This Must Be The Place - Review

Black comedies always walk a very fine line but when its done well they can be fabulous so I was really curious to see this very promising dark comedy … Unfortunately it didnt even truely show that in the end .The film has such a major change im going to divide it into the comedy first half and the overly profound 2nd half

for the first half with an interesting and sweet relationship between our main character and his enthusiastic wife was really well done and fun to watch it develop as you begin to understand themthis and the minor characters he surrounds himself with such as the business woman no nonsense mother, the confused gothic teenager and the lude builder friend make for an interesting mixture .It wasn’t looking like an amazing genre defining idea but still funny and somewhat memorable and had the film just brought the characters to life more it would have been really fun and interesting .

However as soon as we leave Dublin it goes down hill in the 2nd half and leads to a wondering ill defined idea where in he takes a road trip while looking for daddies love and a nazi Auschwitz and he is also taking this guys car to his wife ?? It loses the easy comedy which was carried through the first half and instead feel painful as it tries to replicate the easy introduction of characters carried in the first half 

The shooting in the first half was some of the best as their was a comedy in what wasnt said which i really enjoyed and thought was clever but again it just went astray in the second half 

While I can understand the ideas projected behind it of all people wondering and I see what they were trying to do i think the film was confused as to its own direction which didnt look intentional but more as though it was imploding the longer the film went on .

Final Word :

 Theirs always room with movies like these for people to find them works of art and the undiscovered genius but with this film i feel the scope for that is limited .The moments of subtle still comedy as well as the one liners are worth a look but honestly if you see the trailer you get most of them . 

4/10  

The Forgiveness of Blood - Review

Odd slightly vague trailer and beautiful icon shots .. its like the film was made for me 

The story is based in a small country village in Albania and follows a family who is bound by the tradition of isolation,which is the idea of when one family has wronged another (such a murdering or attacking the family) the belief is an eye for an eye so the family is with their rights to kill the family who has hurt them and until this revenge occurs or another is agreed apon the male members of the family must stay in total isolation in their house on pain of death. Its an interesting idea which is examined throughout the entire film of that beloved (if overused) idea between tradition and life , youth and age . 

Within TFoB we mainly follow the male heir,Nik, who is bound to the house through his fathers actions and his sister who is forced to take the work of her father and brother . The lead actor and actress are to be credited in their work with both giving consistent if not especially lively performances , both characters but notably  Tristan Halilaj are being so emphasized to be average people trapped in this situation , he is appropriately frustrated and appropriately sad and appropriately rebellious that he begins to lose the sense of reality , the characters lacks for quirks so much that he becomes 2D .. admittedly an accomplishment for a live film .

In terms of cinematography the shooting is beautiful with a lovely muted film which dosn't over power the film in any way.However and it is going to sound like I'm nitpicking but their are so many beautiful shots where its clear the director wasn't willing to let them go and it actually did make the film feel as though it was dragging with all these beautiful pensive shots of our lead characters.That said some of the most iconic shots I've seen since The Tree of Life.

Final Word :
This film has an interesting idea which it does explore and the sister becoming bread winner (while not fully explored ) helps the film carry of the idea of it being a study of people, their are better ones out their but their are also much worse and if nothing else it captures reality very well

5.5/10