Rating of
2/4
A Weak Protagonist
Franz Patrick - wrote on 07/23/08
I thought it started off somewhat slow and hoped it gathered momentum as it went along, but it kept its pace from beginning to end. Most critics thought that this film is brilliant but I don't think it is because it's neither entertaining or artistically challenging. I feel like there was a big idea that was looming around but it was never fully realized because the story was too busy going in circles. It was hard for me to feel for the protagonist because she's not necessarily strong. We are forced to spend time with her because we see pretty much everything through her eyes, only to realize that she's a more manipulative person than she initially seems. Since its pace was slow, the film felt longer than absolutely necessary; as each minute passed by, I grew more and more restless. Still, there was a mystery to this picture that kept my attention during the first half and the revelation during the second half was interesting enough. I think if the filmmakers made the middle portion a bit more focused, it would have been a more well-rounded picture. As for its tone, it's extremely somber and it had this very realistic feel to it, which was interesting because it somewhat begged to be compared to films like "Rear Window" and "Disturbia."
