Startling for story and visuals.

Rating: 9/10 (21 November 2014)

Not the best film ever, but one of the best this year. Story, Character, performance, and especially cinematically, this is a tour de force. I was engrossed for nearly a third of the film before I noticed what an engaging and effective cinematic style I was watching. Wow! The whole cast delivered such amazing performances that I can't say enough about. Seamless delivery, layered performances. I can watch it again, and this is not an idle statement. This is the first film that I've felt the need to voice my strong endorsement of in recent years. I found that I was brought into the story from many angles. Being of the theatre, I was happy to see both the realistic portrayal of the backstage milieu and the complex interaction both on and off the stage of everyone involved, from the electrician to the producer, from the lead actor to the critic. Flawless!