Star Craig Sheffer is about as helplessly wooden and lacking in personality as an actor could be. Therapist Alfred (Spalding Gray) seems to breach patient confidentiality. Film-maker Lance Young has a keen eye for some fine shots, but that alone is no reason to watch a film. More to the point, Young has no sense of how to write a compelling screenplay with a meaningful story, well-rounded characters, or earnest dialogue. He struggles to orchestrate an engaging scene. Terence Stamp tries to inject some personality into the character of Balthazar, but the part is written so flat and bland that he has almost nothing to work with. Young apparently has had no real credits to his name past the year 2000, and having watched 'Bliss,' I can't say that I'm surprised - but I am thankful.
At least the location scouts knew what they were doing.
Frank discussion of sex in the dialogue should be titillating, yet it's so clinical as to almost be derisively funny. Some of Balthazar's seemingly unorthodox methods should also elicit a laugh, or at least mild amusement. I say "almost" and "should" because Young's writing once again renders these would-be stimulating aspects lifeless, and boring. Even the promised nudity and sex scenes are sparing; at best they feel more romantic than scintillating, and at worst pointedly staged, artificial - dull.
I really don't know why I decided to watch this.
Sheryl Lee is the only cast member given a role with any real depth, allowing her to inhabit the part and demonstrate her skills. It's too bad Maria is also written with very little agency. Only within the last half hour does 'Bliss' get interesting - and that's only because of a hugely dramatic turn that upends everything Young had put into his movie previously. The feature becomes something entirely different, and while the characterizations (or Sheffer's acting) are no stronger, the thrust of the narrative is given a strength it wholly lacked before. Unfortunately, by that point, it's simply too little too late.
There are a few good ideas scattered throughout. They mostly go to waste.
I think I'm a very patient, open-minded viewer; I'll watch almost anything, no matter how underhanded or over the top, any anticipated level of quality, any genre. And still I feel like watching this was, more so than not, just a waste of my time. I can't particularly imagine who I would ever recommend this to, or why.
'Bliss' isn't.
At least the location scouts knew what they were doing.
Frank discussion of sex in the dialogue should be titillating, yet it's so clinical as to almost be derisively funny. Some of Balthazar's seemingly unorthodox methods should also elicit a laugh, or at least mild amusement. I say "almost" and "should" because Young's writing once again renders these would-be stimulating aspects lifeless, and boring. Even the promised nudity and sex scenes are sparing; at best they feel more romantic than scintillating, and at worst pointedly staged, artificial - dull.
I really don't know why I decided to watch this.
Sheryl Lee is the only cast member given a role with any real depth, allowing her to inhabit the part and demonstrate her skills. It's too bad Maria is also written with very little agency. Only within the last half hour does 'Bliss' get interesting - and that's only because of a hugely dramatic turn that upends everything Young had put into his movie previously. The feature becomes something entirely different, and while the characterizations (or Sheffer's acting) are no stronger, the thrust of the narrative is given a strength it wholly lacked before. Unfortunately, by that point, it's simply too little too late.
There are a few good ideas scattered throughout. They mostly go to waste.
I think I'm a very patient, open-minded viewer; I'll watch almost anything, no matter how underhanded or over the top, any anticipated level of quality, any genre. And still I feel like watching this was, more so than not, just a waste of my time. I can't particularly imagine who I would ever recommend this to, or why.
'Bliss' isn't.