Tyger Tyger treads much the same ground as every other drug-fueled road movie you can think of, yet manages to steer clear of most clichés...well, except for a couple of big ones: the "was this all in her head?" question posed by the end, and the fact that every character they run into is an over-the-top archetype.
You could compare it to David Lynch's work, meaning there's not really much of a coherent narrative, transformation of characters, or poignant commentary, so much as just dreamlike mood-setting and forcing the viewer to experience the protagonists' state of mind, in which both sobriety and comprehension of what is going on at any given moment are always just slightly out of reach.
Unlike the many films it reminds me of, though, the dramatic intensity and manic energy is dialed way back, and it's kind of a relief. Tense moments one would expect to end in tragedy just kind of fall apart and you're whisked along to the next adventure. The most "druggy" moments never turn grotesque or disturbing, and nobody dies. Questions about the main characters, the pandemic, and the "meds" mostly remain unanswered, yet by the end, you don't care, because it wasn't really about any of that anyway. You just step into this other world for a while...Tyger Tyger is an escape, and whatever satisfaction you derive from the film will have to come from that, since there's not much else to it.
If some of your young-adult life involved poverty, substances, and road trips, you'll recognize the world of Tyger Tyger and at last some of the characters. You'll also recognize the feeling of profoundness assigned to whatever the most interesting thing is in their lives, be it the William Blake poem referenced in the film, a "deep" conversation between two people with chemistry, or the revelation of someone's humanity as they tell their stories of trauma and pain.
The casting, acting, direction, photography, and new wave soundtrack selections are all enjoyable, all very well done. The film is also fairly compact, at 90 minutes; the length felt just right.
The script is so-so, and I can see how it's not a film for everyone. But as an example of its genre, it's not bad at all, it has a moderately satisfying ending, and like I said, it's a relief that it's never as shocking or absurd as it would've been if it had been made in past decades.
Solid B+ from me.
You could compare it to David Lynch's work, meaning there's not really much of a coherent narrative, transformation of characters, or poignant commentary, so much as just dreamlike mood-setting and forcing the viewer to experience the protagonists' state of mind, in which both sobriety and comprehension of what is going on at any given moment are always just slightly out of reach.
Unlike the many films it reminds me of, though, the dramatic intensity and manic energy is dialed way back, and it's kind of a relief. Tense moments one would expect to end in tragedy just kind of fall apart and you're whisked along to the next adventure. The most "druggy" moments never turn grotesque or disturbing, and nobody dies. Questions about the main characters, the pandemic, and the "meds" mostly remain unanswered, yet by the end, you don't care, because it wasn't really about any of that anyway. You just step into this other world for a while...Tyger Tyger is an escape, and whatever satisfaction you derive from the film will have to come from that, since there's not much else to it.
If some of your young-adult life involved poverty, substances, and road trips, you'll recognize the world of Tyger Tyger and at last some of the characters. You'll also recognize the feeling of profoundness assigned to whatever the most interesting thing is in their lives, be it the William Blake poem referenced in the film, a "deep" conversation between two people with chemistry, or the revelation of someone's humanity as they tell their stories of trauma and pain.
The casting, acting, direction, photography, and new wave soundtrack selections are all enjoyable, all very well done. The film is also fairly compact, at 90 minutes; the length felt just right.
The script is so-so, and I can see how it's not a film for everyone. But as an example of its genre, it's not bad at all, it has a moderately satisfying ending, and like I said, it's a relief that it's never as shocking or absurd as it would've been if it had been made in past decades.
Solid B+ from me.
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