Pássaro do Oriente

Set in Tokyo, a surprisingly Japanese speaking Alicia Vikander, Lucy, is interrogated by police over the disappearance, and suspected murder, of fellow expat Lily. Tension grows throughout the film as Lucy grows increasingly jealous and paranoid of Lily, who slowly gets close to her mysterious photographer boyfriend Teiji.

Whilst the pace of the film is slow, Alicia Vikander is phenomenal as Lily, holding you at the edge of your seat as her mental state slowly crumbles. Time is taken to dwell on Lucy's expressions, her feelings, her psyche. Her eyes slowly welling up in one scene is magical.

The setting is a character in its own right, framed magnificently in a number of scenes- the grandeur of the mountains, the composition of the secret woodland temple, the liveliness of the festival... compared to the greys of Teiji's studio and Lucy's apartment near the end.

There is a quietness to the movie which I actually really like and unfortunately felt that the ending/resolve, which was rather abrupt did not feel right with the rest of the movie and was too convenient and expected.

Nonetheless, I found there was a lot to love about the movie that despite its pace, kept my attention throughout; with an emotional and reflective performance from Vikander, and was a much needed "quieter" film amongst all the noise of the world.