experience what a schizophrenic goes through...

Rating: 10/10 (30 September 2006)

This is definitely the best and most intelligent film I've seen for a long time. About half way through I realized 'this must be what a schizophrenic experiences.' The ending is completely unexpected (even for people who, like myself, find M Night Shyamalan's "twists" predictable) and ties every odd detail together tighter than a slip knot. You will be talking about this one after the credits roll. I have read many comparisons to David Lynch. But the endings of films like "Lost Highway" for instance are like dreams that can only be computed on a subconscious level. "The Machinist's" resolution will please viewers who insist that a story should make sense while they are awake. (Don't get my wrong, I love most of David Lynch's work and "Lost Highway" is one of my favorite films.) At first I was a little hesitant to rent this because of the 'disturbing images' warning. I love films that are disturbing on a cerebral level but I have never been a fan of gore for gore's sake. Given the title of the film and the warnings I thought this might be a festival of machine tooled body parts flying about. But it is not like that at all. The accident scene (which is mentioned in the plot outline so this is no spoiler) really isn't so bad and it is brief. I've seen worse images in mainstream R rated action thrillers. I guess the ratings people just found this film disturbing in general. And it is but that is what makes it so fascinating. This is what independent film is all about! You must see this film!!!