John and the Hole

I wish I could have given this a higher score. It was well acted, interesting, great cinematography, interesting story idea and crap ending as far as I'm concerned. Sadly, society is breeding more and more of these soul less VOIDs that look like children, but there must be a POD in the back yard where something alien made this Creepy, empty, inhuman copy left with this family. And in this case, I totally do not get what was supposed to be his end game. His family are nice, educated and caring people, he wants for nothing and if some answers had come I could have rated this higher. I can't say more without spoilers, but I'm Pissed off. I've met kids like this and see more and more of them with each passing year and it frightens me. But that ending??? Seriously, Come on.. just Ridiculous and Senseless. Worth a one time watch if you don't mind being disappointed at the end and left with 1,000 questions and feeling Pissed off. Or if your a soul less human Void too, then you may enjoy this. But if your a caring person with a heart, this movie will leave you feeling angry and dumbfounded.

JOHN AND THE HOLE is a fascinating look into the feeling of nothingness, and existence without empathy. "What does it feel like to be an adult," asks John, because he just can't imagine living that long. A strange tale of swapping power dynamics and unexpected connection, when the film is good, it's great. It's hard not to feel held at arm's length, however, wanting to embrace what's happening but not being fully able to. It's the small, almost missable, moments that are the most chilling. But it's a little too hollow at its core. Charlie Shotwell impressively intimidates, while Taissa Farmiga shines in a limited role.

John and the Hole is elevated by its methodical pacing, pretty cinematography, and engaging performances from the entire cast; but the film is ambiguous to the point of frustration, and all these aforementioned strengths can't make up for the fact that it tests the audience's patience over and over again and never rewards them for it.

There are several scenes in the movie in which a VERY intriguing character motivation or plot element will be introduced, and every single one of these moments is immediately forgotten and never mentioned again.

I was never bored because I kept wondering where the story was going to go next and why John was doing the things he did; what role did his family play in driving him to his breaking point, if any? But my intrigue never payed off.

I won't spoil anything because there isn't anything to spoil. There are no revelations, twists, or anything of the sort. The movie just plods along introducing a bunch of red herrings, and then it ends.

This ends this film and my memory of its existence.

The end.

I have said this review doesn't contain spoilers but I guess by me saying it's absolute tripe I may have lied.

Utter garbage and totally pointless.

This had a lot of good things going for it: a decent plot idea, good actors, nice cinematography, creepy vibe, a creative take on the whole coming-of-age genre. But it totally fell flat. It didn't go anywhere. Parts were just completely pointless and it took itself waaaay too seriously. In the end it had no discernible cohesion. Not really worth a watch.