In Full Bloom 2019
R - 85 min Adam VillaSeñor, Reza Ghassemi, Narrative Feature (85min)
Set after WWII, In Full Bloom follows two fighters, a down and out boxer from the US and the other, the Japanese champion. We follow each of their inner journeys as it culminates into a world championship fight against both men that will test the very limits of their spirit.
This
is amazing. Best fight scenes I've ever witnessed since Raging Bull.
That film was amazing of course because at the time it was made, the
kind of fight scenes that Scorcese created had not really been invented,
so there was the "first to market" effect, and this film most likely
owes much to that. But the realistic nature of the fight in this film,
combined with the depth and focus of the story inside the minds of
these 2 men made this incredible. I felt it overly melodramatic at
first, until I understood that the entire film was at least in keeping
with that style, and it turned out to be a psychological drama and in a
unique portrait style, like a great painting, that was being staged more
than the American-ish styled event-driven, or goal-driven
storytelling we are used to. It transcended my expectations and
somewhere right around the time of the blindfold sequence, facing the
fear in the forest, it became instead an engrossing reality.
THIS IS A
PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA AND WORK OF ART...not a traditional-based film that
follows a narrative that forms a history and surroundings, side-scenes,
like in Rocky where we have so much side-story that builds the drama.
This sticks as close to the inner drama of the fighters as you can get,
even incorporating highly stylized arthouse dream sequences in motif
rather than personal historical moments like Rocky and his trainer "get
up ya bum!" There is none of that. It is very much like the plain difference
between a character-driven film and the plot driven film. The plot had
no place here, even though you can look for it in vain. There is
history here, sure, but it's cut off and relegated to the personal
realm, so these men become all men who struggle with the same fight, and
not just a moment dragged out of a news drawer and given new life with
revisitation.
I was bothered at first that the American's
experience was almost totally shot in a red locker room, until I also realized that, yes, the story needed to be
placed in the present-tense situation, but more-so this was in keeping
with the character's mindset, his situation being the present-tense, his
experience being a past so very different and distant. He was fighting
an inner demon, a red one, claustrophobic, tightening around him, like
the pressure on his chest. It was perfectly good storytelling.
Incredible. Will watch again.
As I say this however, I am also hesitant and wondering if, like many
outsider types of films, this one being Japanese, will make it in pop cinema here in the states. I am
now a fan. I get it. Congratulations on a powerful piece of art. PS:
on further reflection...you know how sometimes a great visual drama
piece falls apart in the story department, like something doesn't make
sense, etc? This one did NOT do that. Everything makes perfect sense,
as far as I can figure right after seeing it. There is a tie-in
everywhere, right down to the last line "I just wanted peace". This
ties back to the WWII fight scenes. Super well-written
Adam VillaSeñor, Reza Ghassemi, Narrative Feature (85min
Set
after WWII, In Full Bloom follows two fighters, a down and out boxer
from the US and the other, the Japanese champion. We follow each of
their inner journeys as it culminates into a world championship fight
against both men that will test the very limits of their spirit.
IMDB Link
- Agitatus
Set after WWII, In Full Bloom follows two fighters, a down and out boxer from the US and the other, the Japanese champion. We follow each of their inner journeys as it culminates into a world championship fight against both men that will test the very limits of their spirit.
This is amazing. Best fight scenes I've ever witnessed since Raging Bull. That film was amazing of course because at the time it was made, the kind of fight scenes that Scorcese created had not really been invented, so there was the "first to market" effect, and this film most likely owes much to that. But the realistic nature of the fight in this film, combined with the depth and focus of the story inside the minds of these 2 men made this incredible. I felt it overly melodramatic at first, until I understood that the entire film was at least in keeping with that style, and it turned out to be a psychological drama and in a unique portrait style, like a great painting, that was being staged more than the American-ish styled event-driven, or goal-driven storytelling we are used to. It transcended my expectations and somewhere right around the time of the blindfold sequence, facing the fear in the forest, it became instead an engrossing reality.
THIS IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA AND WORK OF ART...not a traditional-based film that follows a narrative that forms a history and surroundings, side-scenes, like in Rocky where we have so much side-story that builds the drama. This sticks as close to the inner drama of the fighters as you can get, even incorporating highly stylized arthouse dream sequences in motif rather than personal historical moments like Rocky and his trainer "get up ya bum!" There is none of that. It is very much like the plain difference between a character-driven film and the plot driven film. The plot had no place here, even though you can look for it in vain. There is history here, sure, but it's cut off and relegated to the personal realm, so these men become all men who struggle with the same fight, and not just a moment dragged out of a news drawer and given new life with revisitation.
I was bothered at first that the American's experience was almost totally shot in a red locker room, until I also realized that, yes, the story needed to be placed in the present-tense situation, but more-so this was in keeping with the character's mindset, his situation being the present-tense, his experience being a past so very different and distant. He was fighting an inner demon, a red one, claustrophobic, tightening around him, like the pressure on his chest. It was perfectly good storytelling. Incredible. Will watch again.
As I say this however, I am also hesitant and wondering if, like many outsider types of films, this one being Japanese, will make it in pop cinema here in the states. I am now a fan. I get it. Congratulations on a powerful piece of art. PS: on further reflection...you know how sometimes a great visual drama piece falls apart in the story department, like something doesn't make sense, etc? This one did NOT do that. Everything makes perfect sense, as far as I can figure right after seeing it. There is a tie-in everywhere, right down to the last line "I just wanted peace". This ties back to the WWII fight scenes. Super well-written
Adam VillaSeñor, Reza Ghassemi, Narrative Feature (85min
Set after WWII, In Full Bloom follows two fighters, a down and out boxer from the US and the other, the Japanese champion. We follow each of their inner journeys as it culminates into a world championship fight against both men that will test the very limits of their spirit.
IMDB Link
- Agitatus
