Maryam Naseer

It's simply a beautiful movie. I love it more deeply than I can say. I agree with whoever it is that said that this is Colin Farrell at his best; it truly is his best performace, as far as I'm concerned. The effect of this movie has been, for me, like waking up from a bad dream and as the mind settles, losing that inexplicable worry over life by seeing the pink line of light on the horizon behind still tree branches at dawn. In the end, you feel you had nothing to worry about. All is well, life is present. And then, you may even see tea as something far more delicate, mysterious and valuable than you ever did before.

This film is not for the lonely folks coming to terms with their long-term loneliness by becoming rid of their feelings and accepting their role as distant, analytic observers of their own lives. It will make you cry. It will force you to see how alone and deprived of affection and care you are, if you're someone like me. Colin was clearly not told of a specific American accent to use and so his accent is a bit shaky with Irish undertones in places, but his character is the most precious and innocent and adorable young man I have ever seen in an American film. The acting is very natural and heartwarming and painful in all the right places and does justice to the plot, which is very much driven by the characters and emotions rather than rationale and fairness. I would honestly dub it an indie film, genre-wise, because although it does have a defined beginning and ending, there is that inherent lack of a bigger motive or outward, epic perspective over the events that take place. It's just these profound and very very human characters trying to live a life as they want, which really made me question what it is that I want in life. If you're anything like me, you'll come to conclude that all we really need is people to love and be loved by, a place to work and a place to live. It shows how simple life can be when you are your truest self. For the love of God, hug your family, hug your friends and hug people you meet. That's the best lesson I took from this film. As innocent and positive as this may all sound, it is not for kids of under 16 years. Obviously some of the screenplay and timing and other technicalities could have been done better, but the casting was brilliant, dialogue is sweet and straightforward and I conclude that I love this film too much to give it any less than all my love in stars on this little review that probably nobody will read :)

My opinion doesn't really matter. I'm not fluent in indie movies but as many as I've watched so far, they've all been rad and it's probably my favorite genre. This one though. The main man Hesher is like, both the best and worst person I could ever hope to encounter in this life. Does literally whatever he wants at any given moment, like a street cat who can drive and work cable. Seems like he has no morals, but he kinda makes a point in some instances. Definitely not a movie for the weak of heart and narrow minds. Some of the things make no sense and seem totally unreal, but I can actually picture them happening somehow. Acting is very good from everyone, but it's not a movie meant to show real life, for all those questioning the plausability of such events. It's just a movie.

Some small minds here would give this movie a lesser rating just because it has hand-held camera frames, dirty track suits and apartments, bad dancing and an overall rough, unfinished and raw look and sound to it. But I actually believe it is one of the most realistic, heartbreaking and visually perfect movies out there. It all portrays a harsh reality with great attention to detail. The story hurts like Hell and somehow still has a lot of hope and beauty in it, and everyone's acting is perfect for it. I know Fassbender's the only widely known guy here, so people just say he's the only one who did a good job acting in this movie, but despite the fact that I've never even seen the actresses and actors who play the other main characters before, I don't believe anybody could have done a better job at potraying how the real underclass population of the UK is than them. The acting is on point: as simplistic, loud and at times awkward as people in real life would be in these circumstances. This movie isn't meant to be perfect; it's meant to show a messy and arguably cruel part of a neglected but strong young girl's life, and how she not only makes it out alive and gives zero sh*ts, but how she comes to actually have a chance to make a good life for herself after these events and doesn't try fitting into an industry that goes against her style and values. The only reason I won't give it five stars is because some of the events themselves were quite wrong and just unimaginably immoral according to my moral code, which ruined the taste of the whole movie for me a little, but I'm assuming others out there would have no issue with them the way I do. The cinematography and layout of the whole thing, and the story, are way better and also way more painful to endure than what the movie summaries let on. Mainly because of the very real and palpable chance that such events happen in thousands of such miserable lives in the real world every day without anybody even knowing. I highly recommend it to everyone who has at some point taken their life, family and home for granted. NOT FOR CHILDREN UNDER 14. This movie could scar them for life and bring to light heavy and dirty truths of life that they shouldn't know at that age.

I'll try and make a balanced argument over this film here. Firstly, the bad points, which are numerous considering the different audiences the film may be seen by. It is rated as a PG film, but despite being animated and containing no explicit content, and therefore percieved as a film fit for children, it actually contains quite a few sexual references. Inherently, it becomes much more apparent as an adult that this is a romance film. While watching it as a child, I did not fully percieve this or simply thought it was strange, but watching it now I feel these references and the wording in some of the songs are actually part of the film's beauty, and how subtly inappropriate it can be. Though it will likely just go over children's heads because of that subtlety, it will probably bore them or confuse them. Additionally, the voice acting is quite fine and low in some places compared to the volume of the music --not unlike many other films, but still annoying --and the voices don't always seem to match the lips of the characters moving, which does give it an overall strange appearance. There's also reason to believe that the visuals and art style, which seem charming at this age, may seem eerie, haunting or genuinely scary to little children. Overall, be aware if you are going to watch it with little kids. Now, why I gave it five stars. The plot is very straightforward and the characters are incredibly humane and yet fragile and surreal in their own unique ways. The art style and extravagant appearance of it all, as well as the colour palettes, gives every scene a tone and depth all its own. It transmits the feelings on the screen quite strongly that way --I actually feel cold when watching some of the scenes. The music may seem too loose, not defined perfectly as the songs tend to be in most musicals, but it blends into the story and the vibes of each moment perfectly, emphasizing the emotional intensity and turmoil that the characters go through. I think it is a very small and little known film, which is part of what makes it so wonderful and special to me. Sure, there are better love stories and better art and stranger characters out there in other films and books and artwork, but this little film is perfect in itself. The simplicity of the plot, the look of it, the alternative and colourful sight of a little-known frame of time in history as the setting, and how gentle, mesmerizing, unique, fun, fragile and precious the characters are makes the whole film a surrealist and bittersweet realm of its own. It exists not to be great or to compete for better plot or better art, but just to be. I get that feeling very little from any film nowadays, but this one really does seem almost free from the expectations of the film industry. A real pleasure to watch and to understand in all its poetic undertones, but you do nevertheless have to be in that tranquil, appreciative and artistically inspired mood to love it.

I hated watching almost every minute of it, just because of how pathetic and sometimes disgusting and rude they all are, but it is such a sincere and transparent show of what such a life must be like. Probably the only film I've seen where you get a sense that they're all just people interacting, not characters being acted out. I give it this rating because to date no film has made me appreciate my own humble life and self more than this film; I am still thanking God for being me and having the life I have, weeks after watching it. In spite of it all, the ending is lovely and worth it. I highly recommend it to everyone seeking great amounts of material success in this world, or worse: fame.

A beautiful film celebrating the lasting aspects of life and the value of knowledge, curiosity, gratefulness and sincere love and care. No plot, just this gobbet of these sensitive and complex characters' lives as they come, which is perhaps one of my favourite aspects of the film overall. The acting is absolute quintessence from the whole cast. I have personally never considered having a favourite film, nor cared about its director and any of his other works, before watching this particular film. It takes a calm soul, open mind and maybe a lonely heart to fully appreciate it, but for me personally it is what the youth call a "comfort movie".

A very deep and filosophically inclined movie coated in the light-hearted theme of a simple, average-looking family on a roadtrip. In many ways, they are quite average, but throughout the movie you see how life molds people in different ways and how subtly it shows in the way they deal with the everyday comings and goings. Great acting from everyone in it. One of those movies where in the end, it's not a Hollywood grand ending, but you smile and feel it was totally worth it. I'd recommend it to everybody in all walks of life at some point.

An exquisite plot unlike any you can find in more recent action movies, all coated in that dimly lit late 90s American government-involving thriller vibe. The characters' development and lack thereof really captivatingly shows the duality of man and the hidden or unpredictable workings of human nature. Some of the acting could have been better, but it is certainly some of the best acting I've seen put forward by Cage and Travolta in their careers. Though I appreciate the raw violence, firing, death and lust as being true to the characters' ways, it could have been less graphic in some instances.