The ideas for a great film are certainly here. A group of people attempting to form a society in a spaceship after they have no hope of making it back to civilization which is set against their deteriorating mental states is definitely an interesting concept. I mainly enjoyed seeing the various ways the passengers coped with this, such as cults or sex orgies popping up, or the Mima being heavily relied on by the passengers as a way to keep calm. I appreciated the undercurrents of escapism in these scenes and I responded the most to them. In that sense, the film is at its best when one views these scenes in a vacuum for their stylistic and sensory merits.
Skimming through some critical reviews, I noticed that a lot of people liked the production design. I enjoyed some elements of it such as the exterior shots of the ship or the framing of the Mima. Overall though, I wasn't a fan of it. While I didn't mind that the interior of the ship didn't look futuristic, I wish that more work would've been put into it as it felt like the film was mostly shot in a shopping center and a hotel. To a degree, this distracted me as I could feel its low budget.
Also, after finishing the film, I couldn't shake the feeling that, in spite of all its craft and ideas, it had ultimately failed to connect with me. For one, I wasn't a big fan of the pacing. The film operated at a high pace, leading to a handful of segments and some various scenes being glossed over, as if the film was always in a hurry to get to the next scene. This style of pacing clashed poorly with how mundane and uneventful life on the ship was, making it hard to get on the character's wavelengths. While I don't think that every film should represent sculpting in time, displaying such felt especially necessary for this film concerning its tone. I also felt like the pacing harmed a few character motivations since there wasn't enough breathing room to flesh the ideas out in them fully, like the Astronomer's or Isagel's final scenes in the film.
Overall, I wasn't too impressed by this film. The groundwork for a great film is certainly here and the film managed to work a couple wonders out of its script, but ultimately, I don't think the film delivered on its promising setup and it ultimately left me cold.
Skimming through some critical reviews, I noticed that a lot of people liked the production design. I enjoyed some elements of it such as the exterior shots of the ship or the framing of the Mima. Overall though, I wasn't a fan of it. While I didn't mind that the interior of the ship didn't look futuristic, I wish that more work would've been put into it as it felt like the film was mostly shot in a shopping center and a hotel. To a degree, this distracted me as I could feel its low budget.
Also, after finishing the film, I couldn't shake the feeling that, in spite of all its craft and ideas, it had ultimately failed to connect with me. For one, I wasn't a big fan of the pacing. The film operated at a high pace, leading to a handful of segments and some various scenes being glossed over, as if the film was always in a hurry to get to the next scene. This style of pacing clashed poorly with how mundane and uneventful life on the ship was, making it hard to get on the character's wavelengths. While I don't think that every film should represent sculpting in time, displaying such felt especially necessary for this film concerning its tone. I also felt like the pacing harmed a few character motivations since there wasn't enough breathing room to flesh the ideas out in them fully, like the Astronomer's or Isagel's final scenes in the film.
Overall, I wasn't too impressed by this film. The groundwork for a great film is certainly here and the film managed to work a couple wonders out of its script, but ultimately, I don't think the film delivered on its promising setup and it ultimately left me cold.