ecto-3

I was intensely moved by this film, which I viewed during a preview screening in San Diego.

The composition of the scenes, dark exposures, extreme close-ups, surreal techniques of distortions of focus and viewpoints, saturated and washed out colors, superb acting, and moralistic conflicts between the angels and demons within the humanity that haunts so many, left me transfixed and absorbed by this highly charged and complex production.

I was also aware that this may not appeal to mass audiences who expect plot and action to move at a faster pace, with fewer complexities and inward, sometimes awkward analysis.

In its simplest form, this is a road trip set on the margins of the 19th Century, when the West was almost tamed, by men hardened by the brutalities of the Civil War, and the slaughter of innocents.

It is also a story of honor, of rugged individualism, and a struggle with tribal and racial prejudices that has a very contemporary resonance.

I noticed that some were leaving in mid-screening, but most of the preview audience remained until the end, and a good number applauded with conviction.

I was intrigued by the lush cinematography, the Kodachrome appearance of some scenes, the extremes of violence and brutality, and the morality lessons of wiping out a race of Native Americans who were here first, but needed to make room and be displaced, out of convenience and greed, because it could be done, regardless of the injustice or inhumanity.

Those same prejudices also have a contemporary ring to them, reflecting current attitudes towards immigrants, those of darker skins, and "the others" among us.

I was reminded of such literary works transformed into screenplays as Heart of Darkness, The Red Badge of Courage, High Noon, The Magnificent Seven, and Seven Samurai, along with directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Antoine Fuqua, John Ford, and John Huston.

For those who can endure the graphic violence, scenes with mumbled dialogue, and tormented characters, and can make the effort to go beyond that, this can be a very rewarding film experience.

Seldom have I walked out of a preview screening. But after enduring one hour of screeching, unsupervised children, dripping obscenities as casually as they dripped ill-gotten ice cream, unsupervised by adults who were as misbehaved and irresponsible as they were, I mercifully exited the theater.

This film neither amused me, nor held my attention. I kept thinking of the times I was on a flight in which the cabin had a child or two who were constantly crying, or kicking the back of my seat, only this viewing experience was worse, because I was expecting better.

In the row to my right was a morbidly obese gentleman with a backpack on the seat next to him filled with chips and other snacks that he dipped into regularly, taking time between bites to laugh uncontrollable at the obscenity laden dialogue, as other members of the audience got up to leave in twos and threes.

This was worse than going to a restaurant and selecting something from the menu that I was sure would give me indigestion.

I go to films, not primarily to be entertained, but for the impact of drama that consists of conflicts and their eventual resolutions, that also reflect and reveal truths about myself, and the world in which I live.

Maybe I left too soon to experience any resolution of conflict, but this so-called "drama" meandered aimlessly for a full 60 minutes, while I wished that I could look out the window at the passing clouds on that imaginary flight at 35,000 feet, and order a double Jack Daniels.

I started the evening in a good mood, on a full stomach, with high hopes, and left hungry, but relieved to be out in the fresh night air.

I did briefly enjoy the fantasy created and alluded to by the lush, saturated colors with references to the Magic Kingdom, but other than that, I could not find anything to like about this very painful experience.

I may be in the minority, and perhaps this was too rarefied a creative effort for me to fully appreciate, but life is too short, and my instincts told me that I made the right decision to exit early.