Anhedonia

I happened across this , loved the premise, and thought I'd give it a go. Because it was an independent/lower budget film I didn't think I'd get through much of it, but it was absolutely stunning!

The synopsis explains the film better than I'll ever be able to, so I won't try. My opinion though? This is a team of people who really know what they are doing and have bright futures ahead of them. I haven't seen a debut/breakthrough this assured since Blood Simple. Though the staging is simple, the direction is flawless. It reminded me of No Country For Old Men a lot, but it is WAY more bizarre than that.

I've had a love-hate view of arthouse films for a long time (they're usually way to self-indulgent, lack any sense of storytelling, and are usually very alientating for the average viewer). Anhedonia walks a very fine line but somehow manages to bridge the divide between entertainment and artistic vision.

The sound design, score and cinematography are so accomplished, especially considering the constraints they must have faced. The sense of scope is incredible, largely due to the risks taken and the choices of location!

As a film student I know how hard it is to make short films, but this is one hell of an accomplishment.- a feature film that never falters, never disappoints, and always gets you asking hard questions about yourself and the universe. It's perhaps five minutes or so too long (but then again so is every film these days! See: Midsommar/Wolf of Wall Street/Blade Runner 2049 - all still great films).

When I say I cannot stop telling people about this film, what I really mean is I cannot stop telling people to watch it so I can keep talking about it. The last time I watched a film that had so many enigmatic depths to it was probably The Shining. The answers are all there, but it's for the audience to decide. And that is SO much more rewarding than just having it handed to you.

Can't wait to see what these guys make next!