The title does suggest a horror film. But if you see the trailers and the film itself, it is most certainly NOT a horror film. It does have some very minor horror tropes. But on the whole, it is more of romantic drama with some small sci-fi elements. It is hard to describe why without spoiling it. Using other movies, I would call it an avant-garde version of Ghost, with elements and similar themes of Interstellar, Donnie Darko, Cloud Atlas and weirdly Troy.
This is definitely not a film for everyone. The pacing is very slow, it is quiet for the majority of the film, there is little dialogue and the themes are quite complex and are mainly told from a visual standpoint. I'm not trying to sound superior. It's just that this type of film is clearly not for mainstream audiences. But if you want to be swept away with this deeply fascinating story, then by all means discover it for yourself.
At first I was really unsure about it. But after a development during the second act, I gradually warmed to it and ended up being gripped by it. Now I want to know more about.
There's only two major roles in it, in the form of Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, and they are great both individually and together. Casey Affleck is really getting into a hot streak of top performances. He has certainly not let up after his Oscar win earlier this year. As for Mara, it was not until her performance in Carol that I felt her to be such a terrifically powerful actor and not just a pretty face.
What I think gives this film that special quality, is that it is definitely the type of film that will be analysed and discussed at length for years to come, whether it is seen as a great film or not. It will certainly make me think whilst trying to go to sleep for the next few weeks.
It is a weird fascination to be confused by a film that you really liked. This fits perfectly. There are some extraordinary scenes that show great symbolism, it has huge and ambitious ideas and to tell it pretty much visually is quite impressive.
I did have some problems with it, and it was all pretty much in the first act. But as the film went on, the more important they felt later on. However, the long takes in that part of the film still felt unnecessary in its length.
The technical side of the film was top notch all-round. The cinematography is gorgeous to look at. That as well as the haunting and dreamy score and the Polaroid screen aspect ratio made this quite an atmospheric experience.
I felt I wouldn't like this at the start. But by the end of it, I was quite impressed by it. Despite some excessive lingering scenes in the opening act, it is a really good human story. It is quite a unique and equally plausible portrayal of life, death and the theory of the occult. It explores grief really well, and that there are a fair amount of recent films with similar themes on grieving that have won me over like Demolition, Rabbit Hole or Moonlight Mile.
It will be very interesting to see if this has a chance of fairing well in the major awards, or its experimental style might not fit in well with the voters.
Rating: 8/10
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