Surprisingly good!

Rating: 9/10 (3 March 2018)

This film was a cinema treat for my mum as she fancied seeing it on her birthday. I had no clue going in what it was about. And if I had to describe it afterwards to someone, I'm sure it wouldn't sound like a particularly amazing film. The story wasn't terribly exciting but the characters made the story so moving and gripping. The acting by everyone in it was superb. Not a big fan of all the bad language but it did make the film feel more grittily real. I usually prefer more fantastical films which give some escapism but I surprised myself and the film itself surprised me. Sam Rockwell (whom I have liked since The Green Mile) was such a dislikeable character but the way he developed through the film was really well done. The film plays well on your emotions and somehow manages to bring little bits of humour out of a tragic situation and some appalling decisions. I still smile thinking about my favourite bit when Sam Rockwell's character shies away a little bit from his lighter (because of what has happened to him - I won't spoil it by saying what). It doesn't sound funny here but he makes even a small thing like this funny. The film makes you think about how inherently decent people can make bad or good choices and what the unexpected consequences can be. I wasn't too sure about the ending but I suppose it left the viewer to decide for themselves what happened next. I would say this film definitely deserves some oscars.