Can a movie be too mysterious? Based on this movie; yes, it sure can!
This movie is really too mysterious for its own good. It perhaps may sound like a backhanded compliment but it really isn't though. For 90% of the movie you'll have no idea what is going on exactly. Not because the movie has a complicated story, or is telling things in an incredible messy way. No, simply because the movie isn't telling you- and revealing anything to you, until its final 15 minutes or so, which is far too late really. You need to give the viewers at least something to latch on to, which however is something this movie just isn't ever doing. At least not effectively enough.
It's all a shame really. I mean, here we have a pretty good and promising looking movie, with a great atmosphere and also a fairly good start. It's also not like I hated this movie but as it kept going on it became obvious to me that the movie wasn't going to give me anything or anyone I could ever care for. You just don't know how you should ever take its characters, since you just don't know what they are all about. It's hard to like or care for any characters that are like that, also since it's pretty obvious that even the main 'good guys', which are girls in this case, are hiding something and aren't all that they seem.
This also definitely isn't a horror movie, despite of some horror related themes in its story and some killings that occur in it. This really truly is a mystery-thriller though, so know what to expect. This looks like a horror movie, it sounds like a horror movie but once you start watching it soon becomes apparent that it's taking a totally different approach to things.
But even while I wasn't ever too fond of the movie its mystery and the fact that the movie wasn't really ever doing anything all that interesting, I still never was bored by this movie, which is of course a positive thing to note. It means that the movie still is definitely watchable enough and it never becomes a horrible one with anything. It's not exactly a movie I would ever recommend to anyone but if you do decide to watch it, it won't feel like you are wasting your time on it.
A far from great movie but at least it's still a watchable enough one.
It actually keeps surprising me how much liked and well received Paul
Thomas Anderson always are but not because of the reason you might
think. It surprises me because his movies are by no means easy to
follow and don't always necessarily follow a clear main plot line. He's
somewhat of a cross between an art house director and an old fashioned
director, who allows the actors and images to tell the story, without
constantly having to spell out everything for you. In other words; he's
not a mainstream director and his movie's also aren't mainstream ones,
by any stretch of the imagination. You could say that the foremost
reason why he has a thriving Hollywood career and why studios love to
back him up is thanks to the big name actors he attracts and who are
always more than willing to work with him and to put their names in the
posters, to draw in the crowd. And having said that, I'm glad it works
out that way for Paul Thomas Anderson, fore his movies are always a
rare, unique treat, that are often both fascinating and captivating to
watch.
And whether you are going to fully understand this movie or not (and
chances are you not) it will still leave you thinking- or have
discussions about it afterward. That can be a great strength of a movie
as well and makes it obvious this movie might have a more profound
impact on you than you might first think that it did. As a matter of
fact, the more you start thinking back about it, the more you'll be
able to piece certain things together and make you start to appreciate
the movie all the more.
There is not one real definitive meaning or point behind this movie, I
believe though. You can take out of it whatever you are able to see and
find in it. There is no wrong or right in regard to 'getting' this
movie. It really all depends on your own perception of things.
Might sound confusing and terribly unappealing to you; a movie that's
not really having a clear narrative in it, with a beginning, a middle
and an end. But it's not. It's just storytelling done differently and
in some ways more interestingly. If you still want to grab on to some
form of more conventional storytelling, try to keep this in mind;
characters in Anderson's movies are often first set up, then dissected
and completely broken down and after that buildup again, as changed and
almost completely new individuals. In that regard there always is still
a more clear pattern and way of storytelling to always latch onto, as
also is the case with this movie.
And really, there are so many ways you could take this movie, so it's
also not like Im going to pretend that my interpretation of it is the
ultimate one, or that I actually understood every aspect of the movie.
But really, that doesn't change absolutely nothing about the fact that
it's an absolutely fascinating and captivating movie to watch.
It basically is about two characters, rather than one, even though you
could say they are more or less the same. The same in the sense that
they are looking for the same sort of things, even though they are
basically in all regards still complete opposites of each others.
That's probably also why they are so drawn toward each other, on a more
spiritual type of level. The Philip Seymour Hoffman character gives the
Joaquin Phoenix character what he wants, which is guidance, in trying
to help to let him make sense of things. A sort of father figure even,
as starts to become more apparent toward the end of the movie. And the
Philip Seymour Hoffman character gets what he wants, which is another
loyal cult follower and a sort of pet project to toy around with and
try new methods and theories out on, even though he probably knows very
well he's a lost cause. But there is more to the whole relationship and
both might admire each others lives and personalities, on different
levels. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a more calculated and thoughtful
person while the Joaquin Phoenix character is more of a loose cannon,
doing everything on intuition and without ever holding back. In that
way, both men also compliment each other. Whenever the Philip Seymour
Hoffman character wants to get mad but has to restrain himself, he
allows the Joaquin Phoenix character to go berserk. And whenever the
Joaquin Phoenix character goes berserk, he has the Philip Seymour
Hoffman character to back him up and help him through with his
guidance.
Both are basically crazy but in totally different ways. Both try to
have full control over themselves and their lives, by creating a
comfort zone. The one by totally creating a world of his own, with a
cult following and by controlling- and 'mastering' over others. The
other also tries to live in his own world, by drinking a lot, even
stuff that isn't alcohol related.
Of course it helps a tremendous lot that the two main characters get
portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix. Philip Seymour
Hoffman is absolutely great in some moments but Joaquin Phoenix is
absolutely great all throughout! It really is easily his best role till
date and he deserves all the awards and praise he's getting for it. He
completely transforms, making him even almost unrecognizable as Joaquin
Phoenix in parts.
It's crazy though that only this movie its main actors are nominated
(and well deserved) for an Oscar but it's not nominated for even one of
the visual and technical awards. And both visually and technically this
truly is an impressive movie as well. I'm not even talking about Paul
Thomas Anderson's directing and storytelling approach but more so about
the movie its look and atmosphere. It's set in the 1950's and the
entire movie totally, looks, feels and smells that way. It's absolutely
incredible to see, some of the stuff they pulled off for this movie.
Guess it does in fact make a big difference on which format you shoot
your movie. The cinematography is absolutely stunning, as are all of
the period costumes and other minor details.
But lets end this before this review actually starts to become longer
than the actual movie. After all, this is absolutely something you need
to experience for yourself and not read about it. Only maybe afterward,
to try to grow a better understanding of things and read about things
from multiple different perspectives, which might make you like and
appreciate the movie all the more. But chances are you are going to end
up loving this movie regardless, simply based on your own
interpretation of things. You are the very least going to love this
movie for its acting and visual approach alone, if nothing else seems
to be able to grab you, which is hard to imaging.
It's all a shame really. I mean, here we have a pretty good and promising looking movie, with a great atmosphere and also a fairly good start. It's also not like I hated this movie but as it kept going on it became obvious to me that the movie wasn't going to give me anything or anyone I could ever care for. You just don't know how you should ever take its characters, since you just don't know what they are all about. It's hard to like or care for any characters that are like that, also since it's pretty obvious that even the main 'good guys', which are girls in this case, are hiding something and aren't all that they seem.
