I was highly impressed at the professional look to this film right from the get go. Lovely use of camera motion, especially when the camera slides across the cobble stones with the years passing and the body and year meet...what great use of visual storytelling, great lighting, and a stunning location in which to have a drama about death and recovery. I don't know the budget for this but I'd imagine it cost far less than it looks so my hat is off to the crew's work.
The acting was impressive with the demand for a lot of emotions flying around as the wrestle with the death of a friend/family member, though the actor playing John went a little OTT in the emotional moments which felt awkward. The characters themselves feel real, the feeling of authenticity and they were not merely invented, and they were each given interesting aspects and depth however...
...I never felt like I, the audience got to viscerally experience the love and bond in which they all had for Finn. There aren't enough flashback scenes where I can really feel the bond they have with him, there's lots of talking about how they love him, and their plans for the future. So when I'm in the present with everyone trying to live on I was never invested/connected with their pain, so I wasn't along for the painful ride. Why is it so important these 3 people get over Finn's death? I personally don't know speaking as an audience member because I didn't experience how much he meant to everyone, you see my point.....filmmaking 101: Show don't tell!
Another thing that took me out of the film was the strange dialogue in parts. It felt like a stage play from the 1950's. Witty, quippy pacy dialogue that really felt out of place, teenagers don't talk like that in this modern age so I was often taken out of the film based on this, and one other thing this dialogue did was undermined the realistic feeling characters I talked about earlier, when they used this dialogue it took away all the interesting aspects they brought to the table because they sounded like actors on a stage, instead of teenager's dealing with a death in 2012.
All in all a great looking film, just needed a few more drafts to help with getting the audience on board with how and why Finn was so important to everyone, and realistic dialogue to make the characters more believable.
The acting was impressive with the demand for a lot of emotions flying around as the wrestle with the death of a friend/family member, though the actor playing John went a little OTT in the emotional moments which felt awkward. The characters themselves feel real, the feeling of authenticity and they were not merely invented, and they were each given interesting aspects and depth however...
...I never felt like I, the audience got to viscerally experience the love and bond in which they all had for Finn. There aren't enough flashback scenes where I can really feel the bond they have with him, there's lots of talking about how they love him, and their plans for the future. So when I'm in the present with everyone trying to live on I was never invested/connected with their pain, so I wasn't along for the painful ride. Why is it so important these 3 people get over Finn's death? I personally don't know speaking as an audience member because I didn't experience how much he meant to everyone, you see my point.....filmmaking 101: Show don't tell!
Another thing that took me out of the film was the strange dialogue in parts. It felt like a stage play from the 1950's. Witty, quippy pacy dialogue that really felt out of place, teenagers don't talk like that in this modern age so I was often taken out of the film based on this, and one other thing this dialogue did was undermined the realistic feeling characters I talked about earlier, when they used this dialogue it took away all the interesting aspects they brought to the table because they sounded like actors on a stage, instead of teenager's dealing with a death in 2012.
All in all a great looking film, just needed a few more drafts to help with getting the audience on board with how and why Finn was so important to everyone, and realistic dialogue to make the characters more believable.
