I may be going to see this today so I might have something to add a little later on.
Hope you didn’t read the post above, Tommy. In any event, I’d be interested in hearing your comments about the film.
I didn’t read it and I still haven’t read it. I still have yet to see the film though, I got a little caught up. Hopefully I’ll see it by the end of the week because that’s how long it’s playing in the theatre.
OK, let me know. Hopefully, I remember most of the important details by the end of the week. :)
Jazzaloha
There are some films that don’t really intelligence or rely on cheap solutions to the problems presented in the film, but, at the same, time don’t leave one very satisfied, either. The solutions offered by the film leave one feeling like what was the point. That’s one of the main issues I wanted to discuss about this film.
Before I go into that, I will say there were points in the film that I had no idea what was going to happen next, and I really liked that sensation—something rare when watching these type of films. Ultimately though I didn’t feel completely satisfied with the film, and I’ll go into that below.
(spoilers)
The ending of the film is the main source of my dissatisfaction—not that I wanted a happier ending. Indeed, I would prefer the current ending to a happier one, unless the film could somehow make a happy ending work (which would have been really difficult). What I was looking for was something more tragic or at least something with more feeling. Instead, I’m left with the impression that both characters pretty easily go on with their lives—either feeling much anguish (something that would have been natural). Sonia, in the last shot with her boyfriend, doesn’t seem perfectly content, with no trace of remorse. Guido seems to have moved on, rather easily, imo. So what was the point? Is there some message or point in the way the film ended? I’m interested in hearing some theories about this.
Also, why include the scene with Sonia calling her father? The scene suggests that Sonia may be about to turn over a new leaf, but by the ending that doesn’t seem to be the case. My conclusion is that the film has this scene to set up the viewer, but then it’s sort of a cheap misdirection, imo—as it doesn’t seem to be a genuine part of the character.
Other thoughts:
>I liked the way the film kept me guessing about what happened to Guido, creating the impression that his ghost was haunting her.
>When Sonia is about to be buried, I had no idea where the film was going. By the way, the scene that followed it reminded me of De Palma’s Femme Fatale.
My rating: 69/100