The Paperboy

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Lee Daniels' follow up to Precious is a very odd film and one that consistently succeeds in making the audience feel uneasy. Like his previous film it throws you in to a very realistic feeling setting with downtrodden characters we'd all rather pretend didn't exist.

And the 16mm photography and stylised editing really makes this feel like it was made in the period it is set. It looks great.

The film has an amazing cast that are all not afraid to get down and dirty with their roles. Nicole Kidman and John Cusack are especially confronting.

The story is somewhere between a coming of age character drama and a mystery and the structure seems a little muddled at times, it doesn't exactly have a logical flow and the naturalistic style of filming and acting can sometimes leave you unsure of what the focus of any one particular scene was meant to be. 

But those moments are outweighed by the interesting characters and performances. I'm still not exactly sure what to make of this one but I did like the look and its subversive nature.