I saw this with my wife. I liked it. She hated it and wanted to walk out. What I liked were the performances. It's a tough topic and I thought Amanda Seyfried pulled it off well. My wife was focused on the story. She thought it started off depressing and then went downhill. She ordinarily doesn't mind dark subject matter, but she also wants Hollywood endings that end on an "up" note and the birth of a grandchild didn't get her there. I think it also hit home because it touched upon some personal areas for her.
One thing that we both didn't like was the ambiguity over Julie's father. At first, he's only visible in flashback and he's absent. My first thought was that her dad sexually abused her. Later, in a flashback, they show her running up the stairs and her father is just about to beat her so we think "Oh, it must be physical abuse". Then he reappears and shows her how to paint but begins to touch her in what - if left unchecked - would be inappropriate for a father/daughter and we think "Oh, so maybe it was sexual abuse after all." I know that some moviemakers think its artistic to "let the audience interpret" but we both hate that. If they're going to say something, say it - don't just let it hang out there. Then again, maybe that's how its written in the book? Anyway, that bugged us both.
One thing that we both didn't like was the ambiguity over Julie's father. At first, he's only visible in flashback and he's absent. My first thought was that her dad sexually abused her. Later, in a flashback, they show her running up the stairs and her father is just about to beat her so we think "Oh, it must be physical abuse". Then he reappears and shows her how to paint but begins to touch her in what - if left unchecked - would be inappropriate for a father/daughter and we think "Oh, so maybe it was sexual abuse after all." I know that some moviemakers think its artistic to "let the audience interpret" but we both hate that. If they're going to say something, say it - don't just let it hang out there. Then again, maybe that's how its written in the book? Anyway, that bugged us both.