0
out of
0
people found the following review helpful:
It's good but it could be great
Overall Recommendation:
5 stars
Premise:
5 stars
Story structure:
4 stars
Character:
3 stars
Dialogue:
4 stars
Emotion:
3 stars
July 30, 2012
I love this idea and I would love to see the feature length film. I loved EVERYTHING about this film except for three scenes, but I desperately hated those three scenes.
The opening was great except for one thing, the man they're chasing. For me the word "rapist" instantly makes me want to reach for the stop button. I'd prefer if he was a mugger, a thief, a drug-dealer, someone that sells counterfeit paintings: ANYTHING else, making him a rapist adds an element the scene doesn't need and makes it feel like the director is just trying to get a cheap reaction from the audience. I wouldn't harp on this in it's own separate little paragraph but there are people that do have a BAD reaction to the word and it can really ruin an experience for them by bringing to mind concepts that make them unspeakably uncomfortable during a film where they don't need to feel uncomfortable. Besides, it could be used as a chance to inject a little levity--the crime could be something obscure or just out of the ordinary.
Then there's the pool scene. I had a lot of respect for this movie for not showing the female lead in her underwear so it felt like a betrayal when it happened, particularly with such a reserved character who would have viewed clothing as protection from the pain the outside world caused her. I felt like there was a strong theme with clothes and keeping people away, especially with the cloaks being used to protect them from accidentally touching someone in public. I was hoping that this theme would really be worked with and get stronger throughout the course of the film but this scene completely wrecked what I thought could be a strong element in the movie. I know it's weird that Blue would jump into the pool with her clothes on but maybe it could be something that amuses Tyler or a way to lead into a more natural conversation than the one that occurred.
The conversation seemed very forced between them and gave me the distinct feeling that Blue was drunk. I know that Blue must be feeling a thousand things and that Tyler isn't feeling anything but the entire conversation is very strange in a way that I can't quite describe.
And then she starts acting like a slut. I get her wanting to touch someone that doesn't hurt her but I think it should be handled VERY differently. Holding his hand seems like a more reasonable thing for someone characterized as a distant person to do in this situation, not throw herself onto him and ask him to rub her. Frankly, it feels like the movie screaming "don't look away from me, if I show you this character acting like a slut will you keep looking?" and it's a shame because I don't think that the movie needs to resort to showing skin or making Blue act suddenly very different to get the point across. Not to mention that, if you live most of your life with a fear of touching people, then it doesn't evaporate in an instant even if the reason behind not touching people was gone.
I think that having Blue wanting to hold his hand would be more reasonable, particularly since she hasn't seen this boy since she was young and probably remembers him as a little boy despite him being an adult now that she's found him again. There's a level of comfort that can be found in just holding someone's hand that can't be communicated through a gratuitous scene like the one that was in the test film.
Then the scene where Tyler and Blue almost have sex. I might be sounding like a prude by this point so let me start by saying that I have no problem with sex or sexual themes in films. I have a problem with sex or sexual themes in films where it is not needed to add to the plot. This is a movie where it doesn't add to the plot not to mention that it plain doesn't make sense for a character that spent half her life avoiding people. It would be a SCARY thing to be able to touch someone. You would want to but you would want to take it much more slowly. I know that I'm really harping on this but I am so tired of seeing this kind of scene in movies.
The scene in the hotel room also needs more lead up. I wasn't sure why Blue was asked to do this until they both screamed. It doesn't clearly show when they realize that Blue's touch can bring him out of it. I understand that it's her touch that brings him out of it but there's no actual chemistry between them in the story up to this point due to Tyler's apathy, it could just as easily be something where she invites him to a movie or on a walk where she could hold his hand for the period of time that would make him come back. When I saw this scene I was just caught up in the fact that when I meet someone I haven't seen in years I can't separate the adult they've become from the child they were. Kissing them would be extremely awkward.
All that being said: I want to see this movie in it's full form and I love the ending where all of them were together and starting afresh so much I watched it twice.
The opening was great except for one thing, the man they're chasing. For me the word "rapist" instantly makes me want to reach for the stop button. I'd prefer if he was a mugger, a thief, a drug-dealer, someone that sells counterfeit paintings: ANYTHING else, making him a rapist adds an element the scene doesn't need and makes it feel like the director is just trying to get a cheap reaction from the audience. I wouldn't harp on this in it's own separate little paragraph but there are people that do have a BAD reaction to the word and it can really ruin an experience for them by bringing to mind concepts that make them unspeakably uncomfortable during a film where they don't need to feel uncomfortable. Besides, it could be used as a chance to inject a little levity--the crime could be something obscure or just out of the ordinary.
Then there's the pool scene. I had a lot of respect for this movie for not showing the female lead in her underwear so it felt like a betrayal when it happened, particularly with such a reserved character who would have viewed clothing as protection from the pain the outside world caused her. I felt like there was a strong theme with clothes and keeping people away, especially with the cloaks being used to protect them from accidentally touching someone in public. I was hoping that this theme would really be worked with and get stronger throughout the course of the film but this scene completely wrecked what I thought could be a strong element in the movie. I know it's weird that Blue would jump into the pool with her clothes on but maybe it could be something that amuses Tyler or a way to lead into a more natural conversation than the one that occurred.
The conversation seemed very forced between them and gave me the distinct feeling that Blue was drunk. I know that Blue must be feeling a thousand things and that Tyler isn't feeling anything but the entire conversation is very strange in a way that I can't quite describe.
And then she starts acting like a slut. I get her wanting to touch someone that doesn't hurt her but I think it should be handled VERY differently. Holding his hand seems like a more reasonable thing for someone characterized as a distant person to do in this situation, not throw herself onto him and ask him to rub her. Frankly, it feels like the movie screaming "don't look away from me, if I show you this character acting like a slut will you keep looking?" and it's a shame because I don't think that the movie needs to resort to showing skin or making Blue act suddenly very different to get the point across. Not to mention that, if you live most of your life with a fear of touching people, then it doesn't evaporate in an instant even if the reason behind not touching people was gone.
I think that having Blue wanting to hold his hand would be more reasonable, particularly since she hasn't seen this boy since she was young and probably remembers him as a little boy despite him being an adult now that she's found him again. There's a level of comfort that can be found in just holding someone's hand that can't be communicated through a gratuitous scene like the one that was in the test film.
Then the scene where Tyler and Blue almost have sex. I might be sounding like a prude by this point so let me start by saying that I have no problem with sex or sexual themes in films. I have a problem with sex or sexual themes in films where it is not needed to add to the plot. This is a movie where it doesn't add to the plot not to mention that it plain doesn't make sense for a character that spent half her life avoiding people. It would be a SCARY thing to be able to touch someone. You would want to but you would want to take it much more slowly. I know that I'm really harping on this but I am so tired of seeing this kind of scene in movies.
The scene in the hotel room also needs more lead up. I wasn't sure why Blue was asked to do this until they both screamed. It doesn't clearly show when they realize that Blue's touch can bring him out of it. I understand that it's her touch that brings him out of it but there's no actual chemistry between them in the story up to this point due to Tyler's apathy, it could just as easily be something where she invites him to a movie or on a walk where she could hold his hand for the period of time that would make him come back. When I saw this scene I was just caught up in the fact that when I meet someone I haven't seen in years I can't separate the adult they've become from the child they were. Kissing them would be extremely awkward.
All that being said: I want to see this movie in it's full form and I love the ending where all of them were together and starting afresh so much I watched it twice.