IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Myself
It's always worth taking note whenever Michael Winterbottom makes a new film. Like Gore Verbinski, Ang Lee or Takashi Miike, he has an unmistakable style but seems able to adapt to any kind of genre or story. This time, the story is Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, transplanted to modern day India.
Freida Pinto has the unenviable task of making a rather passive character sympathetic and engaging and I think she pulls it off. My favourite part of the film is watching the slow arc of this central relationship develop and sour. Unfortunately it's a double edged sword.
Watched With: Myself
It's always worth taking note whenever Michael Winterbottom makes a new film. Like Gore Verbinski, Ang Lee or Takashi Miike, he has an unmistakable style but seems able to adapt to any kind of genre or story. This time, the story is Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, transplanted to modern day India.
Freida Pinto has the unenviable task of making a rather passive character sympathetic and engaging and I think she pulls it off. My favourite part of the film is watching the slow arc of this central relationship develop and sour. Unfortunately it's a double edged sword.
While it's great how the relationship subtly evolves, the film really does drag on in spots. It takes its time I guess, but I think Winterbottom was a little too indulgent in some scenes, most of which I presume were improvised to a degree. Sure there is a lot of nice stuff but it all adds up to a lot of fat that should probably have been trimmed.
Thankfully it has quite a strong finish but I'm still debating as to wether it was worth the long build up.
No comments:
Post a Comment