v x (#_#)

Tasteful and masterful (and rewarding, especially to those who follow the history of this time period, events etc), historical/retcon fiction with very close ties to reality - a kind of "what if THIS happened" kind of story with a dynamite ending, intended to give justice to what in reality was a horrible tragedy, but anything more would be a spoiler. Except to wonder what IF things went differently - how one event changed the whole perception of different aspects of California culture. It is both a love letter to the time and place, an exposé of the dark side of SoCal etc, and an honorary to Sharon Tate and her family, a much lighter version of history, a kind of what one wishes had happened instead. But then there's the whole rest of the movie before the ending, which does not feel 2hr 40m long with a 15 minute climax. The whole thing is masterful and exact, set direction, cinematography, all the performances are great., the buildup and world feel real and organic. Looking forward to the 5 episodes of Bounty Law, full old-school 50s western style show "featured" in the film, with DiCaprio as the lead, which Tarantino says he intends to complete and release. Overall an homage to a time and a place, and a wish that things had gone differently (a very entertainingly portrayed wish, given the subject matter, the ending is a filmmaking tour de force tho).