The director wants to be the new Andrei Tarkovsky but comes off as a transparent try-hard.
There are some very accomplished technical camera achievements but they do little to serve the story, such as it is, but seemingly are there for their own sake. The characters are dull and lifeless and we do not understand why the central character's obsession is so strong. From the flashbacks the romance is thin and without passion. The situations are often false, as though wanting to be mysterious or quirky for its own sake and not without any genuine merit.
The film is gorgeous to look at but really that's all it is. It does not contain true ethereal power such as to be found in the aforementioned Russian director's films.
If you want to see a truly original director at work watch An Elephant Sitting Still. Such a shame that director took his own life, as his was an original talent.
There are some very accomplished technical camera achievements but they do little to serve the story, such as it is, but seemingly are there for their own sake. The characters are dull and lifeless and we do not understand why the central character's obsession is so strong. From the flashbacks the romance is thin and without passion. The situations are often false, as though wanting to be mysterious or quirky for its own sake and not without any genuine merit.
The film is gorgeous to look at but really that's all it is. It does not contain true ethereal power such as to be found in the aforementioned Russian director's films.
If you want to see a truly original director at work watch An Elephant Sitting Still. Such a shame that director took his own life, as his was an original talent.