Written & Directed By: Julia Leigh
Cinematography By: Geoffrey Simpson
Editor: Nick Meyers
Cast: Emily Browning, Racheal Blake
A haunting portrait of Lucy, a young university student drawn into a mysterious hidden world of unspoken desires
A character study, Where the character we are supposed to be interested in and follow to learn more about. Is incredibly dull. Don’t get me wrong Emily Browning gives a brave performance and is an astonishing beauty to look at, but the film leaves her almost a enigma. While watching what she goes through on screen is what makes her performance noteworthy. Considering she was a replacement for Mia Wasikowska Who really dodged a bullet here. Director Julia Leigh asked her to watch the film ANTI-CHRIST and see Charloette Gainsbourg’s performance tobase her’s on it. Problemis ANTI-Christ is a better film then this.
Nothing much happens really in the film especially plot wise. The film plays more like a bunch of loosely defined sketches of things that are supposed to move things forward and characters who are not fully developed. The film just is very vague and seems to want you the audience member to fill in the blanks for yourself and no matter what you put there. You are not wrong sort of like abstract art. Only here very stylized.
The Camera work is magnificent and there are seed of what could have been a good powerful and erotic story. If only decisions were made not to let the film be so empty. The film is supposed to be erotic and it rises to the occasion without any real sex scenes. There is some niduty that is handled matter of factly but no sex. In effect it is all foreplay with no action.
The director has a keen eye. For the most part she keeps us away and at bay from the character and action. Rarely is there a close-up to show in the cold world in which the character inhabits no feelings. Emotionally spare. Nothing is ever fully explained. Which makes the film impersonal while showing us the main characters personal life. As the film never follws any other character and she is in each scene.
I dowonder that if sex was in the film. Would it make the film pornographic. Would it still make the film feel as empty as it already does.
The film is very slow and I found myself bored constantly. Each time you think the film will speed up. It fakes you out and stays on the same path. The film seems like an idea that was never fully fleshed out. An experiment missing key elements to it’s formula.
A noble Failure, but still a failure.
GRADE: D+
I like Emily Browning, and the fact that the poster was constantly on the IMDb homepage for months had me half interested, but everything I've heard substantiates what you've written. I haven't seen it, and now don't think I'll go out of my way to.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that sex would help the film feel less empty. It would probably just end up like In the Realm of the Senses, which is like just long boring porn pretending to be art.
Have you seen Martha Marcy May Marlene yet? Curious how you think it compares with this as an artsy character study.