samuelbakkila

It would have worked on a simply comedic and slapstick level, but Theda's vision and John Early's excellent performance made this work on a deeply felt artistic level. I was laughing the whole time but felt surprisingly changed and moved by the end of the film. I was previously rather unfamiliar with Theda (my boyfriend is a huge fan of her podcast) and now I will keep an eye out for anything else she does.

There's something about Theda's sensibilities that are both claustrophobic and expansive, both realistic and surreal, and these contrasts work together to create a sense of movement and dynamism.

I'm a long time fan of Brit and Zal. I wasn't fully sold for a lot of the series, but the ending was great and brought all of the themes together and gave us a satisfying twist and conclusion.

The cinematography was strong (I liked the exterior shots of the hotel in iceland), and the past and present storylines intersected in an interesting way. For me, the scenes that Marling was acting in were the most alive, so I was glad to have her present for basically the entire concluding episode.

Looking back, I didn't predict the twist at all but it makes perfect sense in retrospect, which I think is the mark of an effective mystery.