Review of Hold Up

I recently viewed "Hold Up" with my Contemporary Film class at RIT, and i have to say i was rather impressed. What stood out most was the tone of the film, the ability for comedy to be omni-present in the beginning but devoid in the last minute of the film, thereby providing an entirely different view of the movie. We view Carrie as a comedic character who we are supposed to laugh at, all the way up until we realize she knows the clerk, Meghan. Even, then we continue to smirk and laugh, but there's that idea in the back of your mind that there might be more to this than simple comedy. It's not until Carrie exits and the whole mood of the film changes, and it's then that that idea in our heads is confirmed: Carrie is not thinking like you and me, shes maybe depressed or obsessed, and shes going to desperate ends to get back what shes lost. This changes just about everything, and we understand now, it was only funny because we didn't know any better, and now we look at Carrie in a different light, curious to her nature...maybe even sympathize?

The only detractor for me was the somewhat sterile acting. With the exception of Meghan, the characters are played with a sort of emotional distance, one the calls to mind "Mulholland Drive" where David Lynch purposely had his actors distance themselves emotionally, to create a surreal plane of existence. However that doesn't work here, because i so want to identify with these people, or at least sympathize, but i can't because of the detachment.

Overall this film works, and i'm definitely glad i've seen it, it gave me a new look on just what might motivate a person.

scot.