Review of Magnolia

The great Martin Scorsese once said "As a filmmaker you have to tell a story to the audience and in so doing, you have to translate it to an image, which means that you direct the eye to the heart". Well, the way Paul Thomas Anderson tells us this story is one of the best examples of directing I've ever seen. He really manages to reach your heart. I wasn't sure why, but by the time the movie ended, I was experiencing an emotional overload. Maybe it was the directing, the way the film was structured, the way the characters were introduced. Maybe it was the script, the great lines, the beautiful dialogues, which were some of the best in modern cinema. Maybe it was the great acting. The cast was awesome with everyone giving a solid and heartfelt performance. Tom Cruise and Julianne Moore in particular were astounding. Or, most likely, it was the combination of all these.

Magnolia is a very "human" film. The characters are everyday people, each with their own goals and struggles. There is a lot of meaning in their stories and there are lots of thing this movie can teach you. Love, forgiveness, compassion, family values, it deals with all these and many more. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to see a film in order to live an experience and get thought-provoked.

This was the first Paul Thomas Anderson movie I saw and I'll definitely watch more now. I'm so glad I found a director that still makes movies like these. I really feel he is comparable to Kubrick and I thought that no one these days was.