I only saw this movie because it was on a lot of year's best list. I avoided it because aren't there like 3 movies/docs/TV series around whether a fall was actually a murder? How can anyone do anything new with the premise?
And yet this film had me guessing until the very final frame. That's a remarkable feat. My wife sometimes hates watching movies with me because I am predicting where it's going many scenes ahead of what's happening. I could not do it with this film.
I plan to watch again just to study how they maintained such suspense for a pretty standard premised movie.
Want more folks to watch this movie so we can discuss some theories.
********** "Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson
1. "Saw it a few months ago and have been chewing on it ever since." In response to Reply # 0
The scenes in French court were bananas. Seems so chaotic. Great performances all around. Didn’t expect my favorite film of the year to heavily feature a steel drum remix of “P.I.M.P.” But here we are.
*spoiler*
I realized about halfway through that they wouldn’t be answering the question of if she did it, and I’m glad they didn’t. After visiting the website they promote at the beginning and reading people’s responses, I think the whole point of this is not to answer the question or even allow the audience to draw their own conclusions, but to ask the audience “what does your conclusion say about you?” Almost like a “do you see the glass as half full or half empty?” kind of thing.
Hollywood has trained me because up until the very last minute I was waiting for the big reveal. I just knew the mother would do something to reveal she was the murderer or that the son would reveal that he made the story up. An American studio would not allow that movie to end without telegraphing that.
>The scenes in French court were bananas. Seems so chaotic. >Great performances all around. Didn’t expect my favorite >film of the year to heavily feature a steel drum remix of >“P.I.M.P.” But here we are. > > > > > > >*spoiler* > > > > > > >I realized about halfway through that they wouldn’t be >answering the question of if she did it, and I’m glad they >didn’t. After visiting the website they promote at the >beginning and reading people’s responses, I think the whole >point of this is not to answer the question or even allow the >audience to draw their own conclusions, but to ask the >audience “what does your conclusion say about you?” >Almost like a “do you see the glass as half full or half >empty?” kind of thing. > > >
********** "Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson
Frank Longo Member since Nov 18th 2003 86673 posts
Sat Jan-13-24 01:56 AM
9. "In regards to one of those... *spoiler*" In response to Reply # 4
... I think there's a lot of textual evidence within the film to suggest the kid made the story about the drive with his dad up. Or, at bare minimum, didn't depict it fully truthfully specifically in order to get him mom off. I think there are 3 or 4 concrete things within the film you could point to to suggest that the movie does *not* intend for you to take that story fully at face value.
Good movie. The mom is obviously getting all the praise, but holy shit, the kid was terrific. And the dog! How'd they get the dog to act that way in that one harrowing scene?!?
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