Wow, but ...

Rating: 7/10 (31 January 2018)

Hmm. Not sure what to say about this one. I also had to pick a rather random rating, as it's an easy 10/10 in some respects, a 5/10 in others and a 2/10 in yet others.
Let's start with the great. This movie is absolutely beautifully acted, photographed and directed.
McDormand's performance is breathtaking - especially the non-verbal side: what she can communicate with an expression is incredible. And the photography is some of the best I've seen for a very long time.
It captures a small-town world in a very compelling and persuasive way. There are some touching moments and some funny ones.
But for me, it didn't quite gel. It wasn't exactly a tragicomedy. It wasn't a moving film with some moments where you weren't sure whether to laugh or cry. It was more like a tragedy where, from time to time, they decided the mood was too sombre and threw in some visual or verbal jokes.
There were also some parts that stretched my suspension of disbelief. Without giving anything away, one person behaving in an unlikely way, ok; two people doing the same thing, well ...
The ending was, however, perfect.