The problem I have with this film is that it has an idea but no dramatic tension. The first hour or so is a random series of events with gratuitous blood, gratuitous crime, a gratuitously-obnoxious family, gratuitous sex (fortunately very brief) and so on. Several times I thought of giving up and watching something else.
The last half-hour is more satisfying as (at last) the idea starts to emerge, and the last ten minutes is truly heartbreaking.
So my rating is almost entirely based on the remarkable performance of Ben Whishaw, who is never off-camera and deserves to appear in a film more suited to his evident talents.
Several commentators have described this film as a portrayal of a "nervous breakdown", or in similar terms. As a retired psychiatrist I would say that the protagonist's behaviour is not really typical of any recognized disorder. It might just be an affective-psychotic dissociative state, or psychogenic psychosis in Scandinavian terminology. But, given Ben Whishaw's genius, I'm prepared to suspend disbelief.
The last half-hour is more satisfying as (at last) the idea starts to emerge, and the last ten minutes is truly heartbreaking.
So my rating is almost entirely based on the remarkable performance of Ben Whishaw, who is never off-camera and deserves to appear in a film more suited to his evident talents.
Several commentators have described this film as a portrayal of a "nervous breakdown", or in similar terms. As a retired psychiatrist I would say that the protagonist's behaviour is not really typical of any recognized disorder. It might just be an affective-psychotic dissociative state, or psychogenic psychosis in Scandinavian terminology. But, given Ben Whishaw's genius, I'm prepared to suspend disbelief.
Tell Your Friends