Aiden

This afternoon, I had the unfortunate experience of watching "Aiden," directed by Carl Medland, and I can't help but feel frustrated with the current state of movies. It seems like a lot of new films, including this one, are getting high ratings even though they have serious issues with storytelling, screenplay, acting, and direction.

Right from the start, "Aiden" throws a messy plot at us that feels almost ridiculous. The story is all over the place, leaving viewers confused instead of engaged. The screenplay is filled with nonsense and cringe-worthy dialogue, making it hard to connect with the characters or care about what happens to them.

The acting is pretty bad-it's forced and unconvincing, like the actors weren't even sure what they were doing. And as for the direction, Carl Medland really missed the boat. "Aiden" comes off as a jumbled collection of scenes that never really mesh.

Honestly, I'm tired of watching films that, despite the high praise from friends and family, highlight a concerning trend in the industry. It's disappointing to see movies like "Aiden" getting recognition when they clearly fall short in so many areas!

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Plot: Aiden has spent years trapped in a tumultuous and abusive relationship with his partner, Ivan, whose charming facade masks a volatile temperament. After a particularly harrowing incident, Aiden makes the courageous decision to escape, seeking sanctuary in a secluded cabin nestled deep in the woods. This safe haven represents not just a physical refuge but a chance to reclaim his life and confront the haunting shadows of his past. In the isolation of the cabin, Aiden is introduced to an unconventional therapist, Dr. Williams, who employs unorthodox methods to help him process his PTSD. Through intense and often unsettling sessions, Aiden is pushed to confront his feelings such as fears, insecurities, and the emotional scars left by Ivan's abuse. As he delves deeper into his psyche, Aiden begins to unearth memories and truths that threaten to unravel everything he thought he knew about love, trust, and his own identity.

It's one of those movies that gets great reviews here, you watch it, and scratch your head and say, "why?" But we know. It stinks.

This film is what you get when a multiple personality sufferer who thinks they can act, decides to write a script that they also think they can direct.

The result is this mess you call a movie.

Even Francis Ford Coppola with his self financed 120 million dollar disaster called Megapolis failed to pull of a career ending film and all because he thought he was a writer when he should have stuck with directing.

News flash: Actors should ONLY act.

Writers should ONLY write.

Directors should ONLY direct.

Any attempt to do more than one thing results in creating a sad convoluted mess that you can barely call a movie. This film is a nail in the coffin of Hollywood which is dying fast, because of these "I can do it all" wanna bees that think they can do more than one thing and do it well.

I implore you when you sit with your other wanna be friends at the coffee shop, to give serious thought to this and to create a support group to help each other realize your short falls and all in the interest of sparing your poor audience the pain of watching your creations on film.

Do one thing and do it well or don't do any of them.

Act, write or direct but for Gods sake learn from disastrous releases that have predated your creation, they all flopped because your ego is what drove you to think you are a combo talented person.

You are not.

So this is a story about a man with a troubled past. We enter upon him falling apart so to speak losing his grip on reality and conscious presence and stability.

Bouncing between not knowing what to do and trying to hard to do an impression of what one would at a glance think is the proper way (and probably expecting the blair witch around every corner) based on the camera quality.

Apparently aiden catches a cold and was forced to take a very long flight a few weeks before his world unraveled.

From there it gets pretty confusing very fast as the messages all seem different. The director seems to have one narrative and the main character seems to be following his own haphazard impulses while there is a third subtext that doesn't match either and will surely be spun off as the master of spin disasters and sold for scrap.

Turns out diversity is good in entertainment news as well. Someone should have explained that to them before they went off like a rocket and exploded like a one time firework.

Beautifully shot and some terrific suspense. The pacing is very good as well as some of the character conflict. Effect were very efficient considering the low budget.

Beautiful landscape. There was a lot of tension that kept me hooked in on the story. I also think the writers did a good job of establishing the characters. There was a perfect balance of internal and external conflict. I thought the character of Aiden was a well-written and relatable character.

The cinematography was very creative and fluid. The film makes a good use of it's landscape to reflect the character's inner turmoil. Definitely recommend it.