Director: Lynne Ramsay
Writer: Lynne Ramsay (Screenplay) Jonathan Ames (Book)
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Judith Roberts, Ekaterina Samsonov, Alessandro Nivola, Alex Manette
Plot: A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe’s nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.
Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Divisive to Say the Lease
Joe’s latest job is to help Senator Albert Votto (Manette) find his daughter Nina (Samsonov) who has a habit of running away. When this latest mission gets out of hand, Joe must seek revenge on the people responsible in the bloody way possible.
Thoughts on You Were Never Really Here
Characters – Joe is the veteran that is suffering from his own nightmares, traumatised from his time at war, his outlets include a mix of legal highs and searching for missing girls. He is excellent at getting the job done and can get his hands dirty where needed, he has a close relationship with his mother where he tries his best to care for her, but his latest job will show us just how deadly he can be. Joe’s Mother is the one person Joe opens up to, she is the only one that can keep him grounded through his troubles. Nina is the teenager that went missing, the one he promises to help, we don’t see too much from her other than he is part of his motivation.
Performances – There is no question that Joaquin Phoenix is brilliant in the leading role, we know his struggles he is showing us and watch eagerly to see what he does next. As for the rest of the performers, they are good as they are not trying to take the spotlight away from him.
Story – The story follows a struggle war veteran with the ability to track down missing people getting involved in a bigger picture that he just wasn’t prepared for. As things get out of hand he continues to question his own sanity as he looks to do the right thing for the latest victim. Well I think that is what I read from the movie, I am not going to lie when I say I feel I may have missed what makes this such the iconic special movie people have been talking about. It just seems to go into the you will need to understand every scene to make the answer to what happened as most of the interesting scenes do seem to miss the point.
Mystery – The mystery parts of this film come from just not knowing just where things will be going, just like Joe who is waiting to see what he has gotten himself into.
Settings – The film shows us just where Joe can stay away from the public eye but can be in the middle of the scene searching for the answers.
Scene of the Movie – Goodbye.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – This movie has been overhyped for me.
Final Thoughts – This is disappointing for me, because all I have heard is how great this movie is, but by the end of the film it does end up falling very short for me.
Overall: Disappointing.
Rating
