Review of Pure

I caught this movie at our local film festival and found the film fascinating. It tells the story of a young girl Katarina, beautifully played by Alicia Vikander, coming into her own maturity after being exposed to timeless music and poetry. Through abit of courage, she lands a job as a receptionist in city's music center, gradually giving her the skills and independence she needs to succeed in life on her own terms. Her reality is ugly at times, with a mother who is messed up and suicidal. She depends on the men in her life to give her the necessities in life. But soon we see her stronger side, longing for this new reality of beauty and poetry missing from her old life...but it's not that easy, and she does things that are wrong, terribly wrong...A conscience, though, is not a luxury she can all afford. I think the director wants us to take pity on Katarina. Katarina, I think, doesn't want that.

Alicia Vikander is wonderful in the role. She reminds me of a young Sandrine Bonnaire. This is a star-making film for her and I'm looking forward to what she's going to do next.