Wearing the guise of a coming-of-age movie, this is actually a far more nuanced and layered character study of a young woman facing abuse, betrayal and disappointment from almost every corner of her life – and yet remaining almost relentlessly defiant in the face of it all.
Viewers will walk away from House Two with a strong feeling that this entire case was a gross miscarriage of justice. Epstein is aware enough of the truth, yet maintains a neutral tone in the film so as to not overly influence his audience.
Viewers will walk away from House Two with a strong feeling that this entire case was a gross miscarriage of justice. Epstein is aware enough of the truth, yet maintains a neutral tone in the film so as to not overly influence his audience.
In the best of circumstances, a film will create a language for itself. An internal yearning in the artists involved, from the writer and director to the actors on screen, pushes for expression using the medium to its best advantages. It’s an exceedingly rare thing which requires not only honesty and careful creativity, but also a great deal of courage. From before the first shot appeared on screen, it was already clear: first-time feature Romanian director Ioana Uricaru had forged such a language.
Bill Oliver’s first feature film Jonathan arrives into a sort of renaissance moment for sci-fi anthology tales. Employing near-future brain science tropes reminiscent in some ways of last year’s Get Out, fans of the British Netflix series Black Mirror will be able to jump right into this literal mind game of a movie.
By the end of the film, some of the life changes the attorneys go through are disruptive enough, the audience is left wondering if their good work will be undone by their own circumstances. It was hard to not to cry, and even feel ashamed. After all, we’re all part of the system of cruelty, injustice and vengeance which works harder to take down street-level ladies while their abusive masters most often live well.
By the end of the film, some of the life changes the attorneys go through are disruptive enough, the audience is left wondering if their good work will be undone by their own circumstances. It was hard to not to cry, and even feel ashamed. After all, we’re all part of the system of cruelty, injustice and vengeance which works harder to take down street-level ladies while their abusive masters most often live well.
perhaps that’s Proserpio’s ultimate achievement here. He gets us to think about what it is we do, what it is we love, and what it is that motivates us, all in the microcosm of one humble Banksy work. It’s fair to say, this documentary may have more lasting impact than some of the short-lived street art it’s talking about.
perhaps that’s Proserpio’s ultimate achievement here. He gets us to think about what it is we do, what it is we love, and what it is that motivates us, all in the microcosm of one humble Banksy work. It’s fair to say, this documentary may have more lasting impact than some of the short-lived street art it’s talking about.
The artist just refused to give of himself to the people around him. Perhaps the film made that decision, too. Those missing pieces we yearn for simply might not be available, just as the artist refused to make his own soul available to those closest to him. Except, of course, through his art – but that was only incidental.
