I watched and reviewed "Bellflower" for the first
time on July 24, 2012. In my initial review I gave the film only three stars,
citing "nebulous writing" and "rough acting" as my main
problems. I have mentioned and written about the movie a few times since that
first review, each time thinking and writing about it far more positively. I
few weeks ago I ran across my first review and couldn't understand how this
movie which had continued to live in my head so vibrantly was one I only rated
as three stars. Last night I rewatched "Bellflower" and, my god, I
was so very wrong the first time around.
"Bellflower" is an absolutely brilliant film that
is gorgeously and strikingly directed. The cinematography is some of the best
I've seen in years, and that's saying something. Evan Glodell, who wrote,
directed and starred in the film, utilizes gritty film and shots that move in
and out of focus to create a world that is hallucinatory and surrealistic. Some
of the shots - most notably the epic shot of the car near the end of the film -
are just so perfectly done they took my breath away. This film is visually
stunning, even more so on second viewing.
So what about the plot that I found somewhat lacking the
first time around? Honestly... I think I just didn't get it. I had felt the
movie wasn't believable, but a movie about two men creating weapons for the
upcoming apocalypse in service of their gang Mother Medusa isn't really based
in this reality, now is it? No, this film is a morality tale told in shades of
magical realism that bares more than a passing resemblance to "Fight
Club" in plot and tone. It's not supposed to be realistic - it's a dark
film that uses heavy symbolism to tell a cautionary tale of what becoming a man
means in this violent day and age. Every frame of the film and every nuance of
the plot services this point and I'm stunned I didn't understand this in my
first viewing.
The one complaint I need to keep is that the acting is weak
for the most part. However, what I didn't appreciate is that all of the actors
in the film are comprised of the skeleton film crew and actors hired off of
Craig's List. This film was shot on virtually no budget - although you'd never
be able to tell that from the look of it. So, yes, the acting isn't stellar,
but it's not terrible either. In fact, the overly hammy acting in the first act
of the film is necessary to make the degeneration of the characters through the
rest of the film more believable.
Conclusion? I was totally wrong and I admit it.
"Bellflower" is a stunning film that gets better the more it
percolates in your brain. After my second viewing I was so blown away I bought
the DVD, so that's saying something from me. If you like strange, dark, gritty
films that are visually stunning and off the beaten path rent
"Bellflower" - it's a wonderful film that should be seen by everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment