Extremely well acted, particularly by the lead. Appropriately creepy and atmospheric -- as well as poignant and introspective. Makes a character out of a "monster". Examines Dahmer's struggle with his homosexuality and that struggle's basis for his sickness. Doesn't focus on the violence, and doesn't explore the cannibalism at all. Flashback structure works well. Liked the comparisions of his banal teenage years to the horrific current years. Would have liked a little bit more of an acknowledgement of how totally out of control this guy became. Cinematography is excellent at times -- but is bedeviled by some sloppy focus work. Again, the lead actor is topnotch. This is a work to be proud of.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Frailty
(2001)
Stop the trend of switcheroo endings
14 April 2002
Warning: Spoilers
THE SIXTH SENSE was a terrific film. But it started a terrible trend. Namely, the compulsion to "trick" the audience with a twist ending that redefines everything you've seen in the story up to that point. The problem with these switcheroo endings is they often force the characters in the main plot to seem like they're behaving illogically. However, once we see what the TRUTH behind the tale is, we can then go back and see the justification for the characters' bizarre behavior. The problem is, you can't enjoy the main story while it's happening because it doesn't make sense (I had this problem with THE OTHERS but most people didn't). In FRAILTY, the compulsion to "fake out" the audience is taken to such an extreme that film-makers put all their eggs in the "climax" basket -- and forget about telling a main story that works. We're therefore forced to endure a serious of absolutely unbelievable plot developments and character decisions. Two kids basically go along with their father on a killing spree. He tells them he's been told by an angel to kill "demons" posing as real people, and that this is "God's work." The younger kid accepts this explanation -- the older kid takes issue with it. But he doesn't freak out, run away, have a tantrum, become traumatized, tell somebody -- all the stuff a kid would actually do if he saw his daddy axe-murder somebody. The reason for his (and his brothers's) abnormal behavior is ultimately explained by the switcheroo ending -- an ending you can predict in the first act. But then the entire film just becomes a prologue to the final "reveal." And you're left snoozing and rolling your eyes. And being offended by the decision to put such young kids in the midst of such ghastly killings -- and even have one of them ultimately weild the axe. Yes, THE SIXTH SENSE was a great film -- but hopefully Mr. M. Night will put an end to the trend of "twist endings" by telling some straightforward stories himself -- ones that shock and intrigue without relying on fake outs.
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