My professional and film enthusiast opinion

Rating: 4/10 (12 February 2017)

Film biographies that can be called a masterpiece are rare. Sadly, this is not one of them.
From the first second that I pressed play on the the projector machine at the cinema I am working I could tell this movie was going to be hard to view.
The mood they are trying to pass with the black screen and the series of production logos in silence is that a masterpiece is about to unfold. But there are too many logos involved for a 99 minutes film and it tires the viewer even before the movie has started. Then after some painfully seconds waiting in the dark the music begins. Or at least what you could call music. I can understand they were going for sad music but all they use is the same 2-3 notes for the duration of the film.
And don't get me started on the film's image placement on the screen. First time in my 15 years career that the image of a movie was so out of place. I had to pan it to the left, widen it and raise it up so people could read the subtitltes without leaning left and right.
Now as a viewer I can say what a lot of other people criticize. Firstly: the annoying voice Natalie Portman went with. OK you wanted to sound authentic but since you missed that goal everywhere else at least try to be pleasant on this one.
2nd. The 60's mood comes and goes depending on the scene. 3rd. the documentary inside the biography is so out of place and clearly there just to fill in movie duration and bore viewers more. 4th. Billy Crudup as the journalist couldn't be more emotionless.
All in all while it gets artistic some times its a movie that fails its goal. And the acting of Natalie Portman maybe got her to an Oscar Nominee but sadly its just that. Oscar nominee material and not Oscar material. Living in Greece we regret we actually thought we would have people interested to see this movie. I am sure in cinemas all over the globe outside the U.S. it went as poorly as ours.