Weird film, yo.

Strange energy and it all began with the 1.66 : 1 aspect ratio and the dizzying cinematography, which I adored.

From the jump, the screenplay sucks you in. Like, you want to know where Leda (Olivia Colman) and what’s she’s gonna do. But, if I’m honest, this film was difficult to enjoy.

I thought I was watching what happens when someone loses their train of thought when they describe the finer points of a recent vacation—just a seemingly endless flow of tangential thinking, with a few flashbacks sprinkled in.

Now, that said, I loved how the director, Maggie Gyllenhaal, tackled situational anxiety. There were at least five scenes where characters had to “fight or flight” their way through a complex situation, and the outcomes felt fluid and natural—felt like I was watching a documentary. Gyllenhaal has been determined since she produced and acted in a leading role in the HBO series “The Deuce.” I am thrilled for her directing trajectory and I hope to see her tackle more unconventional and seemingly uncomfortable narratives.

Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, and Jessie Buckley killed this shit.🔥🔥🔥 I want Olivia and Dakota together in something else. I need to see them in a dreamedy or something with dark humor. Buckley is a newer artist to watch, but I’m intrigued to dig into her catalog and watch her for years to come.

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Highlights:

-Directing ☑️

-Aspect Ratio ☑️☑️

-Ensemble Cast ☑️☑️

-Score ☑️

-Editing ☑️

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🤨🤨🤨-lights:

-Screenplay

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In conclusion, an extremely neutral experience and I cannot stand that feeling. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it either.

I appreciated a few technical aspects, including the rigidity and tightness of the aspect ratio coupled with the close-up framing.  It tricked my mind into thinking there was a continued escalation of a dangerous, anxiety-driven ongoing situation, but when met with the slowness of the film’s narrative, it just made me feel “meh…”