I don’t know how many other critics consider themselves a work in progress, but I’m always trying to absorb stuff about film from everywhere. More recently, podcasts, and when i hear this title, it makes me wonder what the team at You Are Good would say about a film that suggest it might be about emotions and feelings, and is kind of adjacent to that, because we are always feeling or emoting, but the title isn’t the nail on the head you assume it is. Then again, was Poor Things? The Lobster? Do you even care what yorgos titles his films?
Here, the director of Poor Things and The Favorite takes basically the same cast and tells a trio of stories that are very thinly connected. We’re talking like fine hair, not even a string. Jesse Plemons, Emma Stone, Willem Defoe, and Margaret Qualley, all make up this rotating force. Whether it is a man seeking independence from his boss, only to immediately regret it, or a family dynamic disrupted when a missing woman returns with some slight personality adjustments, or even the bonkers cult-ish final act, Yorgos plays his eclectic drum once again.
This is definitely directed by the guy who brought us the aforementioned Lobster and Poor Things, and now, he is trying his hand at an anthology style movie.
Not surprisingly, this experiment pays off. It may not be his best work, but it is challenging work, and work likely to be well respected.This will have fans. It is impeccably directed, with a quirky score, and terrific performances. The problem, like with any anthology series, each section has to be as good as the rest, or one section can drag the overall feeling down.
Plemons and Stone really have standout moments,but neither are likely to see awards love. Remember, they have to hit it out of the park in all three roles at a high level, which just isn’t true for anyone. Moments, yes. The whole thing? Interesting, but no one is working at the peak.
I thought the audio description was fun and adequate.
Hulu managed to get the audio description, and I’d recommend it just so you can follow all the changes in each segment. Every chapter is a new set of characters and relationships.
I’m glad he did this. The summer is such a weird time for this movie though. But, 20 years from now, this will be a chestnut for Yorgos fans.
Final Grade: B+
