Only mild spoilers.
Here's a fairly tidy little French thriller.
The speedy timeline here, which isn't really laid-out(with the exception of some late emails), helps this films' plausibility and realism. I've seen some reviews with some negative commentary on those aspects and I didn't have any problems with this film in those regards. In fact, I thought it was actually one of the films strengths. It's a tight little thriller, with a seemingly compact storyline.
Perhaps the biggest strength of the film is the acting(across the board), and how those performances shine creating tension in the first half of the film. The film uses some nice touches to get the point across early - the breakfast scene and the couch scene both come to mind.
Why 7 for me? Well, because the film did lack the things that might have put it over the top. The ending is a little abrupt. The film could have used 45-55 minutes-more to finish what it started. Sure, at that length it still would haven't endeared itself to every casual movie-goer, but for this movie-craver, I can see how this one could've been even better. Besides, it's a european thriller, with subtitles, european chopped-pacing, subtle emotional acting, and probably wasn't going to appease American masses anyway, but I digress. I think the editor of the paper, late, the London showing, and(possibly) a physical tranformation twist could have really expanded and elevated this already solid film into rarified air.
"The Big Picture" is well worth your time, though, and kudos to the lead performance in particular. I love opening the film with "Volcano" by Beck, and the landscapes and scenery are just amazing. The cinematography isn't too shabby either.
I thought the film had some very interesting things to say about life choices, faith, fate, talent, and privacy.
You MIght like this if you liked:The Double Hour(about even), Match point(ever-so slightly better), or Unfaithful(ever-so slightly better or even).
I can recommend this.
Here's a fairly tidy little French thriller.
The speedy timeline here, which isn't really laid-out(with the exception of some late emails), helps this films' plausibility and realism. I've seen some reviews with some negative commentary on those aspects and I didn't have any problems with this film in those regards. In fact, I thought it was actually one of the films strengths. It's a tight little thriller, with a seemingly compact storyline.
Perhaps the biggest strength of the film is the acting(across the board), and how those performances shine creating tension in the first half of the film. The film uses some nice touches to get the point across early - the breakfast scene and the couch scene both come to mind.
Why 7 for me? Well, because the film did lack the things that might have put it over the top. The ending is a little abrupt. The film could have used 45-55 minutes-more to finish what it started. Sure, at that length it still would haven't endeared itself to every casual movie-goer, but for this movie-craver, I can see how this one could've been even better. Besides, it's a european thriller, with subtitles, european chopped-pacing, subtle emotional acting, and probably wasn't going to appease American masses anyway, but I digress. I think the editor of the paper, late, the London showing, and(possibly) a physical tranformation twist could have really expanded and elevated this already solid film into rarified air.
"The Big Picture" is well worth your time, though, and kudos to the lead performance in particular. I love opening the film with "Volcano" by Beck, and the landscapes and scenery are just amazing. The cinematography isn't too shabby either.
I thought the film had some very interesting things to say about life choices, faith, fate, talent, and privacy.
You MIght like this if you liked:The Double Hour(about even), Match point(ever-so slightly better), or Unfaithful(ever-so slightly better or even).
I can recommend this.