A Modern Fairytale

Rating: 10/10 (20 August 2005)

This is a movie unlike any other nowadays. E.S. should be called a fairytale for adults, yet it has a very deep meaning. I have seen it for about twelve times and still cannot get enough of it.
Johnny Depp makes an excellent performance despite the fact it was only his seventh movie (and the first one with Tim Burton). It is outrageous that he was not even nominated for Oscar.
What makes it a fairytale is the simplicity and purity of the movie. It is impossible to tell the time or place where it could be located, characters are beautifully drawn and still somewhat simplified. Burton accents the visual part, especially colors - it is genial how he has separated two different worlds just a few steps away from each other. The angel-like look of Kim, Jim's brutality and Peg's family's inability to see the problems as well as local housewives who are unable to use their own heads form a surreal reality so connected to Burton's creations. Burton shows our world in mirror.
The scene where Kim dances in the snow is one of the most memorable love scenes in the history of cinema, remarkable are also the giant sculpture of hand in front of the castle showing Edward's desires and the flashback that shows how dreams are sacrificed in the name of love. Every scene can be looked as a separate wonderful piece of art.
E.S. is a movie that is suitable for any age or educational level - everyone who loves fairy tales.