5 /10

Warning: Spoilers

Was looking forward to seeing this for a few months and just saw it last night. Unfortunately this wasn't what I was hoping for, I found the movie to be something that will be very forgettable in the long run.



However, there were some good things I liked about this picture. Obviously the music and the cinematography was very well done, especially the music. It's so simple and very beautiful and fitting to the film. Many of the notes struck in the music linger and then fade away with a few seconds til the next note. This definitely helped set the mood of the film, and worked extremely well with the visuals.



Dialouge is interesting to look at in this film. First of all it's very natural, and the characters themselves seem very real. This is great in a film, but however, I don't think this should be the only thing, and unfortunately this is mostly what we're left with in this film. Watching these two characters meet really reminded me of how similar this is to my own life, yet that's all it is (for the most part). I don't find this film challenging, or even attempt to bring any kind of dramatic tension into the piece at all. Not having any dramatic tension isn't necessarily bad thing in the case of a few situations. Mutual appreciation (another mumblecore film) had very little dramatic tension and still was very entertaining, and more of a portrait of a person's life. This is really a portrait of a new relationship, and two people finding each other in modern times. And on top of that kind of boring.



I don't feel like this film is really trying to say anything. It's rather just trying to show the viewer something real in times where that can be hard to find. But in this case it fails, because it does so with out even attempting to find anything deeper. In a way I almost feel this film is shallow. It just scratches the surface of life without attempting anything more. And just as in with most new relationships, the easy part is when you first meet the person. But after awhile you really get to know them and you see who the real person is.



And one final thing. I feel like some of the shots were ridiculously too long. To be specific, the CU shot of the subway passing by in the opening must have gone on for over a minute. Why? Highly, and ridiculously unneeded. You can ponder over an image like that for 10 to twenty seconds and then move on.



If you're looking for more than you can find in your own real life, I would pass on this one. Go rent Before Sunrise instead. Much more thought provoking and also captures the fleeting and intense nature of youth. You'll get much more out of it than this film.