There is a world where acting skills are not required to make movies, in fact, in Werner Herzog's world, actors with acting skills are obviously dissuaded to use them.
I've always liked William Dafoe. It was his name among the cast that made me decide to watch this film to give him another chance after Lars Von Trier's Antichrist debacle, but I fear I'll have to be very cautious with Mr. Dafoe's future work.
This film is boring and stagnant. From all the takes of all the scenes, I'm sure only the ones with the worst acting performances were used. It is a long succession of uninspired scenes lacking any highs or lows, with actors who are clearly sorry that they committed to doing the film. None of them ever credibly interact, and they read their lines like an eight year old would a memorized poem beyond his or her understanding in front of a classroom.
All the characters are one-dimensional and there is no real explanation given why Mrs. McCullum was killed. From the outset, her son is notably deranged, but that's about it and the rest is hubbub.
To quote Mr. Herzog; "Film is not analysis, it is the agitation of mind; cinema comes from the country fair and the circus, not from art and academicism."
This film has the intelligence of a flea circus and may be many things, but it is not art although a rookie attempt was made to emulate David Linch-like visualizations, and it is most definitively not an academic descent into a killers mind.
Spare yourself this agitation...
I've always liked William Dafoe. It was his name among the cast that made me decide to watch this film to give him another chance after Lars Von Trier's Antichrist debacle, but I fear I'll have to be very cautious with Mr. Dafoe's future work.
This film is boring and stagnant. From all the takes of all the scenes, I'm sure only the ones with the worst acting performances were used. It is a long succession of uninspired scenes lacking any highs or lows, with actors who are clearly sorry that they committed to doing the film. None of them ever credibly interact, and they read their lines like an eight year old would a memorized poem beyond his or her understanding in front of a classroom.
All the characters are one-dimensional and there is no real explanation given why Mrs. McCullum was killed. From the outset, her son is notably deranged, but that's about it and the rest is hubbub.
To quote Mr. Herzog; "Film is not analysis, it is the agitation of mind; cinema comes from the country fair and the circus, not from art and academicism."
This film has the intelligence of a flea circus and may be many things, but it is not art although a rookie attempt was made to emulate David Linch-like visualizations, and it is most definitively not an academic descent into a killers mind.
Spare yourself this agitation...