Reviews

I was lucky enough to see this incredible film at this year's LFF (to which the audience reacted with almost constant laughter). Straight away, you're sucked into its strange, steampunk Victorian world thanks to incredible directing/production design/cinematography/performances/score.

Even with its many quirks, the film remains grounded by a somewhat conventional story (as far as Lanthimos is concerned) which gives it the unique feel of both an old epic and something very new.

The incredible acting and dialogue are what make you buy into this crazy world - with career best performances by Emma Stone AND Mark Ruffalo (and Willem Dafoe - which goes without saying).

Can't wait to see this one again, if you love good storytelling (and aren't put off by quirky dialogue and stylised shots), you will love this!

I was fortunate enough to see this at the LFF with the Coen brothers present. During their introduction they mentioned how they wrote each chapter as a series of shorts over 25 years, and it certainly felt like this both in good ways and bad. Each story was completely different from the one either side of it and none were short of originality. Stories unfolded in the way only a Coen brother's film could - a style that I have always admired.

What was slightly disappointing was its lack of continuity. Each of the stories are completely contained and the final short was one of the most disappointing for me ending in quite an anticlimax. I understand these shorts are independent of one another but had they intersected in some way I think there could have been a much more satisfying conclusion. But the subversion of that expectation I also admire, my brain was just full of the interesting situations that could have unfolded had these characters come into contact with each other - as per a Tarantino film. It could also have ended with a different short as the 5th story for me (and the gold panning segment) was arguably the best.

Aside from the story itself the film has great visuals, some amazing one liners and incredible acting performances - especially considering the lengths actors went to in order to get into character for just a 20 minutes segment of a film. Overall expect 6 Coen brothers shorts sewn together with the thinest fabric imaginable and a time at the cinema like you haven't had all year.