seeking_elysium

Firstly, I have to say how brilliantly all the actors were in the movie. If you are interested in murder trials and the language used by both the lawyers and prosecutors, you will appreciate this film. The marital fight scene is one of the most realistic and achingly believable scenes I have ever seen in a film. The pace, flow, and dialogue continued to engage and build momentum... there were no boring moments to grapple with. I believe it was a very nuanced and insightful portrayal of one of the many ways a relationship can break down and the psychology behind victim mentalities and suicide. The movie will keep you guessing right until the end.

After coming to IMDB and seeing this movie with a 7.8 user rating, I had high hopes. Sadly, I was disappointed. As "arty" as the film comes across, it lacks substance. The characters are shallow, not fleshed out. The dialogue is lacking. The storyline itself is basic and, at times, tries to be more philosophical than what it is. The relationships between the children are unbelievable. I understand it was touching on several contemporary themes but utterly failed to be either engaging or interesting. The theme of the 'monster' whether that be a person, society, or institution, is a deep concept but this film felt messy and childish in how it tried to weave the theme into some kind of plot (if you can call it that). I kept hoping the 'plot' would develop but every scene and character left me feeling short changed. The five stars are for the film's cinematography, nothing more.

I wanted to give this film a positive review because I generally love Australian cinema, but I found the film to be utterly lacking. Despite the often lovely cinematography, and quintessential Australian setting, the film was boring. The characters were unexplored, had very little depth, and nothing that connected me with them or made me enjoy watching them. The narrating voice was trying too hard to be poetic and generate a sense of emotion in the observer but, unfortunately, the plot was so one-dimensional that it failed to generate any meaningful connection. All in all, a dull film that was pretending to be a lot more than what it was.