Saoirse Ronan once again proves why she's one of the finest performers of the current generation. Rona, the recovering-alcoholic-protagonist, is safe and memorable in her hands.
Loved the edit pattern of the film - intercutting the present with her alcohol-induced episodes, sometimes annoying the hell out of me, as a viewer (I was almost screaming inside my head, begging her to stop doing what she did!). When she means she cannot stay happy sober, a straight-edged individual or a teetotaller may never understand why. This is also where the editing style comes into play, telling us why Rona may never be able to find the truest version of "her happiness" without drinking..until until until that final act. Fragments of her broken childhood are also shown to us, to make us understand the hows, the whys. She also finally understands her mother's perspective, in an extremely gratifying scene towards the end of the film.
I would have also loved living alone in a beachside cottage in Orkney, maybe. With the raging winds and seas for company. However, I probably may have been first to jump into the sea at first given "good weather" opportunity. My gosh, the seals. They're such cuties!
The sound design too is impressive - whether Rona is going through one of her "episodes" or she's on a lonesome island. Oftentimes, the music from Rona's headphones transitions to the roughness of the surrounding ocean. It's a marvel, if you're consuming the film on a good set of earpieces. Scotland is also stunningly captured.
This is a film that grew on me, with each passing scene. I didn't like the explanatory voiceovers at the start, yet by the time the film was drawing to a close, I felt they were an absolute necessity. A good film started to show signs of a great film, and it stays a great film when it concludes. For Nora Fingscheidt, this is a very confident third directorial effort.
Loved the edit pattern of the film - intercutting the present with her alcohol-induced episodes, sometimes annoying the hell out of me, as a viewer (I was almost screaming inside my head, begging her to stop doing what she did!). When she means she cannot stay happy sober, a straight-edged individual or a teetotaller may never understand why. This is also where the editing style comes into play, telling us why Rona may never be able to find the truest version of "her happiness" without drinking..until until until that final act. Fragments of her broken childhood are also shown to us, to make us understand the hows, the whys. She also finally understands her mother's perspective, in an extremely gratifying scene towards the end of the film.
I would have also loved living alone in a beachside cottage in Orkney, maybe. With the raging winds and seas for company. However, I probably may have been first to jump into the sea at first given "good weather" opportunity. My gosh, the seals. They're such cuties!
The sound design too is impressive - whether Rona is going through one of her "episodes" or she's on a lonesome island. Oftentimes, the music from Rona's headphones transitions to the roughness of the surrounding ocean. It's a marvel, if you're consuming the film on a good set of earpieces. Scotland is also stunningly captured.
This is a film that grew on me, with each passing scene. I didn't like the explanatory voiceovers at the start, yet by the time the film was drawing to a close, I felt they were an absolute necessity. A good film started to show signs of a great film, and it stays a great film when it concludes. For Nora Fingscheidt, this is a very confident third directorial effort.