Earthquake Bird 2019
R - 106 min
Tension in this is palpable.
Guilt is a strong motivator, and we find that the other side of the world, for this bird, Lucy, it is not far enough to escape it. Played by Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina is the first time I saw her acting), she has a way of putting on cold and indifferent, or distant that is unique in that only her eyes can be read. Her acting, along with her other 2 principles in this screenplay, Riley Keough and Naoki Kobayashi, is clean, taut, brilliant. Great job of directing by Wash Westmoreland, camera work is Chung-hoong Chung. He used traditional framing and color, and it was an incredibly well-shot piece. The editing, especially the creepy tense sequences and "disappearing people" in flash moments, was brilliant, reminiscent of some of the "shock" work done in the 80s, cleaned up and sfx'd. No shots were strikingly outside of the mindset of Lucy's point of view, but blended in seamlessly with the narrative.
Summary: it all added up to a very slow burn of a psycho-drama, surprisingly fresh and unexpected really. Great handling of the narrative sequences as well as far as the timing and flashbacks, which were limited in their screen time, but even more effective because of that. Shifting time around here was a great device, and although the pieces were diverse and widespread, it still held together nicely and kept tension right up to the very last shot.
Because of the trifecta of acting, directing, and camera work in this film, the following happens: The genuinely soft and approachable character of Teiji comes slowly into focus for us despite his seemingly rigid exterior manor. When Lucy is tearing down the stereotypes of Japanese people, along with the "height" thing that she points out as false, we are along with her in the ride of the romance that gains our trust as the audience as well,. We feel betrayed with her when the novice American girl, Lily, comes between them. So...there is a real consistency here in the film's total approach that sticks closely to the Lucy character, and keeps us in suspense, and the suspension of disbelief. Even the side actors and smaller parts were cast and played to perfection, especially Mrs. Katoh by Akiko Iwase. I still think casting directors should be getting their own Oscars (see this ARTICLE).
Very nicely done.
- Agitatus
Tension in this is palpable.
Guilt is a strong motivator, and we find that the other side of the world, for this bird, Lucy, it is not far enough to escape it. Played by Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina is the first time I saw her acting), she has a way of putting on cold and indifferent, or distant that is unique in that only her eyes can be read. Her acting, along with her other 2 principles in this screenplay, Riley Keough and Naoki Kobayashi, is clean, taut, brilliant. Great job of directing by Wash Westmoreland, camera work is Chung-hoong Chung. He used traditional framing and color, and it was an incredibly well-shot piece. The editing, especially the creepy tense sequences and "disappearing people" in flash moments, was brilliant, reminiscent of some of the "shock" work done in the 80s, cleaned up and sfx'd. No shots were strikingly outside of the mindset of Lucy's point of view, but blended in seamlessly with the narrative.
Summary: it all added up to a very slow burn of a psycho-drama, surprisingly fresh and unexpected really. Great handling of the narrative sequences as well as far as the timing and flashbacks, which were limited in their screen time, but even more effective because of that. Shifting time around here was a great device, and although the pieces were diverse and widespread, it still held together nicely and kept tension right up to the very last shot.
Because of the trifecta of acting, directing, and camera work in this film, the following happens: The genuinely soft and approachable character of Teiji comes slowly into focus for us despite his seemingly rigid exterior manor. When Lucy is tearing down the stereotypes of Japanese people, along with the "height" thing that she points out as false, we are along with her in the ride of the romance that gains our trust as the audience as well,. We feel betrayed with her when the novice American girl, Lily, comes between them. So...there is a real consistency here in the film's total approach that sticks closely to the Lucy character, and keeps us in suspense, and the suspension of disbelief. Even the side actors and smaller parts were cast and played to perfection, especially Mrs. Katoh by Akiko Iwase. I still think casting directors should be getting their own Oscars (see this ARTICLE).
Very nicely done.
- Agitatus
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