Take Me to the River

This movie was way too drawn out and had no solution or resolution other than them not facing the problem. The characters were annoying. It contained things that were going on or mentioned that made you think there was more to it than it seemed but in actuality had nothing to do with anything. Even though you wouldn't suspect what the overall issue was you kinda didn't care once it was brought to the surface because of how long it took as well as realizing that the initial incident that caused everything is never explained.

Yes, most movies coming out of Hollywood are formulaic, unoriginal and always follow a very restricted set of structures and stories. Yes, movies that are out of the mold, more subtle and that appeal to the intelligent participation of the viewers are to be cherished.

Still, I found Take me to the river way too cryptic. There aren't enough clues to hazard one or two solid interpretations. The storytelling is too open, and one leaves frustrated.

I like open-ended, I don't like non-stories.

On the plus side, the acting is very good, and the atmosphere is as electrical as it is sexually charged, for those who like suspense and do not dislike being taken a little outside their comfort zone.

In my opinion, with a little reworked screenplay, it could have been a very good, perhaps an outstanding film.

So weird...although all the reviewers that say it's a thinker are right but damn it's still not worth the time wasted watching it to find out the OLD SECRET fueling the extrenely annoying mom character's perma-almost cry face. Ick. Hated it. And no closure..

It makes you think but nothing is so cryptic that most people can't figure out what's going on. Also very well acted.

Let's just start with the ending:

Holy sh**. Well done on subverting expectations. I knew what I thought was happening (which is what made the characters' actions throughout the majority questionable and frustrating), so when the truth came out, it changed everything.

That said, the gambit was a bit too big and likely would turnoff other viewers. The fact that Ryder's family stayed and seemed to embrace abuse for so long was confusing and disappointing. I tend to give LGBTQ+ films the full watch, which is the only reason I watched the whole thing. If I didn't have that investment, I likely would have stopped.

The acting was well done. Tension was not lacking in this film, and I felt uncomfortable the entire time.

That said, I think the reveal needed to come sooner, or the buildup needed to be smoother. More hints would have built intrigue and a desire to understand why, but otherwise a great film.