Review: Christine

I knew very little about this true story. But I know the basics. It seems to be more well known in American society rather than across the pond. So with pretty much knowing how this story turns out, to win me over, it has to be about the build-up.

It's worked with films like The Social Network and any successful re-make. As for Christine, this is all about a character study, and a fascinating one. It also portrays the beginnings of how modern American new companies work to boost their figures. Saying that reminded of a film a couple of years ago called Nightcrawler. It also has obvious similarities to Network and Broadcast News.

For the performances, I have to go straight to Rebecca Hall It is quite a transformation for her and she completely inhabits this role and is terrific. I am shocked that she has been completely over-looked by every major awards committee. Hall carries the film perfectly, and her performance alone makes this a film a must watch.

Even with the film being pretty much about Hall's character. The support cast manages to contribute rather well. Michael C. Hall was really good in his role. Fans of Anchorman's Ron Burgundy should check his performance, as he comes very close to being almost a skit of him. Tracy Letts became quite integral to the story and how it developed. Also, Maria Dizzia has good moments, especially towards the end. A nice surprise was Timothy Simons, who plays such a sweet and innocent character that just makes you go "aww" every time he does something.

Apart from Hall, what this makes quite gripping viewing is the increasing sense of anxiety. It starts off with bright promise, and then it slowly whirls into a sad story of something I can relate to. It had that feeling of being a step behind everyone else who are going for the same dream. That feeling of being fragile and being left behind despite what you think you're doing is right.

While I know slow-burners never work for everyone, I think this is essential viewing. Not only for Hall's transformation as the title character, but to understand why this true story happened.
Director Antonio Campos really got under the skin of our main character. He made the whole viewing experience tense, unsettling, awkward, heart-breaking and I am not even talking about the brutal ending. Even with all this, there is a small amount of comedic moments, which I felt worked well.
The authenticity of 1970's America was perfect. It managed to feel so natural and that none of it felt like people playing dress-up.

It has a lot of interesting ideas going for it with a lot of good performances aiding it. Hall is the big draw and this could be seen as one of the hidden gems of 2016.

Rating: 8/10