I guess some people will see this as a masterpiece because it's edgy and bleak. I agree that there's enough going on to keep you watching, but that's partly to see if it will get better. The necessary style this movie is imitating belongs to a bygone era, where such technical effort and prowess would only be worth investing in a good story. There's no good story here.
The Lighthouse, for example, is comparable in genre but is a far better movie.
There's a 'concurrent arguments' script in one scene that's good, but for the most part it's kind of dull and punctuated with lame tropes (such as Londoners are all ignorant, Cornish fisherman are rugged and angry). The knot-tying and net fixing shots are weird and one can only guess it's a metaphor.
Then there's the acting. Patchy at best; melodramatic retro in one shot, low key contemporary impro the next. It feels cobbled together and disjointed and ponderous. There's a reason, you can't help thinking, why they don't make 'em like this anymore.
The ending in particular is unsatisfactory. I have no clue what happened.
If you're looking for something different, you are patient and earnest, and want to find out if the Mark Kermodes are right, give it a whirl. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Steer clear however if you want something shiny and engaging and think you might be a potential one-star, one-review person.
The Lighthouse, for example, is comparable in genre but is a far better movie.
There's a 'concurrent arguments' script in one scene that's good, but for the most part it's kind of dull and punctuated with lame tropes (such as Londoners are all ignorant, Cornish fisherman are rugged and angry). The knot-tying and net fixing shots are weird and one can only guess it's a metaphor.
Then there's the acting. Patchy at best; melodramatic retro in one shot, low key contemporary impro the next. It feels cobbled together and disjointed and ponderous. There's a reason, you can't help thinking, why they don't make 'em like this anymore.
The ending in particular is unsatisfactory. I have no clue what happened.
If you're looking for something different, you are patient and earnest, and want to find out if the Mark Kermodes are right, give it a whirl. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Steer clear however if you want something shiny and engaging and think you might be a potential one-star, one-review person.