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Wilderness (2023)
Seriously Misunderstood! Long Review, Some Spoilers.
*I ramble a bit and wax poetic some. Read at your own risk*
Just wanted to say upfront I do agree with previous reviews about some of the series' flaws. It would have made a better 4 part limited series rather than 6 full episodes. And I'll admit there were a few slow moments, and other story issues but the show more than makes up for it in subtlety, intelligent dialogue, and content.
However, I think the series is largely misunderstood. Most reviews focus on being boring, slow, it not being what they expected, too much filler, etc. So what about the actual content of the series? Well let's break it down.
On the surface it seems Liv and Will have the perfect life. A new city, new apartment, exciting career for Will and a doting wife in Liv; if maybe a little unhappy and also needy and naive.
Things unravel pretty quickly revealing that her so-called perfect husband has not been perfectly faithful. Liv is devastated; Will is properly contrite. After the typical emotional reactions by both parties, they decide to work on it and work it out, and off they go on their dream trip.
I believe the viewer is meant to be drawn in to thinking that something will happen to this couple or between this couple on the trip. But if the viewer has been paying attention to the subtle clues (her backstory with her mum and dad's divorce, the short length of time Will and Liv have been married, their almost immediate move to another country away from everyone and everything Liv knows) they'll realize that something was already off about this seemingly happy couple.
What follows in the next episodes is a normal scenario when one spouse cheats. The cheating spouse lies, then love bombs the betrayed spouse; acting remorseful, regretful, and downplaying the severity of the affair and promising it will never happen again.
The betrayed spouse desperately clings onto the lies (though deep down inside knowing they aren't true) as more and more things come to light that reveal just how involved the affair actually was. Everything from snooping in Will's phone and email, discovering a sex video, the tension of bitterness and resentment, Liv breaking free from her mental prison to get drunk and hit the town, and Will's impatience over wanting to just move past it with his insistence he can "fix it" and restore their once perfect relationship.
It comes to a head as we see Liv go from shock to acceptance, then from being hurt again over discovering more lies - then to disbelief as we see her stoop to lows of finding the other woman; then to bitterness, a quest for revenge, some grief (and some surprising compassion for the other woman) and eventually - uncontrollable rage.
All throughout the series it views like a trainwreck; things continue to get more and more awful, they go further to hurt each other more and more, and its hard to look away from the crash we all know is coming.
And while everything is unfolding - the depth of Will's lies and betrayals, the twisting of situations, being weighed down by guilt, Liv's desperate need to survive, and their shared forced need for the other - it's slowly tallying the consequences of every decision they made separately and together.
The story deals with two aspects that particularly intrigued me:
1. It plays with what we as a society believe is justified when and accident or tragedy occurs and and flips it on its head, questioning motivation over situation; and
2. It provides a close-up, blow-by-blow view of what happens when a person is pushed beyond what they think they can bear - then pushed again and again and again - culminating into a steady, deliberate, and complete mental and psychological breakdown of a person we thought innocent, into someone whose demons came back to haunt her, being twisted into a version of herselves that she never thought possible.
Will's inability to change, despite his desire, is based on his own childhood trauma and he plays out these broken cycles over and over, all while his proclamations that "everything will be fine when..." get weaker and weaker as he slowly starts to accept, then embrace, his own depravity.
While Will's twisting is blatant and becomes more transparent as things progress, Liv's twisting is more subtle, blurring the lines between right and wrong, justified and worthy of punishment. I found myself both cheering her on and wanting her to get caught at the same time.
Liv is ultimately unraveled trying to escape Will's messes, her choices, and the the grip of control she finds herself in the end - believing for the majority of the story that she has no way out. The story is about way more that a bad marriage, or who is victim/perpetrator, an opinion on traditional gender roles or toxic relationships.
In fact, regardless of identity or orientation, these relational dynamics play out commonly in couples and group of all types, which is why we tell so many stories that deal with these themes.
How do we as humans find ourselves in situations where we are suddenly in the wrong, after having such horrible things done to us? Where is the line between right and wrong and is there a clear line? When does something unjustified, though accidental, become accepted and when does something that is deemed justifiable become morally wrong? These are all questions the series asks while providing a voyeuristic view into the experience of two very damaged people.
In the end, Liv's descent into madness is complete when she goes back to the place it happened, with some level of acceptance, and comes across a random park ranger whose comments set her off - revealing the depth and breadth of her twisted psychological state, solidifying her transformation from prey to predator.
The Menu (2022)
Thought Provoking, Made Me Smile
This is one of the best thought-provoking, social commentary, and satirical pieces I've seen in recent memory. If you enjoy psychological thrillers and twists you don't expect, then watch this movie.
In it's subliminal opinions surrounding art and "the artiste" there were many moments where it made me smile. Things that ramble around inside my head that I never say seemed to naturally unfold through the plot, dialogue, and sets in this movie.
If you are looking for thrills or to inspire fear, this movie won't be for you. If you want something that makes you think, agrees with your inner critic and your inner sarcastic realist, then you will definitely enjoy!
PS - this movie does inspire fear; just in a different way. Being fearful of what happens when passion is twisted into obsession ;)
Copshop (2021)
Not Sure Why People Hating On It
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! I think it was supposed to be less serious, more witty, and it hit the mark. Got some Nice Guys vibes from the witty and comedic back and forth between the characters.
Great acting, directing, and a lot of dialog gems that were just plain fun. Classic intelligent, bored cop stuck in a small town surrounded by a bunch of amateurs.
The suspense was kept up, it wasn't too slow, and I never got bored.
Sure the ending was expected, but I think it fit the story and characters perfectly. The story was more about Louder's struggle than about the external forces that caused the situation.
All in all a good action movie to kick back to.
Anger of the Dead (2015)
Bleh
I'll preface this with saying I'll watch mostly anything if there's something I can glean from it, then it's worth it to me spend an hour or so kicking back to an ok zombie film (it's my favorite genre). I have definitely watched worse ones and will do so again.
Same as other reviews - poorly written script with too many plot holes, dialogue/acting was choppy, lack of a strong theme throughout (unless they theme was to show off the writer/director's unconscious hatred for women, then...nailed it!)
It's fine to make a statement about the strong vs. The weak when society breaks down, especially in a post-apocalyptic flick, as most of them do. But really - we get it - and got it about 20 minutes in. Didn't have to push it down our throats every 5 minutes. Your audience is intelligent enough to pick up on what you're trying to lay down.
Was there some other point that could have made? If it was something to do with hope and despair then it didn't quite get there. If it was that there is no point, that didn't resonate either.
If you want to just put something on, then this works, but don't expect anything meaningful. If you are looking for an overarching theme, something that makes you ask a question, spark a conversation, is thought-provoking, a new perspective or spin, entertaining, or something that delivers some purpose at the end, then this film is not for you.