It's odd to be positive about a movie that makes you feel like you've been run over. But really, truly positive I am.
I'm writing these first few lines as the end credits still run and I feel like I've just watched a really long version of the video for Ultravox's 'Dancing with tears in my eyes' combined with the ending to 'The Mist'. This obviously isn't a jolly, Christmassy feeling but it's impressive when a movie has an impact like that.
It's heavy and intense. It's a thought experiment. It's surreal and horribly close to home at the same time. It might be reminiscent of a few other things, but the Christmas aspect makes it original.
I also think it's well-acted. Some people say it's all over the place, going from joking to crying in the space of two minutes, but I think that's part of the point. Once you know what the situation is, the way they act is appropriate in my opinion - knowing what is about to come, I think you can expect people to be manic, forced, unnatural, erratic, and that's how it's acted.
Reading through the reviews, I'm rather astounded at how many people have not truly watched it. If you did, and you didn't like it, that's your prerogative, of course. But I've seen a few reviewers summarise the impending doom as 'poison by the Russians', meaning you didn't actually listen properly to the dinner table conversation in which this was explained.
And if you want to stop watching after fifteen minutes, sure, you do you - but come on, don't leave a review when you haven't properly seen the film.
Then there are people who say this is about the pandemic. Don't people know how long it takes to write, plan, cast and then actually make a film?! This was thought out and at least partially filmed pre-covid, people!
It's not about Brexit either, nor is it a feature on the problems of millennial parenting (I'm serious - one reviewer actually interpreted it that way). There's really no point in proper parenting on your whole family's last day...
It's not 'woke' either; it briefly mentions that the situation has to do with the way humans treat the earth, but that's more tp partially explain it than to preach because it's never mentioned again (and if that already triggers your cognitive dissonance - maybe do something about it?).
And then there are the people who can't handle the swearing. To those people I say - if you wouldn't swear on a day like this I think you are more disturbing that this film's subject matter, ha! But the point is - there's actually a point to the swearing: the children are allowed because of the situation, so I actually thought it added something.
I have to mention the music. There's a real disconnect sometimes and that is, of course, very intentional and it works. The ending is followed by the most haunting, heavy, atmospheric rendition of 'Silent Night' I've ever heard, thanks to Lorne Balfe.
I thought this was a beautiful, difficult, partially surprising, partially predictable, atmospheric, thought provoking, heavy hitting tragicomedy that only the British can pull off.
I'm writing these first few lines as the end credits still run and I feel like I've just watched a really long version of the video for Ultravox's 'Dancing with tears in my eyes' combined with the ending to 'The Mist'. This obviously isn't a jolly, Christmassy feeling but it's impressive when a movie has an impact like that.
It's heavy and intense. It's a thought experiment. It's surreal and horribly close to home at the same time. It might be reminiscent of a few other things, but the Christmas aspect makes it original.
I also think it's well-acted. Some people say it's all over the place, going from joking to crying in the space of two minutes, but I think that's part of the point. Once you know what the situation is, the way they act is appropriate in my opinion - knowing what is about to come, I think you can expect people to be manic, forced, unnatural, erratic, and that's how it's acted.
Reading through the reviews, I'm rather astounded at how many people have not truly watched it. If you did, and you didn't like it, that's your prerogative, of course. But I've seen a few reviewers summarise the impending doom as 'poison by the Russians', meaning you didn't actually listen properly to the dinner table conversation in which this was explained.
And if you want to stop watching after fifteen minutes, sure, you do you - but come on, don't leave a review when you haven't properly seen the film.
Then there are people who say this is about the pandemic. Don't people know how long it takes to write, plan, cast and then actually make a film?! This was thought out and at least partially filmed pre-covid, people!
It's not about Brexit either, nor is it a feature on the problems of millennial parenting (I'm serious - one reviewer actually interpreted it that way). There's really no point in proper parenting on your whole family's last day...
It's not 'woke' either; it briefly mentions that the situation has to do with the way humans treat the earth, but that's more tp partially explain it than to preach because it's never mentioned again (and if that already triggers your cognitive dissonance - maybe do something about it?).
And then there are the people who can't handle the swearing. To those people I say - if you wouldn't swear on a day like this I think you are more disturbing that this film's subject matter, ha! But the point is - there's actually a point to the swearing: the children are allowed because of the situation, so I actually thought it added something.
I have to mention the music. There's a real disconnect sometimes and that is, of course, very intentional and it works. The ending is followed by the most haunting, heavy, atmospheric rendition of 'Silent Night' I've ever heard, thanks to Lorne Balfe.
I thought this was a beautiful, difficult, partially surprising, partially predictable, atmospheric, thought provoking, heavy hitting tragicomedy that only the British can pull off.