Reviews

I saw tons of fantastic reviews for this movie, and I tried my best to enjoy it... But I just couldn't.

The movie starts with a mother seeking justice for her son, who gets hit by his teacher. As the story unfolds, we see two other sequences that shows the perspective of the teacher, and lastly the boy himself.

I get it, the moral of the story is that we shouldn't judge other people so easily because everyone has their own struggles. But here's the thing... The monster isn't miscommunication or being judgmental. The monster is the alcoholic dad and the other kids around them. That's it. Do they change for the better? Do they get consequences for ruining people's lives? NOPE! The monster continues to live freely while our protagonists lose their minds (and their lives, figuratively).

I just know this is meant to be a critique for the Japanese society for being overly polite, always on their "tatemae", not expressing their true feelings in fear of causing troubles for others around them. But that's exactly what I hate about this movie. All the characters, how they interact with each other, and the closure they get at the ending, makes me so sad and angry.

If the movie aims to make me feel depressed and uncomfortable, well, it succeeds.

What a fascinating take on feminism and liberation, all through the eyes of a newly reborn adult. Although Bella's got the brain of an innocent baby, I love that they don't make her stupid. Instead, she is sharp, confident, and brave. She's not afraid to explore new things in life for the sake of "experiment", which makes sense since she is raised by a scientist.

I think the men in Bella's life are meant to portray men and women's relationships: paternal (Godwin), sexual (Duncan), and platonic (Max). The fact that all of them are trying to "trap" Bella shows that love, no matter the form, can be possessive. The difference lies in the motives: Is it to control her or to protect her? In a world where women are often gaslighted and expected to be submissive, it's truly refreshing to see Bella unapologetically stands up for herself.

Although some viewers may find the sex scenes disturbing, I think it serves an important aspect to shows Bella's journey in finding pleasure in life, as well as discovering that life is not always fair. The brothel is where she deepens human connection and eventually finds herself.

Emma Stone delivers a top notch performance. Her mannerisms in the beginning of the film totally resembles a toddler, both the expression and the way she moves. Then we can clearly see how Bella has matured after the trip: she has felt anger and sadness, yet she moves on from her past, thrives to be a better person, and continues to find beauty in her life.

This is undoubtedly Yorgos Lanthimos' best work. It's brilliant, funny, relatable, and somehow wholesome - but still, in the weirdest way possible.

I'm a millennial watching this movie in 2024 so maybe I'm taking it differently, but... This movie just doesn't sit right with me because the bride is so, so spoiled. First of all, she just graduated college and started seeing this guy for a few months. That doesn't make sense but alright, I guess that's normal in the 90's. But then the wedding gets unreasonably expensive and I feel sorry for the dad who has to pay for everything. This movie portrays him as the crazy one for wanting to manage the budget. I just can't sympathize with the bride, the mother, and even the groom and his family. The groom is too perfect and I just wished they'd show a deeper backstory about him or their relationship. As the story goes on, I couldn't laugh anymore because everyone but the dad becomes extremely annoying.