DISCLAIMER: I rarely write reviews. I've probably rated ten thousand or more here over the last 15 years. But just no time to review. The only reason I'm taking the time with this one is to attempt to add some context and a viewpoint that may help others like the film a little more.
I say Intriguing If Not Quite Enjoyable because it is quite challenging to "enjoy" this film. There's not enough to it to enjoy. But the subject matter is mentally intriguing, though it offers nothing emotionally moving. Nothing. There's very little humanity to it. And yet it is clearly meant to be either an exploration of humanity or an exploration of a simple idea or two.
It is an intellectual exercise, to be sure, but secondarily to what appears to be more of an exercise in filmmaking.
Which is really the primary point: sure it's arthouse, sure it's Indie, but what it really is is a student film by a newcomer who obviously had a low to no budget but did his best.
In that light, one can at least appreciate his willingness to try. It's not a "bad" student film. Just the first steps of someone who might perhaps in the future get everything he needs to deliver some really spectacular. We just won't know for a while.
I say Intriguing If Not Quite Enjoyable because it is quite challenging to "enjoy" this film. There's not enough to it to enjoy. But the subject matter is mentally intriguing, though it offers nothing emotionally moving. Nothing. There's very little humanity to it. And yet it is clearly meant to be either an exploration of humanity or an exploration of a simple idea or two.
It is an intellectual exercise, to be sure, but secondarily to what appears to be more of an exercise in filmmaking.
Which is really the primary point: sure it's arthouse, sure it's Indie, but what it really is is a student film by a newcomer who obviously had a low to no budget but did his best.
In that light, one can at least appreciate his willingness to try. It's not a "bad" student film. Just the first steps of someone who might perhaps in the future get everything he needs to deliver some really spectacular. We just won't know for a while.