Sleazy when it should be sensual. The cracks in its facade of European coolness allow for many moments of cringy posturing to shine through; often evoking the same awkwardness, as many student films do, made by people who were never given constructive criticism, and thusly, continue on without realizing that their shit does in fact stink. So much of it feels tangential and rushed. There are cases of weird emotional shifts between scenes where it feels like something is missing.
Still, though, there are times when the genre mixing works and the performances elevate beyond the amateurish and become weirdly poignant. The film excels in its aesthetic presentation, and the musical numbers (most of them at least) are captivating. The punk number is the best one by a wide margin, featuring one of the most epic characterizations I've seen in a while; that of the half-man half-god they call Titon.
If I were a better man I would be able to forgive the bad, because so much of it is quite good, but unfortunately, I'm a cynic at heart. Half the time my eyes were rolling, but for the other half, they were transfixed by the sirens' spell.
Still, though, there are times when the genre mixing works and the performances elevate beyond the amateurish and become weirdly poignant. The film excels in its aesthetic presentation, and the musical numbers (most of them at least) are captivating. The punk number is the best one by a wide margin, featuring one of the most epic characterizations I've seen in a while; that of the half-man half-god they call Titon.
If I were a better man I would be able to forgive the bad, because so much of it is quite good, but unfortunately, I'm a cynic at heart. Half the time my eyes were rolling, but for the other half, they were transfixed by the sirens' spell.