great because it made me think

Rating: Null/10 (3 October 2004)

Some film just have an atmosphere that make you constantly question yourself, your moral, that kind of thing. This did that very well through a very intense and deep storyline without being too complicated to make it's several points. The plot was anything but predictable and even when I thought I knew what was going on it turned out I was way off track, I'm sure I fell for the intentionally misleading trap that were set, which is proof of very skilled writing. The soundtrack was very appropriate; I really like it when films use mostly real songs rather than music composed specifically for the film: it seemed to apply better because you know the songs weren't written for what we know the characters are feeling and thinking but it still lines up perfectly. The acting was great by all the main characters. I particularly liked Chris Cooper's character - the slightly messed up marine.
It was also well shot with an interesting variety of shots & angles. The shots from Ricky's camcorder were a great way to show things about his character by what he pointed his camera at, whilst being an interesting perspective for the audience to see the characters. It was also evident that great thought was given to lighting in most scenes. Great thought was given to everything and nothing was left to chance, which it why this film won so many awards. At first I thought this may have been what you'd call a 'chick flick' by the poster and reading that it was about relationships and that kind of thing. I'm so glad I gave it a try because it's definitely not all these stereotypical and clichÃ©d things. I'm also glad I saw it because now I get one of the jokes in Not Another Teen Movie.