I have one question about that movie: what it was created for? Why? What is the reason, the message?
I admire the way this story was written, and the way it was executed - very precisely, consequently, creatively, with high standards in terms of visual, narrative and sound style. It is for sure an achievement not so often present in mainstream cinema or even in cinema in general. Or maybe, I should rather say - not so often you can watch a movie so focused, so well done, so precise, and so impactful... while in the same time - so lacking a relatively accessible cause. I think that watching a movie crafted excelently, cratively, powerfully, usually rather comes together with the baseline understanding of the underlying message the director hopes to deliver. Here, this whole so eleganly prepared experience seems to be dettached from this "ethical spine", from this "creator's mission". In my book - as a creator you should have very precise reason for creating any form of art, especially so complicated and multilayered as a film. Of course, there are some experiments in the history of cinema, some pieces of art breaking the rules and coming from not so reasonable background - for example, David Lynch comes to mind as a director who would rather die than reasonably establish what and why he would like to convey to the viewer with his film - but those brave ones, who choose this path should be far more better magicians than their "conservative" collegues. In my opinion Yorgos Lanthimos is not so magically gifted as Lynch.
And not so "conservatively" grounded as Michael Haneke for example, whose "Funny Games" from 1997 (remade almost shot-to-shot in US in 2007) are, I think, more convincing in terms of using this tempting method of dragging viewer trough the hell's floor... actually for a reason. Haneke's effort at making viewer feel extremely uncomfortable thorough the whole movie, was very similar as Lanthimos' cold manner of dealing with our souls in "Deer", but I was able to understand and to feel the reason why he have chosen to tell that story in such way, and therefore to justify this "cruelty" towards my, the viewer's heart. I felt and understood that "Funny Games" were concieved as a form of study on the roots of pure evil in human soul. A study which concluded - with brutal honesty - that pure evil, pure violence is, indeed, completely absurd, and completely unstoppable... yet, in the same time, nests itself inside our not so absurd, and not so unstoppable human body. I found "Funny Games" disturbing as f..., but also I knew, I felt why I was confronted by the director with such amounts of the darkness. In case of the "Deer"... I'm not so sure the director knew what he was trying to convey. To be honest - I'm also not so sure I was properly prepared for receiving the message, since it could have required for me to be more broadly educated in the field of greek mythology (as I read here - refferences in the movie are strong in that matter) or in some other aspect of culture or psychology which I'm not aware of. But if so - again, I blame rather the creator, for delivering message so hermetic that you need prior not so small education to understand what you are dealing with.
After watching "Everything Everywhere All at Once" (2022) by The Daniels, I felt similarly cheated - some magic was for sure conducted on me, but I was not able to trust the magician and to believe that his intentions were clear and honest - I felt emotionally and intelectually abducted, like after watching the "Deer". I believed David Lynch after "Mullholand Drive", despite his magic being even more off-the-limits, out of this world. I believed Michael Haneke after "Funny Games", despite his tricks were so much more brutal and grounded in reality, therefore so much more devastating. But I just can't believe Yorgos Lanthimos and The Daniels. I'm 42. Maybe I'm too old.
I admire the way this story was written, and the way it was executed - very precisely, consequently, creatively, with high standards in terms of visual, narrative and sound style. It is for sure an achievement not so often present in mainstream cinema or even in cinema in general. Or maybe, I should rather say - not so often you can watch a movie so focused, so well done, so precise, and so impactful... while in the same time - so lacking a relatively accessible cause. I think that watching a movie crafted excelently, cratively, powerfully, usually rather comes together with the baseline understanding of the underlying message the director hopes to deliver. Here, this whole so eleganly prepared experience seems to be dettached from this "ethical spine", from this "creator's mission". In my book - as a creator you should have very precise reason for creating any form of art, especially so complicated and multilayered as a film. Of course, there are some experiments in the history of cinema, some pieces of art breaking the rules and coming from not so reasonable background - for example, David Lynch comes to mind as a director who would rather die than reasonably establish what and why he would like to convey to the viewer with his film - but those brave ones, who choose this path should be far more better magicians than their "conservative" collegues. In my opinion Yorgos Lanthimos is not so magically gifted as Lynch.
And not so "conservatively" grounded as Michael Haneke for example, whose "Funny Games" from 1997 (remade almost shot-to-shot in US in 2007) are, I think, more convincing in terms of using this tempting method of dragging viewer trough the hell's floor... actually for a reason. Haneke's effort at making viewer feel extremely uncomfortable thorough the whole movie, was very similar as Lanthimos' cold manner of dealing with our souls in "Deer", but I was able to understand and to feel the reason why he have chosen to tell that story in such way, and therefore to justify this "cruelty" towards my, the viewer's heart. I felt and understood that "Funny Games" were concieved as a form of study on the roots of pure evil in human soul. A study which concluded - with brutal honesty - that pure evil, pure violence is, indeed, completely absurd, and completely unstoppable... yet, in the same time, nests itself inside our not so absurd, and not so unstoppable human body. I found "Funny Games" disturbing as f..., but also I knew, I felt why I was confronted by the director with such amounts of the darkness. In case of the "Deer"... I'm not so sure the director knew what he was trying to convey. To be honest - I'm also not so sure I was properly prepared for receiving the message, since it could have required for me to be more broadly educated in the field of greek mythology (as I read here - refferences in the movie are strong in that matter) or in some other aspect of culture or psychology which I'm not aware of. But if so - again, I blame rather the creator, for delivering message so hermetic that you need prior not so small education to understand what you are dealing with.
After watching "Everything Everywhere All at Once" (2022) by The Daniels, I felt similarly cheated - some magic was for sure conducted on me, but I was not able to trust the magician and to believe that his intentions were clear and honest - I felt emotionally and intelectually abducted, like after watching the "Deer". I believed David Lynch after "Mullholand Drive", despite his magic being even more off-the-limits, out of this world. I believed Michael Haneke after "Funny Games", despite his tricks were so much more brutal and grounded in reality, therefore so much more devastating. But I just can't believe Yorgos Lanthimos and The Daniels. I'm 42. Maybe I'm too old.