I saw this movie at Cine Vegas today. I was impressed with the camera work in this film. She double shot many of the scenes using different filters and then edited them together to produce an intriguing final product. She also dealt with the issue of 9/11. I like the fact that she used NYC as a backdrop for the film, but didn't dance around the reality which is/was 9/11. Although I don't typically like lots of voice over in film, I understand it was necessary in this film and therefore fine. There were also a couple good one liners in the film, like "Terrorism brought me out of the house, the war on terror sent me back inside." A must see for film students and agoraphobics. (agoraphobics better hope it is picked up by Sundance or IFC)
2 Reviews
What could have been a genuine piece of cinema, becomes a long, self-absorbed movie.
yoavshafir11 July 2005
When "The Time We Killed" started, I thought: Finely. A good filmmaker trying to do something different. The photography and editing are both unique, and go very well alongside the mellow, touching story. The voice over is made out of honest thoughts, which build a full believable character, rather than telling the story. Director Jennifer Todd Reeves chooses true intimate moments for her subtle heroine, which make the viewer feel close to her.
This is all true for the first 40 minuets or so. The sad thing is, what could have been a genuine piece of cinema, becomes a much-too-long, self-absorbed fringe movie. It is divided to chapters, which makes you very much aware of the time passing by. The character goes on and on talking about her life, and becomes uninteresting and incoherent. I've got the feeling that the shots I see are left-overs, and that Reeves really wants me to be bored, for some reason. Indeed, my time was killed. This hour and a half long movie, feels twice as long.
Further more, the dealing with the subjects of 9/11 and the Bush administration are superficial and in anyway not innovative. That's a shame, because NY after the terror attack has everything to do with the situation of the main character, and what made this movie significant in the first place.
This is all true for the first 40 minuets or so. The sad thing is, what could have been a genuine piece of cinema, becomes a much-too-long, self-absorbed fringe movie. It is divided to chapters, which makes you very much aware of the time passing by. The character goes on and on talking about her life, and becomes uninteresting and incoherent. I've got the feeling that the shots I see are left-overs, and that Reeves really wants me to be bored, for some reason. Indeed, my time was killed. This hour and a half long movie, feels twice as long.
Further more, the dealing with the subjects of 9/11 and the Bush administration are superficial and in anyway not innovative. That's a shame, because NY after the terror attack has everything to do with the situation of the main character, and what made this movie significant in the first place.
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