Don't Look Now

If it weren't for Buffalo '66 and Garden State, I'd say Don't Look Now was the best movie we have seen this year. It surely does join the two in the category though. This was an excellent movie from beginning to end. There was not a part of the movie that I wasn't into but nor was there a spot when I actually knew exactly what was going on, but this only added to the film being an excellent one. I'm very glad we decided to watch the whole movie and not just the beginning because I really did gain quite a bit from it.

First, though, about the movie. If you know me, you know I love a movie with great actors that really fulfill a character's personality. Don't Look Now had just that in it. That's the first thumbs up for Nicolas Roeg, the director. He had an excellent group of people that helped the viewer see things from each person's point of view. Although this really confused me at times, it was a great thing to concentrate on in the film. Another thing I have to give a thumbs up to him for is how the atmosphere is portrayed in the movie. I love how it completely fits the storyline. If you watch closely, it is never really bright and sunny but most of the time everything seemed to be overcast and muggy. I thought this added to the overall effect of the movie in a great way.

The story itself, or the storyline, is one heck of a quality in this movie. Without a doubt, this is the movie with the best and most original storyline I have seen this year. At this point right now, I'm not sure I truly understand everything but that is the beauty. The movie still has me thinking and wondering. I contribute this to the movie being a ripple effect. It seemed to start off with this one central theme and story and then branched to another, which then branched to another, and the pattern continued all through the movie up to the point where we finally meet the red-hooded figure face-to-face. There was so much going on and so much occuring at once that I really did get tryly lost but I found it fun trying to get back in the know of what was going on in the movie at that certain place and time.

Besides what I thought about Don't Look Now, I gained much from the experience. Even though a given, it is extremely important to mention about the technique used in this film. It had to be some of the best I have ever seen. The mise en scene was incredible and the camera usage was excellent. The lighting in conjunction with the atmosphere was very well done. Along with the numerous amounts of mise en scene, the shots taken were the best. The new technique we were introduced to, match cuts, are an awesome thing and really portrays a lot. I wish more directors would use it because they really guided me through many parts I was lost in. Once again, Mr. Roeg gets another thumbs up.

Another thing I got out of this movie was to see how fear really does affect our lives. Whether we experience death or not, Don't Look Now really displays some of our weaknesses in fear within life that we always seem to deny. We see clearly how people, who in this case because of death, experience fear and how they handle it. In the movie, one lets this fear take over his life while the other trys to improve on the fear that is attempting to take over her life. It is amazing how some of that really relates and reflects some people, even those self-proclaimed "fearless ones."

I truly enjoyed the movie as it combined everything I search for in a film. From the technique and the cast to the storyline and the atmosphere, Don't Look Now probably beats out the majority of American Hollywood films nowadays.

-Kevin