Inarritu's most famous film, Birdman, got a lot of grief from some viewers because of its elements of magical realism, but it was mostly grounded in an engaging, fast-paced backstage story that kept the audience's attention.
Unfortunately, this movie does not have the same energy. There is very little in the way of plot or character development. There are a lot of surreal, dream-like sequences and references to Mexican history that are lost on this gringo. There is some beautiful cinematography and music, but it's not nearly enough to keep me interested for 2.5 hours.
It's telling that the tag-line for this movie on IMBD contains the word "oneiric", which I had to look up in the dictionary. That tells you what audience this movie is aimed at, and it doesn't include me.
Unfortunately, this movie does not have the same energy. There is very little in the way of plot or character development. There are a lot of surreal, dream-like sequences and references to Mexican history that are lost on this gringo. There is some beautiful cinematography and music, but it's not nearly enough to keep me interested for 2.5 hours.
It's telling that the tag-line for this movie on IMBD contains the word "oneiric", which I had to look up in the dictionary. That tells you what audience this movie is aimed at, and it doesn't include me.