Magic Magic

Perhaps this movie only works if you've known someone with the kind of debilitating paranoia that Alicia (Juno Temple) suffers from. I don't know. All I can say is that I was glued to it from start to finish and I honestly feel that it was masterfully crafted and offers so much more than most people are giving it credit for.

I understand the backlash... it really is NOT a horror movie. But its not a showcase of intangible visual art-house dream-sequence garbage either, which is what I think people might imagine it to be when they read the synopsis. For me, it was never even the slightest bit boring.

If you want to see how mundane situations can be brilliantly transformed into nightmarish experiences for one character, while other characters awkwardly try to deal with it (and often provoke it), eventually watching this dynamic grow to high levels of darkness and intensity, well then this is the movie for you!

I wish more people could look a little deeper and appreciate the many layers and eccentricities of this movie! Like another reviewer mentioned, many of the scenes could be perceived as flat out hilarious. That is, if you can allow yourself to be simultaneously mortified and amused. This movie has the ability to provoke a wide array of CONTRASTING emotions. I've never seen anything quite like it.

It's not a movie for everyone. But if you read this review and still want to watch it, you'll probably think its pretty neat.

Alicia (Juno Temple) visits her cousin Sara (Emily Browning) and her boyfriend Agustín in Chile. It's her first time outside of America. They with Agustin's sister Bárbara (Catalina Sandino Moreno) and his friend Brink (Michael Cera) go on a road trip. Sara had to go back to school before they arrive at the remote vacation house.

Michael Cera is an annoying prick and it's infuriating to watch him. He almost makes this unwatchable all by himself. He's an annoying jerk and he's so whiny about it. Of course, he's written that way and I can't complain about his acting. It does make it hard to stay with the movie. It does get to an interesting place as Alicia slowly breaks down. Agustin is also a bit annoying with the sleeping pills but he's nothing compared to Brink. If one can live with the annoyance, this is an ok movie.

The shots are good. The acting is good. The scripts ok. Nothing really happens other than witnessing our lead character, Alicias descent into full blown manic depression and hyoer paranoia.

If youre into deep dark displays of mental breakdowns, then you will enjoy. If youre after a fun film, move along. This isnt for you.

Magic Magic is being pushed as a psychological thriller and horror ..... that is doing this movie a great injustice.

From the very start we know Alicia has an emotional problem and that Sara has an ulterior motive to back out of the trip at the last minute. Just what Alicia's emotional problem is, the viewer does not know and why Sara backs out of the trip into the country side is not made clear. What is made clear is that Alicia is very depended on Sara ---- especially in this foreign country traveling with people Alicia has never met and going to a distant area of Chile.

We do not know anything about theses peoples past so the viewer must go with what is presented to them for insight into their character. For me they came across as just young indulgent unexperienced youths. When they realize Alicia has a few problems they just ignore her issues because she will have to adjust on her own. Sara says she'll be there later and the broken line of communication among the youths will be mended. That doesn't happen.

When the group realizes, too late, that Alicia has greater problems than they are capable to handle, what do they do, they give her pills because thats how modern society treats emotional problems. The problem intensifies with Alicia having taken too many pills and is easily confused .... or is she desperate to fit in with the group? We the viewer cannot tell either, we are equally confused as Alicia. When Sara finally does arrive Alicia has already crossed the line into a state of confusion but Sara cannot see it, at first. When the problem with Alicia becomes dangerous and threatening Alicia is taken to a local witch doctor who's only remedy is the use of ancient indigenous rituals which is useless to Alicia and all involved with her.

This movie is more about the clash of ancient and modern cultural norms in treating someone with obvious medical needs. Here are a group of inexperienced youths raised in a modern world but facing a threatening and dangerous situation with only old world medical practice available to them. They find themselves caught between to conflicting worlds.

I was so ready to give up on this weird, navel-gazing, unfunny, aimless awkward-off between Juno Temple and Michael Cera. Then...slowly, but surely, all these pointless awkward scenes started to mean something. They were trying to show you what the regular constant of these kids' lives in Chile was, before they introduced something strange. And just when I thought...alright, it's just another white girl losing it movie, it changes again. And it builds and it grows and it rewards you for staying with it over and over.

But I can't blame you if you hated it early on. As good as Juno Temple is and as knowingly hateable as Michael Cera's oddball character was, there's almost nothing to the first half of the movie. But it does change, and by the end I couldn't look away.

Not an amazing film, but much more than what I thought it was initially. It helped me understand how such good talent could be attracted to something like this.

But I also have to say, where it ends, might've just annoyed you all over again.