Rushda Anwer

I went through the audience reviews to gain additional perspective and I'm absolutely in shock how lost the emotional depth of this movie was on so many people. I cried throughout the second half. I don't know why some were expecting this to be a gritty whodunnit thriller. This is a classic family drama that paints a beautifully nuanced and bittersweet portrait of a family grappling with loss, grief, and the realistic aftermath of the miracle they'd been waiting for - as old wounds resurface and their new dynamic helps them heal as individuals and a family. This story is like witnessing a sunrise. The family experiences real darkness and learns to live with the shadows of the past, but hope is on the horizon for them, and it makes for a very emotionally-gripping, wholesome watch. Spoilers ahead! It is probably not a cinematic masterpiece and I didn't need it to be, because it's so emotionally intelligent that I could eagerly watch 4 more hours of the Cappadora family learning to be a family again. You will connect very deeply with the journeys of the mother, Beth and the older brother Vincent - both of whom are dealing with the biting guilt of feeling responsible for Ben's disappearance and the all-consuming pain of losing a son/mother's love to this tragedy. You will feel both proud and fearful of the happy and strong 12-year-old Ben/Sam grows into it - who enjoyed a loving, carefree childhood, unaware that he had been kidnapped. What I appreciated most about this film was that it explored the real struggles that came post the so-called happy ending of finding little lost Ben. Despite coming home to his real family, Ben/Sam has no memories of them and struggles to build this new life with them, two blocks away from the loving stepfather who raised him for most of his life after the death of his kidnapper/fake mother. The family thinking they have finally found the missing piece of their lives, experiences a trial by fire as they find out that the son they've been waiting all their lives does not think of them as family. It's heartwarming to see how Beth grows beyond her grief and learns to prioritise her son's happiness over her need to hold on to the past. Eventually, the key to the family coming back together turns out to be the bond between the two brothers. Ben/Sam was kidnapped when he was 3 and he doesn't remember much, but one memory of the older brother he trusted more than life, remained in his sub-conscious. This movie is heartbreaking and hopeful, and if you're ready to cry, laugh and hope - do watch it!

I honestly don't understand why they made this movie. It feels like a Frankensteinein mash of many movies we've already seen, including Bong Joon Ho's previous hits Snowpiercer and Okja..... which comes off as lazy and redundant. The death and body reprinting storyline is incredibly interesting and made for an engaging first 20-30 mins. Unfortunately, the movie shoots itself in the foot after that...and turns into the most frustratingly directionless yawnfest. None of the characters are truly likeable... because they've been written horribly- no clear motive, no spine. There's alot of inconsistency in the storytelling and messaging. I actually lost braincells each time the antagonist, played by Mark Ruffalo, was on screen. He was very obviously caricaturing Trump, which was fun for the first 10 minutes, and then very quickly started feeling off-putting and cartoony. Probably the most underdeveloped villain ever. His motive for cruelty was simply that he was a politician. What was this....a children's holiday movie? His wife was the only thing worse than him. Also, what in the world was that whole preoccupation with sauce?? Robert Pattinson has done a great job, as expected. The movie had some funny moments, too. But, overall, the writing is hellishly stupid, and the movie tries to do 20 things and ultimately says absolutely nothing. It's a shame that the director ruined a fantastic premise. This had the potential to be a 5-starrer. But, instead of making it interesting and dynamic, the makers went for quirky and predictable.