Reviews

The main thing is that it's objectively a good movie: the acting is good, the movie looks like it was made for Instagram (obviously, the point), the issues raised here are very relevant nowadays. To sum it up, it is a good movie.

Still, I cannot say I will ever want to watch it again or that I enjoyed it that much in the first place. The reason for that (my incredibly subjective reason) is that there is nothing that revealing. The issues raised in the movie (loneliness, social media addiction, its shallowness, and the users' search for that shallowness and faux perfection) are all "right", they are all serious problems able to ruin lives or at least distort your view of life. However, most of us clearly understand it, and thus the plot was perfectly predictable because it's a mirror of the current situation in the world - how can it not be predictable?

Summing it up, despite all the highs of the movie, to me, it looked like a high schooler's moralistic essay: all the right thoughts, all the right intentions, but far from being as non-conformist or groundbreaking and revealing as the author believes.

I loved the first Alice, so I was apprehensive about the sequel (it's not Tim Burton's and..well, sequel). However, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, sometimes the dialogues are far too unnatural, certain scenes are perhaps not very necessary, there were a number of moments when I wanted to roll my eyes;but the positives for me outweigh the negatives. I was glad to see that there was no "good vs evil" fight, that this movie was more life-like, meaning rarely there are any "bad guys". 2) It elicited a few laughs. No, it's not the most funny movie, but it is amusing at times. 3) The most important for me was the fact that it wasn't a shallow fairy tale. It talks about not only about the importance of pursuing your dreams and not conforming to some common standard (like it was in the 1st part), but also about the importance of family, the melancholy and freedom of letting go, the meaning of time and what we live our lives for. 4) Almost forgot. It's beautiful. Maybe my rating is slightly biased due to my love of "Alice" in almost all its forms, but still, I implore you not to believe the metascore and give the movie a chance.

The main character, Carlos, is an Elvis impersonator, greatly fond of the singer, to an extent that his daughter shares her name with Elvis's daughter. He has two lives: in one of them, he's an ordinary assembly-line worker, and in the other one, he performs at tiny events, singing his heart out - and he does it very well, as Carlos, indeed, possesses talent.

From the very beginning this movie starts to tug at your heartstrings when you see Carlos quietly "biding his time" at the factory, while wishing for the time he can go back on stage. Music in his headphones is the only solace for him; also, it's a way for him to remain in his dream life, at least partially.

However, in this dream life his wife and daughter were unable to find a place for themselves, and had to go their separate way (although Carlos still loves his family).

It's heartbreaking to see how the character is suffering because he feels so lost; the reason for that is the feeling that he's living not the life he is supposed to be living, but there is nothing he can do about it.

Throughout the movie you keep guessing to what extent Carlos is obsessed with Elvis: whether he tries to give credit to the singer's work or he no longer realises that they are two different people.

Putting aside any delusions, what makes an impression is how, with religious zeal, he sticks for what he believes in - one way or another.

'If you really believe in something, you must pursue it till the end. Those who don't are unhappy.'

I guess many people will feel for Carlos and his torments. Show me a person saying they have never howled inside, desperate to believe that their "real" life has been misplaced by some cosmic error. Show me this person - and I'll show you a liar.

I went to the cinema, not expecting anything that I would rate higher than 5/10. I looked through a synopsis (that, as I later realised, didn't communicate either the spirit or the idea of the movie) and decided to take my chances.

"Comedy" - one of the mentioned genres - actually turned out to be a comedy (not always the case for me, as I am sure for many other people out there). Of course, there are scenes that make you smile, and there are those that don't quite reach your "amusement" nerve. Nevertheless, all in all I did find it entertaining.

Secondly, I loved the atmosphere of the movie. It was as though the author lets you in his private life, thoughts - into his head. It feels like you are walking along with him throughout his life, like an imaginary friend.

Finally, the idea (at least the one I've extracted for myself). It struck a nerve in me to be honest. I am thankful to this movie because it made me think about something we (at least I) ignore on the daily basis: how society shapes us according to its our own views, forcing its perception of truth on people who under so much pressure of seeming certainty of others (be it random strangers or even family) get confused and crumble, trying to become a person they are 'supposed to be'.

Thus, only where you discover your own truth, you become free, and those artificial conventions no longer hold any power over you.

I would definitely recommend this movie to my friends (and I have been doing it since I saw it :)).

Even if my review doesn't seem extremely appealing, give Guillaume a chance.

Though there are some things that can be attributed to Korean style (for example, I found the film a bit too long and there are some very characteristic sappy moments), I have enjoyed it. Maybe sometimes predictable but I just can't make myself lower its rating. Moreover, there are a couple gross jokes, other amusing moments make up for them. The leading actor, in my opinion, has pulled off very well both the drama and the comedy parts.

This film reminds you how valuable life is, how important it is to keep going, hope and do your utmost. The best thing, I reckon, is that the feeling from "Suicide Forecast" lingers even after the end.