J.F. Forests

I haven't read the book so had no idea what to expect and was completely caught up into the film as I tried to piece together the mystery, tried to understand the motivations driving the various characters, and wrestled with questions about the nature of being a human in a complicated world. The film is darkly contemplative and may have benefited with some lighter moments or humor to help the audience come up for air, yet then it would not be so effectively experiential. I came out of the theatre feeling spent, exhausted from caring too much for a character and seeing in him my own failures real or imagined, my own efforts realized or dashed. Isn't experiencing catharsis a standard measure of success for theatrical performances? The soundtrack is also worth noting as it spanned genres and time periods: it never intruded but enhanced, and when it was completely absent, it was as effective as a camera focusing on a close-up as each word spoken took on extra poignancy. The locations ranging from desert to NYC, interior and exterior echoed the characters, and the movie's namesake painting is revelatory not only in an art historical way or as a catalyst for the actions in the film but as a symbol for so much more. Just what that symbol actually means goes beyond the frames of the film and that's what will keep the thoughtful viewer positing long afterward.