I've heard a lot of buzz about this film over the years but took a long time to watch it. I'm not a huge fan of extremism and this has always been billed as "one of the most disturbing horror films ever" so I put it off until I felt like I was ready. I've gotta say I ended up kind of underwhelmed.
The film starts off strong. It is relentless, hits us hard with themes of trauma and its persistence in one's life. The story structure in the first 2 acts was a breath of fresh air. I feel like I can typically predict where the story will go in many films but found myself continuously surprised. It's super intense in terms of the violence, yes, but it all seemed to be serving to tell a poignant story.
Then we hit the last act...and the reveal of the antagonists and their motivation was so boring. Then it was just 30 minutes of people beating the crap out of a woman. This isn't unique, this isn't poignant. It's just...sad and frankly boring as far as story structure goes. The ending tries to end on a cerebral note but was just not interesting or thought provoking to me. It frankly just seemed like lazy writing. I ultimately feel like the first 2 acts of the film alone would have made for a better movie.
Overall, yes, one of the more brutal films I've seen. I respect it for the boundaries it pushes while trying to have some substance. However the substance that could've been ultimately fizzled out and I was left feeling like this could've been something more memorable.
The film starts off strong. It is relentless, hits us hard with themes of trauma and its persistence in one's life. The story structure in the first 2 acts was a breath of fresh air. I feel like I can typically predict where the story will go in many films but found myself continuously surprised. It's super intense in terms of the violence, yes, but it all seemed to be serving to tell a poignant story.
Then we hit the last act...and the reveal of the antagonists and their motivation was so boring. Then it was just 30 minutes of people beating the crap out of a woman. This isn't unique, this isn't poignant. It's just...sad and frankly boring as far as story structure goes. The ending tries to end on a cerebral note but was just not interesting or thought provoking to me. It frankly just seemed like lazy writing. I ultimately feel like the first 2 acts of the film alone would have made for a better movie.
Overall, yes, one of the more brutal films I've seen. I respect it for the boundaries it pushes while trying to have some substance. However the substance that could've been ultimately fizzled out and I was left feeling like this could've been something more memorable.