Exceptional & Thought-provoking

Rating: 8/10 (17 September 2016)

Saw this at TIFF and was incredibly impressed. This movie has all the right components of an exceptional film - great cast, great director, and a great script that took a somewhat tired premise and turned out a script full of thought-provoking substance, and a highly original twist.
This movie's true beauty was how it masterfully balanced the plot and sub-plot throughout the entire film - to the point that the build-up to the sub-plot (which also ends up being the twist at the end) is done very subtly throughout the movie without the viewer even knowing for the most part. It's only in the last half hour that Villeneuve starts presenting it's relevance for to the viewer. However, the primary plot does not suffer, it's only enriched.
This movie was an exceptional combination of great story-telling and a cast and crew at the top of their game delivering an entertaining film that will have audiences talking about the questions it raises.