Emily K.

Primarily, the cast is the draw. As with nearly all Scorsese films, the plot is featured around a man with a moral dilemma that is easily rectified with an ethical viewpoint. But as yet another film written by men portrays, Newland is caught between a woman he has devoted himself to and a woman who is in a "bind," though we never quite have a clear picture of said bind. Various characters intentionally twirl the star-crossed lovers despite the obvious advances that Newland is publicly expressing. Viewers are meant to believe that said characters are either blind or ignorant, despite the repetitive private and public mentions of Beaufort's extramarital transgressions. We are locked squarely in Newland's perspective, never being offered the chance to dive into the minds of Ellen nor May. There are various points throughout the film, even beginning with the very first opera scene, in which it is plainly clear that there is either an underlying recent backstory between Newland and Ellen which we are not privy to, or that Newland is entirely at fault for forcing himself on Ellen, in a manner of speaking. Ellen repeatedly politely pushes Newland away, despite his insistence that they meet, both privately and publicly. There can certainly be an argument made for Stockholm Syndrome with the level of sheer persistence that Newland has in being by her side, even despite her reluctance. Recall that she tells Newland that she did not want to turn around on the dock because she knew he was there. And then in one swift scene, Newland suddenly realizes that his entire circle, including his wife, is aware of his affair. Keep in mind that we are never quite sure when Newland is fantasizing or having a true experience as these fantasy sequences frequently happen, with background noise dimming and disappearing altogether. Subtle and not-so-subtle clues are sprinkled throughout that May is keenly aware of his affair, yet viewers are made to believe that this has spread to the entire circle despite very little evidence to the fact. Perhaps one could argue that Mrs. Mingott is attempting to aid both Ellen and Newland in coming together prior to his wedding, except for the keen scene in which she outright rejects Regina Beaufort, a family member, for her husband's scandals. There are too many contradictions to ignore in the plot, leaving this viewer to regard the narrator as unreliable and the plot erratic.

It's one of those films that you won't have an immediate reaction to. You'll stand up from your seat, throw out your trash, drive home and lay in bed thinking about what you just watched. It's so open and raw that it is divisive, but in a good way. It's laying bare what society, even to this day, is doing to those with any form of mental illness: shunning, taunting, leaving them behind. While it's not necessarily meant to be a metaphor, it inevitably has become one and I genuinely believe the criticism is unwarranted. Joaquin Phoenix is at his finest; he's almost unrecognizable from his "Walk the Line" days. Criticize it for being a Scorsese-wannabe film, but I think that's what makes it so unarguably unique: Phillips took films that forced America to look mental illness in the eye and opened it up to a universe that has been so pristine until now, that being the comic book universe. It's one hell of a film and one I will gladly watch over and over.