1. "fantastic movie" In response to Reply # 0 Mon Jan-22-18 09:48 AM by The Analyst
Easily in my top 5 this year.
I also loved Baker's last movie, Tangerine, but this was probably better.
In both movies there was a bit of a concern on paper that it could come off as exploitative or mocking towards its very vulnerable subjects but in both cases it's totally mitigated by the huge amount empathy and compassion Baker brings to the table. The most empathetic filmmaker working today?
Dafoe slays. The child actor who plays Mooney slays even more.
7. "this felt pretty intentional" In response to Reply # 2 Wed Apr-06-22 01:44 PM by Mynoriti
>Does it undersell the trauma of poverty etc too much by >depicting such a fun kid?
i think it's kinda common in these situations for kids to just be kids, and whatever is gonna screw them up is gradual. i thought the contrast is what made it so interesting and that it's not really telling us how to feel, even though everything going on is more than likely still damaging.
even that old molester guy was treated has a half comical aside (talk about great casting), even though, it could have easily become horrific.
i felt conflicted the whole time. even when dcfs shows up, I really don't know if that girl would be better off in the system, than with an unfit mom who clearly loves her to death.
3. "Great film. Cinematography on point. Some of the best child acting ever" In response to Reply # 0 Tue Mar-13-18 12:30 AM by Deebot
Dafoe playing one of the biggest unsung heroes ever put on film in a completely natural and believable way was just cool to watch. Good humor throughout and a big emotional wallop at the end, what more could you ask for?
4. "I couldn't get into this one" In response to Reply # 0
I thought the kids were extremely annoying.
The best thing I can say is that it felt real. Too real actually. That was one of the problems. It gave me that "I don't watch movies to see this shit" feeling.
Couldnt finish it. After dude came to the room asking about his Disney bands, I turned it off...the kids were waaay too much for me, and I really wanted more Dafoe. The mom was...a piece of work, but I guess that was the point of the movie..sheesh...
6. "randomly watched this last night and I really liked it" In response to Reply # 0
i didn't even know it was the same director of Tangerine, but one of the first things i thought is that it reminded me a bit of Tangerine.
i almost tapped out early because i too was annoyed by the kids at first but it settled, and damn that little girl fucking crushed it.
Plus i kind of love movies like this. there's real story, just this short lived window into a world of people who exist on the margins. In tangerine it was just outside of hollywood, in this case, these weird disneyish run down spots that are just outside of Disneyworld.
8. "RE: randomly watched this last night and I really liked it" In response to Reply # 6
meant to say there's *no* real story
>Plus i kind of love movies like this. there's real story, just >this short lived window into a world of people who exist on >the margins. In tangerine it was just outside of hollywood, in >this case, these weird disneyish run down spots that are just >outside of Disneyworld.
>definitely felt present there the whole time, and i love when >that happens
i, too, "randomly" watched it on the same night and expected something as good as 'tangerine.' it did feel like i was there, but some good acting aside, this one left me a bit cold. i felt like i needed more of a story, which sometimes cinema verite offers.
15. "ha. i liked this a lot more than Tangerine" In response to Reply # 14
but it felt similar in the sense that i had to get past initially being annoyed by these kids in the same way i had to get past the initial in-your-faceness of Tangerine. it's interesting how he makes you work backwards
also Tangerine was less unfamiliar location-wise. i was literally working around the corner from where alot of Tangerine was filmed, so much that i spotted some of my co-workers cars are in the movie. And i worked graveyards, so that whole scene was kind of an ever-present background thing for me every night. not much interaction other than occasionally being solicited lol, every few months you might see a fight.
it of course also made the movie more interesting to me. still TFP sucked me in way more, all these spots right outside of disney look like broken dreams, filled with broken dreams. Halley was pretty much a gypsy.
16. "RE: ha. i liked this a lot more than Tangerine" In response to Reply # 15
i think what i liked about tangerine, besides it benefiting from being my first impression of the director's style, was it felt like such an alien world, whereas TFP seemed like something i've seen and could see (as in in person) without much effort. i guess it all depends on your POV. i grew up in the suburbs. the acting was stronger in TFP. tangerine was more visceral, like an assault on the senses.
>but it felt similar in the sense that i had to get past >initially being annoyed by these kids in the same way i had to >get past the initial in-your-faceness of Tangerine. it's >interesting how he makes you work backwards
you're right. it was off putting with both, but i stuck with them. i almost never bail, but with the beginning of TFP, i thought about it, if it didn't develop into something more.
>And i worked graveyards, so >that whole scene was kind of an ever-present background thing >for me every night. not much interaction other than >occasionally being solicited lol, every few months you might >see a fight.
i have a weak spot for urban movies at night especially with things going wrong or not quite as they seem. i get to experience the danger vicariously. TFP was so day lit, which appealed to me less because it just reminded me of road trips and towns i passed through without that one specifically.
>Halley was pretty much a gypsy.
i try not to compare, but in my mind when watching it i thought of how much i preferred american honey and the broken circle breakdown.
17. "i need to revisit American Honey at some point" In response to Reply # 16
i liked it, but i don't remember much about it other than saying to myself i shouldn't feel this attracted to a girl rocking a confederate flag bikini.. (who i found out later is also Elvis' grandauhter)
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