This is a mature drama about a 22-something film school student in the 1980’s who has a turbulent romance with a complicated and untrustworthy man. One main character is a heroin addict, viewers never see him using but he does have enlarged pupils and looks spaced out? Many characters smoke and drink. Some get verbose while drinking but otherwise don’t seem drunk. IRA bombings are discussed, later a bomb goes off outside a character’s house. Viewers hear a bang and screaming but nothing is shown. A sudden death takes place offscreen. Two characters are in a sexual relationship. Language is mostly British slang.
The cinematography is good but a bit washed out. There is total lack of tension in this movie. The script is just a lot of talking and more talking and it all seems to lead nowhere. Joanna Hogg wrote the script based on her real-life experiences at film school in London. The main actress has potential and she is natural on screen. The script is horrible and so is the co-star. There isn’t a plot so I can’t complain about that aspect. Just a bunch of scenes slapped together? Supposedly, Julie is broke but she goes to Venice with expensive luggage and fancy dressy clothing. I didn’t last very long watching this film and I had other things to do that were more important such as take out trash!! 1 1/2* (I really did not like this movie)
120 min, Drama directed and written by Joanna Hogg with Neil Young, Tosin Cole, Jack McMullen, Frankie Wilson, Honor Swinton Byrne, Hannah Ashby Ward, Janet Etuk, Chyna Terrelonge-Vaughan, Tom Burke, Tilda Swinton, Alice McMillan, Barbara Peirson,James Dodds, Dick Fontaine, Steve Gough.
Note: Imdb 6.5* out of 10* with 8035 reviews, Common Sense Media, Joyce
Slaton, age 15+, 2* positive, 2* role models, 2* violence, 3* sex, 3* language, 3* drinking, drugs & smoking, Rotten Tomatoes 89% with 171 critics 36% with 521 ratings, Roger Ebert 4* Moncia Castillo, empireonline.com 4* Terri White, The Guardian 5* Peter Bradshaw, Amazon 3.3* out of 5* with 147 reviews.
Special Note: Actress Honor Swinton Byrne did not read the script but instead she read Joanna's diaries from the early 80’s, notes, looked at photographs, old scripts and films Hogg wrote and made during this time. The rest of the cast had scripts but were also told to react to Hogg as well as they could. Tom Burke read old letters, recordings and drawings from the man his character is based on. Rated best film of 2019 by 100 critics in a poll conducted by Sight & Sound magazine. (I am surprised by this result??)
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