Charlie Kaufman, 2020
May contain spoilers!
I'm not entirely sure where to start with this one. I saw the trailer for this film and, naturally, it grabbed my interest, because it looked bizarre. Little did I know the trailer was fairly vanilla compared to what was coming.
The plot follows a couple who haven't been together for that long, who embark on a long distance car journey, en route to Jake's (the boyfriend) parent's house. This will also be the first time that the young woman, Jake's girlfriend (who is referred to by at least 3 different names in the film) will meet his parents. In the trailer it is also made known that the young woman is 'thinking about ending things' with Jake, so this adds an extra layer to the film, rather than being just about a couple on a long journey. The film then takes an incredibly deep dive into symbolism, surrealism and complexity.
Now, at first glance, my first thought was that the film is clearly an arty film. Arty films are typically aimed at more of a niche market, rather than a mass, market-wide release blockbuster type film. This is confirmed pretty early on, as a lot of the young woman's inner voice dialogue is odd. They are both equally as strange, but seem to be intellectual and knowledgeable about poetry. Her profession also changes throughout the film, and leads to more confusion on who or what this woman is.
The film is actually based on a book, entitled the same, written by Ian Reed, and follows the same plot. Charlie Kaufman is one of the only directors that would attempt to pull off a film adaptation as complex as this. Having said that, I haven't read the book, but can only assume after reading up on it, that it is just as odd as the film.
The one definite that I can take away, is that the four main members of the cast, Jesse Plemons (Jake) Jessie Buckley (the young woman) Toni Collette and David Thewlis (Jake's mother and father) deliver incredible performances, which is often the case in films like this. If the story is already confusing, dark and disturbing, one of the main things that emanate to the audience is the way those feelings are portrayed by the cast. I am already a huge fan of Plemons, after watching him in Breaking Bad, El Camino, Fargo and Black Mirror. He plays an incredible weirdo, and that is a testament to his incredible talent as an actor. I would love to see him become a household name, and if he carries on this way, it won't be long.
The same can be said for his counterpart in the film, Jessie Buckley. I wasn't familiar with anything she has done, and after a bit of research, this appears to be her breakthrough role. With Charlie Kaufman as the director, it was never going to be a simple watch, but he clearly guided the actors through this film, and it makes for a gripping watch.
Another feature of the film that makes it impossible to take your eyes of it is the beautiful cinematography. Director of Photography was a polish cinematographer called Lukasz Zal, and once again this looks to be his breakthrough in to the mainstream.
This being said, this film was way too arty and surreal, even for me, and I love a weird film. It wasn't even remotely easy to guess what the film could be about, in terms of symbolism, and just when you think you understand what's going on, it turns even more unsolvable. The film runs a little too long for my liking, especially when apart from maybe the first act, the audience hasn't got a clue what's going on. The final act, combined with an underlying subplot involving a janitor, is the most bizarre thing I think I have ever witnessed in a film.
The film appears to touch on issues such as ageing and dementia, issues with parents, relationship struggles, death and love. In each of these instances, the film clearly invites us to explore and think deeper, but for me it doesn't quite come off.
The film has its ups, including stellar performances, nail biting tension at times and beautiful cinematography. But me for, the film falls short of my expectations. The downfalls of the film massively weigh it down, and I couldn't love it. I really wanted to love it, however, I'm not even sure I liked it.
My rating: 5.5/10
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