Not a Perfect Film but Damn Close

Rating: 9/10 (7 November 2019)

What do you get when all the elements of a film - acting, dialogue, cinematography, score - come together wonderfully? You get near-perfection!
I've now seen this film in the theater 3 times. It's the only film I have ever felt moved to see a 3rd time in a theater. There are plenty of reviews here which go into detail about the substance of the movie, so I'll let you read those. Meanwhile, I will say that this is the most interesting, moving, scary, beautiful, darkly compelling film I've seen in years. I go to the theater for total immersion. The score itself is so hauntingly beautiful, so evocative. But ultimately what has kept me coming back is the mystery and Phoenix's incredible performance.
I'm feeling confident I have most of it figured out now but I have no doubt that sometime in the future, I'm going to watch this again!