Citizen Kane

Rating: 7/10 (13 March 2018)

I had very high hopes for Citizen Kane. First off, the cinematography was amazing. There was a consistent yet still complex way to how it was shot. For example, there were scenes where the opening would be a close up of someone's face while at the same time you could see another subject in the background, just as in focus as the main image. This opened a few scenes and was stylistically a great choice.
The plot was great, I loved how detailed and complex it was. The flashbacks were done very well and did what they needed to do. They helped move the plot along but in an artistic and helpful way. The acting was great. The only thing I had a hard time with was the overall point of the film, but I can see why people liked it so much at the time. However, even given its historic/political tones, as a viewer I found it to be a very basic, white washed story. It looked great and was told well but meant nothing to me as a young person in 2018. I still appreciate it. The moral that you should savor life and that money doesn't buy happiness was my biggest take away.