I saw Evan Rachel Wood and knew it had to be at least a decent movie. I was not let down. She renders a believable character, with realistic emotional expressions , with good and bad. And Julie Sarah doesn't disappoint either. It's pretty much a given that this movie won't be everyone's cup of tea and not just because of the plot which is touchy to begin with. It's not quite your run of the mill movie, it doesn't follow the pattern you see in most movies, it doesn't really offer the kind of gratification and structure many people are used to when viewing movies that are considered good. Rather it's pleasantly and/or painfully realistic both in the backstory and the emotions that are conveyed. It's meant to be that way, it's meant to represent a kind of drama that happens in real life whether we want to acknowledge it or not. In several respects one can draw a parallel between this movie and for instance Lolita, but not the movies in which the plot was altered somewhat to be allowed on screen, but the book. The lines are blurred, and there's no clear cut value of right or wrong that we are mostly used to in movies. And after all is said and done, can we really say where an abuse victim ends and an abuser begins? No, we can't but what this movie may force us to do if we allow it is to empathize with the characters and that isn't meant to bring any closure or relief either. There are joyful moments and gut wrenching moments but overall there is an underlying heaviness that never leaves throughout. There's just two people in need of rescue, in need of feeling loved and understood who happened to be on the same orbit for a while and this is a fragment of their lives. No happy ending no explanation. It's up to the viewer to understand and feel what they're going through.
Review of Allure
