I could only bring myself to watch the first half of this film - I know the ending and it's too disturbing. But the movie has a lot going for it. Chiefly, the writers seek to understand and empathise with Christine, the young journalist on a small town TV news program. She's very intelligent, capable, sensitive and outspoken. But she's a misfit, unable to connect to others, and worried about her love life. There doesn't seem to be an answer to this problem, so maybe that's where her despair comes from. As Christine, Rebecca Hall is excellent. She immerses herself in this world. She is far from the glamorous TV reporter and her problems are real problems, not superficial stuff. The movie has a washed out look - a yellow tinge that gives it an other-worldly vibe. It reminds us what a different world the mid-70s were, with political and social turbulence, changing gender roles, and primitive technology, compared to today. I like how everyone in the movie seems to be muddling through life. Christine's news editor seems a bit gruff but he's not evil. He's under a lot of pressure because the news program isn't doing so well. It will probably always be a mystery about why someone would act like Christine did in the end. But it's worthwhile exploring her mindset. And good on the producers for making a film about a complex, intelligent young woman who's not a Barbie doll.
Review of Christine
