a director abuses their powers

Rating: 1/10 (25 June 2019)

I believe provocation has an essential place in film but only if it is done with artistic integrity. what is on display here is some of the most abhorrent and self-absorbed writing and directing i have ever seen on screen. this film is intensely patronizing. most of its big moments bank on metaphors thay become less and less tethered to the fabric of the story when its not busy patting itself on the back for senselessly traumatizing you.
this was especially devastating considering how strongly the film begins. the cinematography, performances, and tension are all built perfectly but as the metaphors begin to grow, the things about the film that work begin to fade away and by the end all we're left with is ankle deep metaphors about god, jesus, nature, and religion. Jennifer Lawrence is mother nature, Javier Bardem is god, the old couple are adam and eve, their sons are cain and abel, and Bardem's followers are religion. watch an interview with Aranofsky about his lack of creative control on Noah and it becomes abundantly clear that this entire film is masquerading as a spit in the face to the religious people that were responsible for his lack of creative control on that film.
if you want to see a film where story and metaphors exist in tandem i'd suggest the work of Yorgos Lanthimos. there is an artist who understands that for an audience to buy a metaphor, no matter how absurd, it has to make sense in the world of the story. here, the more the underlying message becomes apparent the less the story makes sense.