JimG2727

All the pieces fit together nicely with this one. What impressed me most is that all the actors seem so at home with their character that it's easy to lose yourself in the film. There is no one glaringly out of place. Same with the camera work and score, it's great without drawing attention to itself. Gyllenhaal especially has a tough job, to emote while his character is supposed to be trying harder than anything NOT to emote. He pulls it off admirably.

Really appreciated the use of setting, too. The happy and playful scenes are outdoors in nature, and the tense and angry scenes are indoors with much harsher lighting.

My one complaint would be the pacing. It moves slowly -- and I think rightly so -- through the first couple of reels, but then doesn't pick up later in the film. I found it dragged a little post-mountain. Although, that could be because there's so much angst and tension that you can't wait for it to be over.

That said, it's a beautiful film that will make your heart ache, and make you want to fall in love worse than anything.

This movie wanted to be better than it is. College dropouts Troy and Merrick share an apartment in a dead-end town. They appear to sleep together sometimes, but their own mental issues plus a psychotic former girlfriend sabotage their chances at a relationship. Narrative question: do they end up together?

The plot is well done. The story is familiar (or at least believable) enough that the dramatic tension works. Character development was decent. Some of the dialog falls flat, mostly due to the poor lighting and over-aggressive Foley editing. The leads are quite attractive, but the sex scenes are only in the PG13 range.

Cinematography is weak. Consistently under-lit throughout. The voice track is nearly inaudible at several key points. A couple of awkward edits too. Overall, would have been an entirely competent movie in the hands of a more experienced director.