Reviews

Wow. What a beautiful film.

So simple yet so... I don't know how to describe it. I watched it with this peaceful relaxed feeling throughout the whole film. The story flows effortlessly. I don't know how the director did it. Everything just seems to work, just like in Yossi & Jagger. It could have been one of those typical films, but yet it works so well that it's special. It's almost like there's magic in the air. The acting is wonderful. Ohad Knoller who play Yossi is absolutely perfect. What a charmer. The film is all about Yossi and Ohad did a fantastic job. He's really the heart and soul of the film.

It's not everyday that I would give a "normal" film like this a 10, but I'd give this a 10.

Interesting. Strange. The editing. The framing. I like it but I'm not sure if I love it. It's quite unique and daring but at the same time it doesn't touch me deep. It has both mature and amateur touch that I don't trust the filmmaker. The use of sound, for example, seems too manipulative at times. The film has many suggestive elements conveying how the film is more than what it seems on the surface, but I'm not sure if they're just clever ploys for critics. I'm not really keen on the ending. Things come together too much. I rather see it ends with a more open-ended approach.

However, it's worth seeing and it's likely to stay in your mind for sometime, which is a good thing.

็HA! Well, that was strange. I've heard some talks about the film but it wasn't what I had expected. The film has a weird mix between stupidity and cleverness. You get a clue that the filmmaker knows better from some scenes but yet fails to deliver in some. It has good moments but yet it's also very cliché'. It looks and feels like an old horror film. The slow set up is interesting too. There are a few weird and strange moments but it seems that the film stops itself and doesn't flow with the momentum. I found that usual but interesting. And "that thing" is just weird. I'm glad the filmmaker is not afraid to make a film about it.

So. Much. Fun.

I think this is a well-made film. Everyone in the film gives good performance. Halle Berry is really good. It's a genre film all right and nothing really breaks away from the usual formula. But it delivers. I felt tense the whole time watching it. It kept me off my seat through out the movie which didn't happen a lot if you've seen too many films. The plot is easy enough, nothing mind blowing for that part. But it's not stupid either. It's believable, which is good (well, maybe not the ending, which pretty much turns the film into a B-movie.)

If you have free time and want to enjoy a fun movie I recommend it.

I cried a lot watching this film. My heart was filled with so much anger, hatred, rage, and sorrow. I also felt quite hopeless. It brought back memories from my childhood and also from the time when I was once a volunteer teacher. Bullying is not an easy issue to fix. It seems so easy what to do when you're an outsider looking in, but when you're actually in the circle, you can get lost.

It also reminded me about the differences between high-school life in the US and in Thailand. How your time in Thai high-school can be the best time of your life. You would meet lots of great friends there. While it can be hell to kids in the states when you're lucky just to have a few friends. I'm not saying there's no bullying in Thailand but I would guess it's less serious compared to what's happening in the US.

And with many movements trying to change Thai school system to become more "democratic" by getting rid of the hair code and maybe the uniform, which I support, I wonder what would that lead us to. Will life in Thai high school gradually turn into what's happening the US?

I re-watched the film and I still liked it. The form is very forced to the point where it's borderline pretentious. But somehow, it's fun to watch and I except it. I'm really not sure why. I have problems with "Silent Light" but not this one. Maybe it's because the film is grounded on the rawness? It has some scenes that were shot on real streets with real events. So the pretentiousness blends well with the grittiness of reality? I like how the camera's movements, the cut and the use of sound are so mechanical. I also like how practically everything is symbolical. Everything is composed. Its pretension is so obvious that it's adorable. I can see how this film was conceived from a bunch of images in mind. It works like a comic book. "Post Tenebras Lux" is my favorite film of Raygadas. This one comes second.

Upon re-watching it, my reaction was oh...okay, everything makes sense now. Haha. I loved the film and that's why I'm watching it again. What I remembered from the first viewing though was that nothing really makes sense. It was all fragmented but really intense. I didn't understand anything much but I just loved the form, the energy, the direction. Now that I'm seeing it again, everything makes perfect sense. Everything is there. The story is well connected. How did I miss it? Was I too young when I first saw it? Now that I know everything is well connected, the mystery is gone in a way. It's less fascinating in a way. It's like the "code" is not unknown anymore. The key has been unlocked. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing. One thing for sure is that the film is definitely not random. But part of me wish that the bewilderment was still there.

Still a great film though. Truly inspiration.

I thought I was gonna get something more provoking, more challenging from Harmony Korine, instead what I got was a film that is pretty conventional and preachy in its spirit.

With all those voice-overs floating around with random sort-of floating and sort-of beautiful images, It's pretty much like watching a Malick's film with less substance and with pseudo-spiritual awakening. I feel like I know what the filmmaker is trying to do, from the style, the cast, the story (or lack of). And I like what I think he has in mind. It's just that the actual film doesn't deliver. It doesn't take me to that special place.

James Franco is a nice plus and he kind-of brings the film together somehow. But still I cannot help but wanting to laugh because I don't trust him as an actor anymore. I'm not sure if he's actually making fun of his role or not. His own real life persona makes him too meta to be believable in any movie roles, especially in a 'fantasy' film like this, which maybe is the whole point of the film.

I feel like this movie was conceived out of images in the director's mind; young beautiful women in colorful bikinis with guns and gangsters. Perfect for good poster and trailer. Not so much for a movie though.