are touchy, but it is still not enough for even an independent movie. As for the ending, I got ambivalent feelings as well.

To sum up, not bad ideas and splendid starring, but too bleary and daily grind.

I am pretty sure that a lot of people will not like this film due to the slow pace but it's most definitely worth a watch. Paul Dano the main actor has done a great job in his career and this is no exception, he carries this film all the way through and although he plays a very passive role you have to look a little beyond this to realise it.

A fantastic film from So Yong Kim and the cast. This was visually effective too. One scene that stood out for me was the bar scene (not going into any details for people reading this). Definitely a high rated film and executed well.

Make sure you give this film a view.

Some movies are for fun. Some movies are for adventure. Some movies are art and are actually a "film" For Ellen is art. Yes it is slow, yes it has few words and little action. This film is about emotions that do not need laughs and action to be nurtured. Dano is approaching Oscar level acting at a very young age. I can't wait to see his skills grow and deepen. This movie is sad because that is what the characters are feeling! It is powerful and emotional and really well made. I don't have much else to say except that a lot of movie goers expect to be surprised with original twist and plot turns, but are not impressed with deliberate quality. This film is deliberate and delivers quality.

I can see that some people don't like the movie. It is really slow paced and the main actor seems more passive than anything. But it's only the surface that looks that "boring". I think the main actor (I've seen him before in a few other features) is doing a pretty good job. And he has to, because he carries the movie on his shoulders. His drive has to be convincing (even though it's not that apparent as I said before) for the viewer.

Heder has a small role, but the character he portrays could easily be a Napoleon Dynamite offspring. Still he does have a few laughs to offer (laughs that might not sit well with some people I guess). I really like the idea and the execution, but try it, before you buy it