I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. I think what surprised me the most is that I expected a movie about a woman that suffered from dementia and I got something altogether different. I've watched movies like Still Alice that were about people that were suffering from mental illness. The problem with those films is that - from an entertainment perspective - they are rather limited by their backdrop. Sure, you can be emotionally moved by the performances but at the end of the day you know exactly how the story is going to play out.
This film is different. While it starts out with a woman suffering from dementia it is not about a woman with dementia. The film is a study in the dynamics of family and the effects that the shortcomings of parents can have on their children. The story is delicately told and the three leads are phenomenal. I think what impressed me most is how the story played out over the final few scenes - it had to have been difficult to lose sight of the bigger story and to avoid clichés. I thought they nailed it.
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I'd like to preface this review by saying that I know this movie does not deserve a 2. In a world devoid of morals and of ethics regarding filmmaking and the making of art, I would give it a 10, but we live in a world where the mere existence of such an atrociously sinful film means that quite a bit of sin was committed during it's making.
While those who are not religious may strongly disagree with me and I too may look back on this review and wince, I simply do not believe that the message this movie sends was worth depicting brutal, sadistic, and graphic rape. I both am grateful and regret the fact that I have seen this film and I feel dirty having watched it and rightfully so.
Much of the material Kubrick presents on screen during this film amounts to little more than sadistic porn. Nudity is gratuitous and I violence is painted over with disturbingly artistic flair. What Kubrick misses the opportunity to do is to allow the audience's imagination to fill in the blanks instead of forcing people to carry out the acts on screen. The book this film is based on succeeds in that it is horrifying without needing people to act it out.
I realize that this is a terrible review, but for your sake and for the sake of others who will have to live with your mind after this film, urdge you to not watch this. They say it is a masterpiece and it is - but it is one that requires prolonged exposure to the worst of humanity in ways that are simply unjustifiable.
