"Look attentively, and you will always find these moments. Please, don't take them for granted, because in my nine days here, I never did."
I heard some praise about this movie awhile back, and so naturally I want to celebrate my 200th 2021 movie with a good one. Simply put, this movie is the Death Parade of American cinema, but in a more philosophical and pensive way.
Also simply put, this was a beautiful piece of art. The dreamy look of the landscape, the isolated house, the immersive music, and most importantly the lonely man painted a calm atmosphere. Because of this, the movie moved at a pretty slow pace, so it requires patience and attention to the dialogues between the characters in order to embrace the story and character development fully.
Since the movie was similar to Death Parade, this led to my only negative, which was that I already predicted how the character would end up. However, I still adored this movie for its symbolism. The main character chose to be emotionless and had a harsh look on life. Beneath that was actually a man, whose name was Will and represent human's will himself, lost his will and on a journey to rediscover his past self. From this, the movie sent a beautiful message about the meaning of living, and how they way a person view life can help them to find the will to appreciate life. When that last monologue came, I was floored and overwhelmed. It was probably one of the best ending scenes this year.
Overall, a beautiful and soulful celebration of life. 9.5/10.
Plot summary
Will (Winston Duke) spends his days in a remote outpost watching the live Point of View (POV) on TV's of people going about their lives, until one subject perishes, leaving a vacancy for a new life on earth. Soon, several candidates - unborn souls - arrive at Will's to undergo tests determining their fitness, facing oblivion when they are deemed unsuitable. But Will soon faces his own existential challenge in the form of free-spirited Emma (Zazie Beetz),a candidate who is not like the others, forcing him to turn within and reckon with his own tumultuous past. Fueled by unexpected power, he discovers a bold new path forward in his own life. Making his feature-film debut after a series of highly acclaimed and award-winning short films and music videos, Japanese Brazilian director Edson Oda delivers a heartfelt and meditative vision of human souls in limbo, aching to be born against unimaginable odds, yet hindered by forces beyond their will.
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Life is good
the thought that teases
As you contemplate this film -- and you will -- is that is if all films were like this, had the same high standards of scripting, acting, direction, editing, then maybe the world itself would be different too.
I couldn't find the meaning in the film that I badly wanted to
I desperately wanted to connect with this movie. The premise was so interesting and I knew that if done right it had the p[potential to be extremely powerful and tug at the heart-strings. It also had the potential to make you question the value of your existence. Unfortunately it did none of those things for me. I just couldn't connect with it. I kept waiting for it to find its rhythm and it just never did.
The film is well made. It's beautifully shot, there's some great dialogue and the acting is great. It can't be faulted in those ways. But none of that matters if you can't connect with your audience. When you read the synopsis for this film you know is going to be a unique and daring experience. Films like this take risks and even if they don't pay off they have to be admired.
I can't personally recommend this film because it was not for me. That's not to say that you won't find something in it though. In fact I'd love it if others could find in this film what I could not. Maybe I'll watch this film 10-15 years from now and find what I missed first time around. 5/10.