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gateslacker So, I was fortunate to find alternate viewing methods for this film and while I think that CM was amazing (and no, I'm not just saying that because I'm a total fangirl and I've also watched a fair amount of interviews from SDCC and find interview Colin so completely adorable) and totally demonstrates his fairly impressive range, the film didn't wow me in the way Parked did. Sure, I'm no great film expert but here are my reasons why:
Now, I will begin with the caveat that I have not read the book this film is based on so that very fact might just put me right out as having anything of value to say. For all I know, the film captured the essence of the book completely and emphatically. But, not everyone has read the book and, as a story and as a film, it felt very disjointed. Were the filmmakers going for a bleak tone? Otherworldly? Mysterious? Ethereal? All of the above? The scenery was amazing but I felt it was somewhat shortchanged by the pacing and choppy editing. Some scenes seemed abrupt and out of place and, honest to goodness, felt like a home video recording whereas others had a broad, cinematic feel. Oftentimes, I had to wonder just what had actually happened. We are told from the very beginning what Nikki has planned for her mother and, yet, time and time again, I had a hard time understanding her motivations, especially when she has more than one opportunity to kill Phyllis and does not go for it. Perhaps, if I thought she was developing a relationship with her mother or with Calum I would understand it but her actions always confused me. Is it her desire to know her mother before she offs her or is it her regard for Calum that stays her hand? Does she see him as a way to inflict even more damage; a means to an end? And that, in turn, calls into question her desire to help Calum. Is he the brother she wants to know and help break free from his mother's control or is it, again, a way of striking back at her mother? For the most part, I had a hard time connecting with Nikki. The only scene where I felt what might be going on in her head is the scene where she burns the picture of Phyllis, Calum, and Calum's father. I get that completely and, yes, I am sure she was very conflicted. I also didn't always buy the growing relationship between Calum and Nikki. It always seemed that Nikki had ulterior motives and she comes across as cold and calculating even when, judging the story as a whole and the importance of the Fir Apple tale, I'm not sure she is actually meant to.
And the flashbacks don't always help, either, particularly the one where Nikki is a child in her bed, scared, and the doorknob is turning. I kept waiting for that to go somewhere and it never did. I felt, out of all the flashbacks, it had some deep personal meaning but that meaning is lost to the viewer because there is never any reveal or emotional payoff there.
Truthfully, only Calum comes across as a completely sympathetic character. But, the idea that he is a child-like, odd but gentle soul lost in stories is turned on its head with the rape scene. Or, I guess it was rape. The whole scene is ambiguous and next you see her, Nikki is upset and rumpled on the beach. Nikki comes off as a seductress at first. Of course, she knows he is her brother so, again, what is the motivation there? Is it a part of her game plan that got out of hand? Does she have feelings for Calum even though he is her brother? Does an "I'm sorry" really cut it if the whole thing was non consensual? Would you still be willing to run off with that person? Take responsibility for something you didn't actually do, even if it was part of your original plan? To me, it also seemed a bit abrupt and out of character for the Calum we had seen thus far, despite the fact that he is the one to kill their mother, even if he did not actually mean to. His striking Phyllis seemed more likely and in character given their tumultuous relationship. (Of course, the way that scene was edited, I though he had struck Nikki, actually) Oh, and irony of ironies. Nikki was sired by Phyllis' brother. Is this a contrived parallel or true to the novel? ( And this is also the first scene where you begin feel a bit for Phyllis, despite the allusions to her terminal illness. It is too little, too late for her death to impact the viewer overly much)
And then, abruptly, Nikki is walking out to sea a la The Awakening and Calum drags her back and then, attempted suicide, matricide, and rape? forgotten, they pledge to never leave one another. Do what?!? And then the movie ends! That's it?!? The movie ends before I even get to see the one thing I am interested in seeing; the fallout from what has happened. Total character fail, there!!
I will say that I absolutely loved the scene where Calum tells Nikki the story of Table Rock. That scene was a total standout and even I was totally mesmerized by the telling.
Ultimately, I think what I call the indie curse strikes this movie. Though my experience with indie films is certainly not vast, the ones I have watched never fail to be interesting. They are certainly almost always a bit off center. As a viewer, I am typically disconcerted, which I am sure is also the point. These are never bad things. But, I think stories such as these often fail to deliver because, in the desire to tell an off beat tale, character is sacrificed unintentionally. I'll watch these movies and, nine times out of ten, the characters usually fail to engage me completely if at all. I just don't care about what happens to them. I wouldn't say that this is the entirely the case with this movie because there are moments where I feel something for the characters, especially Calum. And,obviously, I am left wanted to know what happened afterwards. There's just those other moments where I'm left thinking, "Well, that happened. I'm sure I'm supposed to be more affected than I am"
Of course, a second viewing might change my perspective. I also think reading the book might also be a huge help.
Now, I will begin with the caveat that I have not read the book this film is based on so that very fact might just put me right out as having anything of value to say. For all I know, the film captured the essence of the book completely and emphatically. But, not everyone has read the book and, as a story and as a film, it felt very disjointed. Were the filmmakers going for a bleak tone? Otherworldly? Mysterious? Ethereal? All of the above? The scenery was amazing but I felt it was somewhat shortchanged by the pacing and choppy editing. Some scenes seemed abrupt and out of place and, honest to goodness, felt like a home video recording whereas others had a broad, cinematic feel. Oftentimes, I had to wonder just what had actually happened. We are told from the very beginning what Nikki has planned for her mother and, yet, time and time again, I had a hard time understanding her motivations, especially when she has more than one opportunity to kill Phyllis and does not go for it. Perhaps, if I thought she was developing a relationship with her mother or with Calum I would understand it but her actions always confused me. Is it her desire to know her mother before she offs her or is it her regard for Calum that stays her hand? Does she see him as a way to inflict even more damage; a means to an end? And that, in turn, calls into question her desire to help Calum. Is he the brother she wants to know and help break free from his mother's control or is it, again, a way of striking back at her mother? For the most part, I had a hard time connecting with Nikki. The only scene where I felt what might be going on in her head is the scene where she burns the picture of Phyllis, Calum, and Calum's father. I get that completely and, yes, I am sure she was very conflicted. I also didn't always buy the growing relationship between Calum and Nikki. It always seemed that Nikki had ulterior motives and she comes across as cold and calculating even when, judging the story as a whole and the importance of the Fir Apple tale, I'm not sure she is actually meant to.
And the flashbacks don't always help, either, particularly the one where Nikki is a child in her bed, scared, and the doorknob is turning. I kept waiting for that to go somewhere and it never did. I felt, out of all the flashbacks, it had some deep personal meaning but that meaning is lost to the viewer because there is never any reveal or emotional payoff there.
Truthfully, only Calum comes across as a completely sympathetic character. But, the idea that he is a child-like, odd but gentle soul lost in stories is turned on its head with the rape scene. Or, I guess it was rape. The whole scene is ambiguous and next you see her, Nikki is upset and rumpled on the beach. Nikki comes off as a seductress at first. Of course, she knows he is her brother so, again, what is the motivation there? Is it a part of her game plan that got out of hand? Does she have feelings for Calum even though he is her brother? Does an "I'm sorry" really cut it if the whole thing was non consensual? Would you still be willing to run off with that person? Take responsibility for something you didn't actually do, even if it was part of your original plan? To me, it also seemed a bit abrupt and out of character for the Calum we had seen thus far, despite the fact that he is the one to kill their mother, even if he did not actually mean to. His striking Phyllis seemed more likely and in character given their tumultuous relationship. (Of course, the way that scene was edited, I though he had struck Nikki, actually) Oh, and irony of ironies. Nikki was sired by Phyllis' brother. Is this a contrived parallel or true to the novel? ( And this is also the first scene where you begin feel a bit for Phyllis, despite the allusions to her terminal illness. It is too little, too late for her death to impact the viewer overly much)
And then, abruptly, Nikki is walking out to sea a la The Awakening and Calum drags her back and then, attempted suicide, matricide, and rape? forgotten, they pledge to never leave one another. Do what?!? And then the movie ends! That's it?!? The movie ends before I even get to see the one thing I am interested in seeing; the fallout from what has happened. Total character fail, there!!
I will say that I absolutely loved the scene where Calum tells Nikki the story of Table Rock. That scene was a total standout and even I was totally mesmerized by the telling.
Ultimately, I think what I call the indie curse strikes this movie. Though my experience with indie films is certainly not vast, the ones I have watched never fail to be interesting. They are certainly almost always a bit off center. As a viewer, I am typically disconcerted, which I am sure is also the point. These are never bad things. But, I think stories such as these often fail to deliver because, in the desire to tell an off beat tale, character is sacrificed unintentionally. I'll watch these movies and, nine times out of ten, the characters usually fail to engage me completely if at all. I just don't care about what happens to them. I wouldn't say that this is the entirely the case with this movie because there are moments where I feel something for the characters, especially Calum. And,obviously, I am left wanted to know what happened afterwards. There's just those other moments where I'm left thinking, "Well, that happened. I'm sure I'm supposed to be more affected than I am"
Of course, a second viewing might change my perspective. I also think reading the book might also be a huge help.
