It was hard to get through the beginning. The odd loud noises, the concept was strange. A few attempts were made until I sat down and really watched it.
Bella Baxter is one of the most compelling female protagonists I've seen and I found her story to be entirely relatable to my own. Emma Stone is brilliant and absolutely deserved the Oscar for best actress.
Mark Ruffalo is genius and his flamboyant juxtaposition to Bella's rigidity is impeccable. He honestly made me laugh so much thinking about the men in my life that devolved into screaming 4 letter words as a desperate attempt to tear me down.
Willem DaFoe is just as brilliant as ever. I just watched the lighthouse and I honestly don't understand how one man can be so talented. He's a dad trying his best, but he's also a cutting edge scientist with emotional damage. It seems so basic, yet Willem makes it unique and memorable.
The music, the cinematography, the lighting and editing, they all bring a life to the film, exploring the world from Bella's view and bringing us along in her head, without the narrative or aside that a less brilliant movie might have done.
TLDR: Amazing actors. Relatable plot. Humourous and serious. Might take a few tries, but HIGHLY recommend.