It’s in the middle of the week. What have you been up to? Me, I’m thinking of writing a review as part of My Film Views blogathon. It’s called The 5 Obstructions, inspired by a movie with the same name. But what is it about exactly? Read more below :
This is not a blogathon where you write one post and you are finished. This is a blogathon for which you have to write 5 posts (1 per month) with 1 restriction in place each time. The goal? To challenge yourself as a writer and force you to get out of your comfort zone (hopefully) resulting in lessons learned to improve your blogging in various ways.
Well, I’m open to anything new. Entering the blog’s third year, I’ve used to some regular blogging ways. Some I already getting used to. But I love the idea to challenge yourself out of your comfort zone. So here’s one first post for the blogathon. The first chapter is Obstruction One :
Honestly, I always avoid movies I think I won’t enjoy. Maybe that’s a bit judgemental, but I just want to use my time to something I’ll enjoy. Perhaps on this occasion, I have to give some movies a tryt. Considering I don’t want to write hateful post, I won’t choose writing a negative review of a movie I love (though it doesn’t necessarily must hateful). So, I pick positive review of a movie I don’t like.
I almost choose Your Highness (2011), though I survived watching it (I didn’t finished watching the first time). But I decided to review One Day (2011) instead. I rated it 2 stars before, and I caught the movie on cable several days ago thinking that I have judged the movie too harsh before. So here’s my review :
“Whatever happens tomorrow, we had today.”
The movie tells a story about Emma (Anna Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess) who spent the night together after graduation, but they agreed to be friends. The story goes telling each of their lives each year in one day, sometimes together and sometimes apart, showing how far their lives have come. In each of the year, it becomes clear that Emma holds feeling for Dexter. But the real question is, will Dexter, the good-looking and uncommitted guy will accept nerdy-and-modest Emma?
Some love stories today might be very forward on showing their feelings to their love interests, but One Day isn’t like that. The truth is from the plot story (showing two people each day in each year) already is a spoiled about the progress of two people who will or won’t be together. Either way, there’s an unfinished story about these two person, though they agreed to be friends after spending one night together. What irritated me was how long they progressed, but on my second viewing (I realize) some relationships are just like that in real life. Could be because the two people just need to be matured first to face what they’re about to face together. And could be, they must find their own selves first. And this “slow pace” of stories might be too classic to digest today.
Sturgess delivers a good performance as an attractive guy but off-limits to Emma. He might not be wise in his young age, but who isn’t? All those years he couldn’t see that the perfect girl for him is Emma, but he’s too childish to handle her at that time. It’s not all his fault, because when he reached everything he could have, Emma seems to settle to the good and not the great. It’s not really Emma’s nature to confess her feelings to Dexter. Whether is pride or fear of rejection, Emma kept her feelings safe. Or maybe, it was Dexter’s uncommitted behavior that makes her doubtful.
While they could use better make-up and retouches to make them look younger/older, the costumes were pretty precise on showing the era they lived in. Mostly it was showed in wardrobes Emma wore; the boots and dress in 90s and retro look in the end of the movie. I enjoyed the romantic-magical atmosphere in the music score as well, scored by Rachel Portman. The movie locations were pretty soothing to see, like in the valleys and deck. This Lone Scherfig’s second film might not be more perfect than An Education (2009), especially the female lead, but it’s one beautiful love story. The plot on using one day on each year makes a different storyline and perhaps makes it more effective than linger on one/two phases or scenes. The story is probably too romantic too digest for some people. But it really is about a person’s phase to maturity and the journey to find “the one” or someone you should end up with. I actually considering to read the novel after this.
Movie Score :
