Impervious story telling

Rating: 8/10 (21 March 2018)

This is a great example of taking a simple concept and writing a fully fleshed out and just BANGIN story out of it. Everything just progresses so logically and tightly and cohesively it's just UGH. I just love how each piece was so thoughtfully crafted and selected and how events unfold and characters react. Zero loose strings whatsoever. Rich and powerful symbolism interspersed, but not too overpowering - the story always came first. The way it toys with expectations several times throughout the film on several different story elements. Really this movie should have won best original screenplay over The Shape of Water but oh well it's the Oscars what can you do? And not only all of that, it introduces some of the best and most loveable characters of 2017 - Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand - who won best actress, which I thought should have been given to Sally Hawkins for The Shape of Water but whatever, at least both films won something in some sense), William Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell - who won best supporting actor), Red Welby (Caleb Landry Jones), and really the list goes on from here. And it walks perfectly the dark comedy line without ever straying down a road that's too sad or down a comedic part that doesn't forget the morbid overarching plot. The only other film that straddles this gap any better from this year is The Killing of a Sacred Deer - my favorite movie from 2017. The only real detractor from this movie I felt was the way that the characters interacted. It's funny how much inspiration this film takes from Flannery O'Connor - thematically and aesthetically. I love her short stories but I have always had a problem with the characters feeling that they were a little shallow or they knew what the next line someone would say before they said it, or perhaps the feeling they knew they were in a story. It's hard to explain, but her stories have a feel to them. I suppose I'm getting at the fact that this story is so deeply seated in reality, I think it's weird how characters talk like a Shakespearean play in that they aren't only talking to someone on stage, but projecting to the audience. This also contributes to the tone being a little wobbly throughout too. Either way, it's a minor nitpick and doesn't stop this movie from being one of my favorites of the year. Brilliant movie!