Can't remember the last time I saw a film so bland and pointless in my life. Not that it was necessarily boring, but it just kind of went on without any kind of point. No twist, no conflict, no moral, just a story about nothing.
shareYep, absolutely one of the most overrated movies I have seen last years. Read some raving reviews of it before watching, but gave up about halfway through - bored to death. Half of the screentime at that point had been variations of the same pointless scene from the bus they were driving in.
Guess it is supposed to paint a picture of the sad state of things many places in the midwest, but fails miserably in doing that to some meaningful degree for my part (in the half I watched at least).
It did feel like the life was an endless loop of travelling, selling and partying. Wasn't boring, but I do wonder about the rave reviews. That's one of the reasons I rarely pay attention to ratings these days.
I did like the main character though and I did care about her plight as well as the other magazine sellers.
As a film, I reckon it was too long by about 30 minutes.
If it's presenting itself as a kind of case study of young children in much of America or as a commentary on life in many ways, it's probably true that a lot of it is repetitive and serves no real purpose and it's about making the most of what you've got etc.
It was missing a traditional story arc all the same. Possibly the only "true" film moment was when she knocked the door of the house with the kid singing the song as it struck a chord with her emotionally.
I'm glad I've watched it. I won't watch it again though.
The director is British... Europeans tend to have less focus on plot in their movies, more about themes, ideas and aesthetics, although this movie takes it much further in terms of plotlessness...
shareEuropean art cinema might have less focus on plot. To suggest that British films and directors fall in to that specific European category is crazy though.
shareI get that it's a bit of stretch, but compared to American filmmakers I think it is valid. Compare Dunkirk with American war movies of recent times (Hacksaw Ridge, Fury, etc...) and you'll see what I mean.
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