Some very fragmented thoughts:
I watched it twice in the school's cinema. The first time I watched it, my mind was not very good, but I was still touched by the surprise. The second time I watched it, I noticed a lot of details, and I thought this one was particularly good.
A tour de force. Stunningly nuanced and emotionally charged. A meditation on loss and grief; a subtle exploration of guilt, karma, and war; a tender and tragic tale of how personal history, the choices that we made, and memory haunt us. Poetic and bleak.
The most political is the most personal. The war is not seen, but the form and absurdity of the war, as well as the influence of the war on the most details of personal life, are vividly displayed. War is everywhere. That part of Jonathan's life at border was really beautiful.
Even though the father and son Michale and Jonathan never appear in the same frame from beginning to end, the chemistry between the characters is very real, full of tenderness, and heartbreaking.
The whole film starts from small to big, uses a neat (but interesting) three-act structure to unfold the story, discusses many topics, and pays attention to various human conditions, but it is not messy at all, and each is presented in a refined and clear manner. Each blends well with the others. The disaster of a nation and of a family are equally devastating; and strangely, a lot of times, they are inseparable.
Natural and pinpoint performances. Exceptional visual language, sound design, and score. Great use of bird's eye view shot, even thought it's a little bit repetitive.
It is very light, holding the heavy, chaotic, and desolate with lightness. There are some meanings of ending, but fortunately, the shape and spirit are not scattered, and it does not affect the depth of the film. The nearly two-hour movie went by in a flash, and it didn't feel long at all.
"You are beautiful when you are together." What a realization.
The ending is really beautiful, like an oracle.
#thebestof2017
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