Imaginaerum

Plot synopsis:
Thomas Whitman is a 75-year-old former musician who has lapsed into a coma after years of suffering from multi-infarct dementia. As he is clinging to his life while his estranged daughter Gem ponders on signing a do not resuscitate order, Thomas' mind enters a fantasy world where he relives his life as a ten-year-old orphan. After meeting a girl named Ann at the orphanage and acquiring a snow globe containing a dancing figurine named "Arabesque", young Thomas befriends a snowman named "Mr. White", who takes him on a flight to the skies. But while chasing his father Theodore's airplane, Thomas loses his balance and falls into a surreal world bordered by a run-down roller coaster track, which represents his mind and memories. As pieces of the track fall apart, a mechanic, symbolic of Thomas' doctor in the real world, complains about how futile it is to try to repair the track. The doctor looks to a younger Gem for advice who says they should just let it fall apart; this coincides with Gem agreeing to the DNR order in the real world. Thomas meets a younger version of Gem and a 72-year-old Ann, who warn him about Mr. White. He runs to a "dollhouse", where he sees himself and Ann in their 30s, as members of his band Whitman. The elderly Ann once again appears in front of him, warning him that the snowman is evil and is responsible for the loss of his memories.
As he travels to other parts of his past, young Thomas witnesses the simultaneous events of both his father and his older self lamenting the deaths of their wives. Suddenly, Theodore pulls a gun and shoots himself through his head while the older Thomas smashes the Arabesque globe against the wall, resulting in Thomas distancing himself from his daughter. He chases after Gem throughout the dream world as they both age to the present day.
Back in the real world, Gem arrives at Thomas' home, where she encounters Ann. It is revealed that when Thomas and Ann toured together with their band, Thomas' wife was killed in a car accident when Gem was a child. Because Thomas was not around during her childhood, Gem grew up resenting him throughout her life. Ann informs her that the night that Thomas' wife died, Thomas was with her, as he had stopped her from overdosing on drugs at the time, which reminded him too much of his father's suicide. Later, Ann opens a safe in Thomas' study, only to find sheets of paper containing incomprehensible writing. Ann makes Gem realize that in time Thomas grew as bitter as his own father due to their similar pasts. As a result, he pushed her away in order not to hurt her as his father did. Gem realizes that the notes are all of Thomas' memories when he found out about his dementia and that he did care for her after all. She spends the night piecing the sheets together to form a pattern on the floor. When the house experiences a power failure and Gem's cell phone dies, Ann drives Gem to the hospital.
Meanwhile, in his dream world, Thomas rediscovers his memories with Gem and is determined to hold on to them. He confronts Mr. White, who reveals himself as the manifestation of Theodore. During the ensuing roller coaster ride, Thomas relinquishes his grip on his father. In turn, he lets go of his last memories of Theodore, and holds onto those of Gem. He reaches the end of the roller coaster ride and awakens from his coma with Gem and Ann by his bedside. With his last breath, Thomas reconciles with his daughter before passing away.
Gem returns to her father's home to play the grand piano. When she notices a key not playing right, she opens the lid and discovers a brass name plate lodged between the wires, removing it and placing it on the repaired snow globe. The name plate reads "G Em", revealing Gem's name as the keys G and E minor. Thomas mentions throughout the film that the two chords are key to his memories and all he wants is to hear them one last time. He told her that when the chords are played correctly, the Arabesque in the globe will spin. After Gem realizes Thomas really loved her, she plays the chord and the Arabesque spins, symbolizing their reconciliation.

Tags: fantasy, sentimental, flashback

Review:
In few words Imaginaerum is a dive into a man's surreal dark dreams with superior strengths in terms of powerful images and music and some minor weaknesses in character development and acting.
I might add that Imaginaerum demands much (but not too much) of the viewer rationally as well as emotionally: It requires active thinking to follow the central plot and it is necessary to apply yourself to the emotions of the movie to understand the scenes.
For example I really enjoyed the great performance of actor Tuomas Holopainen!Imaginaerum as a "band-movie": I don't consider myself a Nightwish fan even though I don't dislike their music.
I was positively surprised that Imaginaerum, in contrast to other band movies, did not make it a 2 hours narcissistic music video.
A few times the band is on screen but only adding positively to the atmosphere.As being someone who enjoys strong images, demanding plots and artistic implementations I totally recommend this movie to my friends and to you.
I advise parents to be cautious showing Imaginaerum to children, as some scenes "can be disturbing" (as other reviewers already mentioned) and the movie as a whole may be hard to understand.
McCarthy on the other hand is very convincing playing the role of the old demented song writer Thomas Whitman.If you are a Nightwish fan, you'll get a kick out of this movie.
If you have never heard of the band called Nightwish, you might enjoy it anyway if you are one of those people who like the fact that not everything is clear at the very beginning.
As a longtime fan of the band it was really exciting too see if they could transform a great celebration to life such as the album Imaginaerum to a full time (almoast) movie.
They looked a lot better than the 250 million dollar Oz the Great and Powerful, which felt sadly fake in near every scene, and both movies are fantasy, so I saw nothing lacking in the special effects.
The brief appearances by the band did leave me wanting way more, because I am fan of the group, but it didn't hurt the movie a bit.
This film is imagined to life by the band Nightwish.
Imaginaerum is beautiful as a whole: the special effects are stunning (unless you're a Transformers fan), the cast look like they really care about the story - which does become clearer towards the end - and it's all well carried by the soundscape (by Nightwish).
As a die-hard Nightwish fan, Imaginaerum was an absolute must-watch for me.
I have followed the creation of the project from the very first steps on the band's fb updates, and I was in love with it from the beginning, so I might be a bit biased, but on the other hand I know almost every hardship they had to face during the process of creating a movie.
Mind you, this is not your regular Hollywood movie, with 10s of millions on the budget...The special effects were beautiful in my opinion and considering their budget, they did a spectacular job on bringing this story to life.
:) I flew to Finland just to watch this movie.) The music is absolutely beautiful and awesome.
Knowing both albums already before watching the movie did help in understanding certain scenes, even made me anticipate some with great curiosity.
While I know not everyone who watches it will know or like Nightwish' music as much as I do, I can still recommend listening to the album "Imaginaerum" if you leave the movie theater with too many questions.
Tuomas Holopainen's remark in 2010 about the album fits the movie as well, in my opinion: To me the album sounds like a roller-coaster ride in a theme park designed by Neil Gaiman, Tim Burton and Salvador Dali." The reference to the story of The Snowman" works perfectly as well, and personally, I can see some homage to Stephen King's epic story The Dark Tower" too – which Tuomas Holopainen admits to liking.
Add a dark, yet amazing fantasy world to this, and you have Imaginaerum – a movie that I wholeheartedly recommend to watch.PS: Some scenes (e.g. the circus) might be a bit disturbing to some people (children maybe)..
this movie is definitely overcomes most of the movies from the years 2012\2013!This film is one of the most interesting films i've ever seen.The plot is really unexpected but if you pay enough attention for details you'll realize how the entire plot and all characters are fitted together despite that the scenes are pretty much scattered and not realistic.
but it's how the people's imagination works, especially if a person has a Dementia.I'll definitely highly recommend my friend to watch it!I salute for the makes of the movie and who came up with the story..
The art of the movie fit very well in the feeling of the story and sometimes you cannot understand is this happening in the real world or in the dreams of Thomas Withman.
This is truly an epic film and one that i will not be forgetting for a long time.The acting the graphics are faultless and the music score by for me an unknown nightwish fits the film perfectly.
I am a Nightwish fan of course, but that had no effect on how I viewed the film.
This Finnish made title looks like a AAA Hollywood movie except here the rest of the quality matches.Otherwise known as the Nightwish movie as it was scored & soundtracked by the Finnish band, this is a dark fairytale that really took me by surprise.It tells the story of a man in his final hours living a bizzare fantasy in his head while his embittered daughter deals with his condition in her own way.It is a true visual treat that though very fragmented and not the easiest movie to follow does in fact have an outstanding payoff and all comes together in the end.Looking great, sounding fantastic and with a story that comes together this beautifully my one criticism was that I wanted it to continue for longer.A wonderful movie worthy of anyone and everyones attention.The Good:Visually stunningFantastic soundtrackDevastatingly well writtenThe Bad:Should have perhaps been longerCouple of weak moments that damage the flowThings I Learnt From This Movie:I should start listening to more Nightwish.
They are really really amazing.) I'd rather considered it as a very long music video than a film.The film tells a story about a man who lost in his dream,and how he tries to get rid of it.Sounds like a fairy tale but there's another story hidden.It's about father's love,and more,dealing with the suffering of lost his families(Maybe more,i don't know)And that's why I don't think it was a good film.It's true that it tells us a wonderful story and show us plenty of fantastic scenes,but we should not neglect the fact that it was busy of telling stories and show the great scenes which made us forget to find the emotions deep inside.(I don't know how to tell my feelings.)But still,I want to say,I love the band,I love Nightwish..
I found myself trying not to fall asleep through the whole movie and the nightwish music parts are just out of place.
The music which is a BIG point of this movie just doesn't fit with more of the scenes!
So when I heard they were going to make a whole movie giving visuals and form to their latest album, Imaginaerum, I was understandably hyped.
Sure the limited budget would mean that it wouldn't be visually on par with Hollywood blockbusters, but Tuomas Holopainen is a man with such imagination that I trusted him to deliver a story I wouldn't soon forget.And I wasn't disappointed.
Imaginaerum, the movie, is a unique-looking creation that fits the mood and feel of the album remarkably well, breathing life into the grand story that the album only hints at.
Any fan of Nightwish, naturally, but I'd also recommend it to anyone who appreciates gorgeous music, dark and Gothic visuals, magical realism and stories that delve deep into imagination..
If you're a Nightwish fan, there's the added bonus of the band members performing in the film as well.
With the small budget, time and space they had making this movie, I say they did one hell of a job.No, the characters aren't ''deep'' and the acting isn't oscar winning either, but if you are gonna whine about that you are missing the point of this movie,.
Nightwish - great band as they are - tried to deliver a powerful message using creative imagery and delving into a realm of fantasy movie making that this world seriously lacks and needs more of!
Laced in between is the -almost biographic, considering the sate of Nightwish themselves at the time - story of the band that fell apart, leaving scars in Thomas' mind.
I can say a lot more about it, but it comes down to this: forget for a moment that this was made by a band as an ''extended music video'' (it isn't, this IS a full, stand alone movie).
Almost certain that people who even never heard of Nightwish but do appreciate an honest, small and endearing fantasy movie will enjoy this.
they'll buy anything and tell you how great it is.this movie is horrendous, what little plot there is is nonsensical, there's no motivation for anything people do ("tom, let's you and me take a trip, who knows?
That's a movie with lots of layers and it takes a few listens to Nightwish's album - Imaginaerum as well, to see what Tuomas is trying to say.
It's just a very long, sad and melancholic Music Video.Of course you might shed a tear near the ending but that doesn't make up for the rest of the film.Especially the enforced appearances of the band are very misplaced.
Those scenes are turning a not so bad movie into a Music Video.Watch it if you are bored but don't expect too much.
It gets five stars for being very average, good special effects, okay story, bad band placements.
its root - a music album but the message, the poetry of images, the references to other movies, the delicacy of details, the trip of Tom to himself are good points for enjoy a complete show.
Instead, it was a full feature film about a demented old man trying to hold on to the good memories of his life before he dies and an estranged daughter that needs to reconcile with him.
Also, musically it has the soundtrack from Nightwish and a couple of actual songs with the band playing, but nothing spectacular, either.In a way it is a Finnish version of What Dreams May Come, but not that good and smaller in scope.
I really don't think this movie deserves the hate it's been getting.Thomas Whitman is an aging composer who has nervous breakdowns and he has to use the final moments he has to search through the fantasy world of the mind and piece together the puzzle of what happened.
While this is going on his daughter has a distant relationship with him and she gets a visit from the lead singer of the band he used to be in and she tells her that Thomas was a much more caring person then what she perceived him as for most of her life.The visual style of this movie is probably one of the best elements.
Literally, if you went into this movie wanting to listen to Nightwish then they only make about two, maybe three songs and I am not including how many times I heard a piece of background score that made me think "wait a minute, that sounds like Nightwish" (I haven't listened to the full album yet, I was saving listening to anything for this movie).
Everything else I might boil it all down to "It's okay".So, I can see why this movie got negative feedback but I for one enjoyed it regardless of whether I heard Nightwish's music or not.
It isn't exactly the movie I was expecting but if you keep an open mind and have some pre-determined knowledge of Stobe Harju's career as a music video director then you may like it okay.
It might be best however to not really see it as much of a Nightwish film and more of a movie that the band wanted to help make rather then be in..
I am a really big fan of the band, so I was obviously interested in the film a lot and it did not disappointed me at all!
It is a great ride through the movie and there are lots of symbols you will find hard to interpret for the first time.
Listening to the album Imaginaerum by Nightwish will help a lot to understand what is going on in the movie.It is a must-watch movie for everybody who can get beyond the usual Hollywood films which literally look you dumb and offer only visuals or mindless action or romance or etc.
So if you cannot stand films where you have to use your brain and of course you have to use it the right way, then this film is not made for you and you should not watch it for everybodys sake.For a not Nightwish fan or for someone who does not know Nightwish at all I recommend checking their songs or maybe their history out, because they are one of the best bands!
I was highly anticipating this film because I am such a big fan of Nightwish but the movie itself was very difficult to follow.
I like Nightwish, and especially the Imaginaerum album so that makes me un-objective as hell.
Visually striking, beautifully made, a good story, and of course the music is the best of Nightwish, epic as hell and beautifully orchestrated.A special note (spoiler here) the scene of the suicide / orb breaking is one of the most visually innovative piece of cinema I have seen in years.
And of course the music was good, which is why were were all watching this movie to begin with.The bad: All these reviews talk about how hard the story is too follow.
In the film the band do appear in the movie a few times usually performing a song.
Imaginareum is an album by Nightwish and they had planned to make a video for every song on the album in the end in turned out into a film.This Film can make you feel several emotions and you may even find yourself shedding a tear at the end, it is a dark dream just like it is described as.I would like to also state the actors in this film are amazing and each gave their own special thing towards acting as the characters.
Honestly, it feels like the Imaginaerum movie was built to go along with the music.
It's an oddity of a movie that one would only really understand if they understood Nightwish beyond their music.Additionally, the run-time seems kind of short if they want to create a movie with even a bit more information.
I'm a long-time nightwish fan but this film was just cheesy.
I know Nightwish are great musicians and this film is meant to go alongside the album, but the songs did not overly fit the theme all that well.The part where they performed "Scaretale" and "Slow, Love, Slow" was great though.I'm thinking this was some lazy effort at self-promotion?
If you don't know the band Nightwish, you can still enjoy this movie.
At times it feels like a over extended MTV video (from back when MTV used to play music videos).But someone versed in the arts, often I had the feeling while watching this movie that the guys from Nightwish saw Pink Floyd's The Wall for the first time, and said "Heck!
I have to say, that I was looking forward for this movie for a very long time because I am fan of Nightwish for many years now.
So I was expecting great musical movie.Honestly I don't know for whom this movie is made for, cause nightwish fans want to hear nightwish & rest of the people who don't listen to metal probably don't care (or don't even know that there is something like imaginaerum)Story is confusing, until very end you will not know what is going on exactly, but I wasn't expecting another boring Oscar stuff, I expected average story with excellent music and songs.
Musical movie, with three not complete songs?
again.Don't take me wrong, its not a bad movie, even effects are quite good, but for me this movie is probably under average, to tell you the truth if I didn't know that its from nightwish I would have never watched it, and I wouldn't have missed much.Shame & pity...
I'm not a Nightwish fan, but I did enjoy some of the music - especially a few piano melodies.
The good: Most people complain about the film being "a series of scenes that have nothing to do with the actual story".
If few words, you have plenty of Hollywood to leave your brains at the door, not so with Imaginaerum, which complexity isn't just an excuse to present the soundtrack, but an invitation to an artist and a dreamer's mind, in which time and stories are build up with a different logic that in that one found in movies a hollywwodies.Nonetheless, the film has great effects for it's limited budget, it would have been great to give it another half an hour, just to let it stretch on its development..
Decently made, beautiful, dark and cryptic movie that will satisfy the hardcore fans of the Finnish band Nightwish.
Imaginaerum is a movie made especially for you if you are either into Gothic-cum-symphonic rock or a hardcore fan of the Finnish band Nightwish.
The movie starts out like something you would have watched from Tim Burton's classics or from the canvass of Salvador Dali.