lindsay-thompson

I saw this in a relatively packed theatre, and the audience responses to it were so intense that a couple behind me started almost yelling at the screen during certain moments.

The story is based on Joy Womack, the American dancer who danced at the Bolshoi, and it seems to follow a relatively straightforward narrative initially. But once things start going wrong, it felt like a rollercoaster ride dropping into a relentless series of unpredictable twists and turns. I won't say much more for the sake of not giving spoilers, but suffice to say, I was constantly on the edge of my seat, and it felt very gripping right to the very end. I was literally holding my breath in parts.

The performances are extremely strong, particularly from Talia Ryder and Diane Kruger. It is visually stunning to look at, and features quite incredible direction at times from director (and writer) James Napier Robertson - who made another favourite film of mine, The Dark Horse. The music is beautiful, and very emotional.

The only warning I would give is this would not be for a younger audience, and might be a little too intense at times for some more sensitive audiences. It gets quite confronting at times.

The final imagery has stayed burned into my mind for days after the screening. Very powerful.

Highly recommend!

Quite an oddball entry into the filmography of Denis Villaneuve, and also Jake Gyllenhaal -- has echoes of surrealist literature throughout it; think Kafka or the like.

At times it struggles to maintain the gripping tension that it's relying on, due to becoming a little too abstract and esoteric in certain segues.

But at other times it manages to achieve the thought-provoking originality that it is striving for, and is worth the watch for these moments.

I think props to the filmmakers and Gyllenhaal for taking the risk of attempting such quirky material, and well done on the whole for where they got to with it.

This is such a powerful piece of work. Ed Harris has clearly devoted a large section of his life to capturing Pollock's story, and his commitment I doubt could have been rivaled by anyone else.

His performance is spellbinding - painful, inspired, ugly, and it's hard not to think that he must have really gone there while performing it.

It is doubly impressive to wonder how he managed to also direct the film - and direct it with a strong hand and complete assurance - while going to the emotional depths that were required of his performance as Pollock.

Particularly enjoyable for a Pollock fan - but enjoyable for anyone that wants to experience an honest and unflinching look into the life of a tormented genius.

Highly recommend.