Garden state is not only visually stimulating but also has a great sound track!

Rating: 7/10 (13 August 2008)

Garden State -Directed by Zac Braff.... This quirky original film, directed by Zac Braff, lures you in by the slow motion beginning. Andrew Largeman (Braff) sits on a crashing plane, calmly looking around him as everyone panics. Straight away you think what is wrong with this guy? The oxygen masks are hanging from the ceiling; he doesn't take any notice of them. A phone starts ringing and Largeman awakes in his white bed, white floor, white minimalist room. The phone rings out and goes to voice-mail; it is his father 'Your mother just died.' Garden State; released in Australia November 2004, directed and written (also starring) by Braff is a drama comedy with a touch of romance film. A troubled young man returns home for his mother's funeral in New Jersey, meanwhile trying to avoid his physiatrist who's also his father. The music chosen to enhance the quirky dramatic comedy was hand-picked by Braff. '"Essentially, I made a mix CD with all of the music that I felt was scoring my life at the time I was writing the screenplay".-Braff. The sound track went on to win the best music at the Golden Trailer Awards.
The acting of styles could be considered realistic, as Largeman was an internal person who would observe things and process them within himself, thinking deeply. Braff did this extremely well, using his eyes as the window to his thoughts and emotions rather than over acting and stating the obvious to everyone. The female co-star Natalie Portman was an unusual character, Sam, she has many character flaws but they work. She lies and likes to be individual; 'If you can't laugh at yourself, life's gonna seem a whole lot longer than you like.'- Sam says in the movie. Her style is to over do things and jump from one emotion to the next which makes things always interesting when she's on the screen.
To add to the slightly unconventional personality of Largeman the editing of the film made the colour slightly more contrasted and gloomy in places. When the film takes a turning point the colours become less gloomy and brighter, mostly when Sam is around Largeman. Largeman starts falling in love with Sam therefore his world is bring more colourful and less gloomy and full of despair, where as in the funeral scene the colour filter is dim depressing to enhance the emotional state of Largeman.
The movie's composition is very unusual, which keeps the viewer interested and on the ball. Also the way the movie is filmed it is easy to get into the mind state of Largeman and what he is going through. This movie is something you must watch and even buy the sound track to, it is an inspiring independent film from a young actor/writer; Zac Braff.
This quirky original film, directed by Zac Braff, lures you in by the slow motion beginning. Andrew Largeman (Braff) sits on a crashing plane, calmly looking around him as everyone panics. Straight away you think what is wrong with this guy? The oxygen masks are hanging from the ceiling; he doesn't take any notice of them. A phone starts ringing and Largeman awakes in his white bed, white floor, white minimalist room. The phone rings out and goes to voice-mail; it is his father 'Your mother just died.' Garden State; released in Australia November 2004, directed and written (also starring) by Braff is a drama comedy with a touch of romance film. A troubled young man returns home for his mother's funeral in New Jersey, meanwhile trying to avoid his physiatrist who's also his father. The music chosen to enhance the quirky dramatic comedy was hand-picked by Braff. '"Essentially, I made a mix CD with all of the music that I felt was scoring my life at the time I was writing the screenplay".-Braff. The sound track went on to win the best music at the Golden Trailer Awards.
The acting of styles could be considered realistic, as Largeman was an internal person who would observe things and process them within himself, thinking deeply. Braff did this extremely well, using his eyes as the window to his thoughts and emotions rather than over acting and stating the obvious to everyone. The female co-star Natalie Portman was an unusual character, Sam, she has many character flaws but they work. She lies and likes to be individual; 'If you can't laugh at yourself, life's gonna seem a whole lot longer than you like.'- Sam says in the movie. Her style is to over do things and jump from one emotion to the next which makes things always interesting when she's on the screen.
To add to the slightly unconventional personality of Largeman the editing of the film made the colour slightly more contrasted and gloomy in places. When the film takes a turning point the colours become less gloomy and brighter, mostly when Sam is around Largeman. Largeman starts falling in love with Sam therefore his world is bring more colourful and less gloomy and full of despair, where as in the funeral scene the colour filter is dim depressing to enhance the emotional state of Largeman.
The movie's composition is very unusual, which keeps the viewer interested and on the ball. Also the way the movie is filmed it is easy to get into the mind state of Largeman and what he is going through. This movie is something you must watch and even buy the sound track to, it is an inspiring independent film from a young actor/writer; Zac Braff.