I was convinced by friends to watch this film, after complaining about its being over-hyped and over-advertised. I hoped that, at least, with the resources and critics' praise lavished upon its creator, I would see a decent, if not overwhelming film. The result was not what I expected. It was far worse.
Papakalliatis is definitely not the multitalented cinema renaissance man. He is a handsome guy, true, but he's, at best, a mediocre actor. There are a few moments of passable film direction sprinkled about, but that's about it. As a script writer, he is heavy-handed, preachy and overloads his script with exposition and pseudo-philosophical ramblings. He tries to act smart and pose as a master of symbolism, but, in his heavy and clumsy hands, symbolism is crushed to mere pretentiousness. He dishes out drama with a heavy hand, ending up with ludicrous grotesqueness. The stories, especially the first romance between the Syrian immigrant (groomed up to feel less threatening to his audience) and the daughter of the jilted old man feel rushed and incomplete. The romance of the Greek white collar worker, played by mr. Papakalliatis himself, is the self-satisfied romp , together with the classic Papakalliatis unnecessarily explicit and self-voyeuristic sex scene that we all love to hate. Only the last romance gave me a few breaths of fresh air, with moments of genuine tenderness and sensitivity, probably due to J.K Simmons' incongruously good presence. But in total, this movie is a mess made by a creator who has an overly high opinion of himself and lacks the skills to support it.
Papakalliatis is definitely not the multitalented cinema renaissance man. He is a handsome guy, true, but he's, at best, a mediocre actor. There are a few moments of passable film direction sprinkled about, but that's about it. As a script writer, he is heavy-handed, preachy and overloads his script with exposition and pseudo-philosophical ramblings. He tries to act smart and pose as a master of symbolism, but, in his heavy and clumsy hands, symbolism is crushed to mere pretentiousness. He dishes out drama with a heavy hand, ending up with ludicrous grotesqueness. The stories, especially the first romance between the Syrian immigrant (groomed up to feel less threatening to his audience) and the daughter of the jilted old man feel rushed and incomplete. The romance of the Greek white collar worker, played by mr. Papakalliatis himself, is the self-satisfied romp , together with the classic Papakalliatis unnecessarily explicit and self-voyeuristic sex scene that we all love to hate. Only the last romance gave me a few breaths of fresh air, with moments of genuine tenderness and sensitivity, probably due to J.K Simmons' incongruously good presence. But in total, this movie is a mess made by a creator who has an overly high opinion of himself and lacks the skills to support it.