This is certainly a film that brings in a lot of varied ingredients to the table.
It opens up with a strange peak behind the curtain introduction that felt similar to how Lionel Jeffries ends his films. It did contain a beautiful transition into the film itself which got me hooked in.
After that, we're straight into an interesting ideas driven story that clashes religious belief and medical science. It showed that we as a species particularly from the chosen period setting want to suspend our disbelief and that we can't help but get swept away by fictional stories and wanting them to be true.
There was also a political edge to it as the story gave us something else to think about it. So while it is first and foremost a period drama, it's easy to see that it flirts between multiple genres. There is a mystery to solve, it's tense and hints at elements of fantasy and even horror.
With all of that to deal with, this film is definitely open to interpretation. There's several routes you could go down to summarise this.
As you would expect with all of her performances, Florence Pugh was great in this. It depends on her to carry the film and she accomplished that with great ease. Pugh's on-screen authority with Kila Lord Cassidy helped elevate the youngster that gave us a solid character for Pugh to bounce off.
It was nice seeing Tom Burke be part of this as I always feel he fits this particular time period perfectly.
The whole atmosphere is quite immersive. Plus, the really strange score that should feel out of place with the time period. But it managed to fit the tone and is a real standout.
I must mention that until the credits, I had no idea that the film is based on an Emma Donahue book. I became aware of this author after seeing the incredible 'Room'. I was pleased to see that on this occasion, Donahue is also part of writing team.
It's hard to explain that even though I'm not giving it an exceptionally high rating, I didn't really have any issues with it.
It does like to take its time. So from a personal point of view, it did take me a while to be fully on board with it. I think it's one of those films that is better to talk about afterward rather than watch it.
That's probably why I was surprised at how much I got out of this. This is a story that messes with your senses and brings up a lot of interesting topics and clashes them in an effective way. It's not for everyone as it is a peculiar story and the pacing is slow. While it does lack in action, it makes up for its drive in its own ideas.
Rating: 7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment