aubreymke
Joined Dec 2020
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Reviews5
aubreymke's rating
Having seen glowing reviews for this film, I was excited to see what so many people described as a touching, unique documentary.
As soon as I heard Miranda July's voice in the opening scene, I was thrown off. Her angsty-teen vibe (despite being a very grown woman) felt unfit for what was supposedly a romantic, nature-focused movie, but I held onto hope that it would all come together.
As the movie trudged along at a glacial pace, that hope faded and I began wondering when we would get to the point. Sadly, the story never arrives there, unless the point is "Look at these lovely photos & videos taken by two egotistical, work-obsessed volcanologists who also happened to be married. Oh yeah, and they died in a volcano."
Miranda July drones on and on with vague platitudes about the beauty and danger of Maurice & Katia's love of volcanoes, in a tone that makes the watcher feel as though they are watching a school project. Beautiful volcano footage fills every scene, but it might as well have been a slideshow. There is nothing romantic about the love story between the two - they could have been coworkers and it would have made little difference to the story - and they are painted as self-absorbed and odd, though it's not clear whether that is intentional or not.
By the time the film ended, I felt I knew no more about this couple or volcanoes than I did going in. The "million questions" alluded to in the first scene are never asked, nor answered, and I was left with only one question: how on earth does this have 98% on Rotten Tomatoes?
As soon as I heard Miranda July's voice in the opening scene, I was thrown off. Her angsty-teen vibe (despite being a very grown woman) felt unfit for what was supposedly a romantic, nature-focused movie, but I held onto hope that it would all come together.
As the movie trudged along at a glacial pace, that hope faded and I began wondering when we would get to the point. Sadly, the story never arrives there, unless the point is "Look at these lovely photos & videos taken by two egotistical, work-obsessed volcanologists who also happened to be married. Oh yeah, and they died in a volcano."
Miranda July drones on and on with vague platitudes about the beauty and danger of Maurice & Katia's love of volcanoes, in a tone that makes the watcher feel as though they are watching a school project. Beautiful volcano footage fills every scene, but it might as well have been a slideshow. There is nothing romantic about the love story between the two - they could have been coworkers and it would have made little difference to the story - and they are painted as self-absorbed and odd, though it's not clear whether that is intentional or not.
By the time the film ended, I felt I knew no more about this couple or volcanoes than I did going in. The "million questions" alluded to in the first scene are never asked, nor answered, and I was left with only one question: how on earth does this have 98% on Rotten Tomatoes?
This story itself is goofy and entertaining, but the production quality of the documentary is what makes it great. There is plenty of detail, but the story moves at a quick pace without ever getting slogged down. Information is presented in just the right order to keep the viewer engaged and the visuals and soundtrack add richness to the storytelling.
Based on entertainment value alone I would have given this a 10/10, but I agree with some critics on two things. One being that the background music is way too loud throughout the film, to the point where it's occasionally hard to listen to whomever is speaking. The other is that it feels slightly exploitative of the central figure, who could probably benefit tremendously from some therapy, despite the warm and fuzzy ending.
Based on entertainment value alone I would have given this a 10/10, but I agree with some critics on two things. One being that the background music is way too loud throughout the film, to the point where it's occasionally hard to listen to whomever is speaking. The other is that it feels slightly exploitative of the central figure, who could probably benefit tremendously from some therapy, despite the warm and fuzzy ending.