The_Dman313

I will try my hardest to find words to critique this film, but quite frankly "Heima" is one that almost lacks the ability to be analyzed. Instead, and the true beauty of it, is that it exists almost solely as an subjective experience. No 2 people can possibly view this film the same way. Each sequence, communicated as an encompassed feeling of the moment, is guided by your own impulses and tastes. I find that you put something of yourself into it, as these filmed moments start to feel as if something of your own memories.

I will however attempt to state what I had liked about this film, and why it had hit me as something unique. One reason is that the entirety of the film harnessed the purity that it is music, and the instant emotion that comes as a result. They do this first through their editing. It all seems to move with the present feeling, as it lingers at soft moments and intensifies with the added energy of speed. Each song is then accompanied by a different place, each one altering the sound of the song being performed and the performance by the band members themselves. It was in these moments that the beautifully executed cinematography hit me, as it made me sense the presence of the environment of each varying place. This made it feel as if I was there at the concert, and that itself was a journey to me. Past midnight at my house, when I first experienced this film on New Years, it all felt like I was on my own transcendent vacation, one that I've yet to experience.

Something that this film managed to communicate to me was a love for people. Within each crowd is a face the film writes, and each face harnesses something of a diverse experience. Like us, each person is viewing this event differently. We see this through the unfocused children running around and playing, who don't yet know how much this experience might mean to them. To the elderly audience members, watching it with unblinking concentration, aware of the rarity that such beautiful moments will penetrate their lives again. I reveled in the individualism of the crowd, and connected to the beauty that is one's own experience of life.

In conclusion, this is the type of film that you slip into on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and in the process experience something far more transcendent than normal life. It's one that hit me on a personal level, and I hope that everyone reading will soon be able to experience something as beautiful as this film. Whatever that may be.

The idea of an interactive movie is ingenious! There are just so many aspects that add to the cinematic experience. Most notably is that it's involving. I couldn't help but feel that I was in total control, that I was the character, and that all these moments and memories were truly my own. I found myself caring more for each individual scene than I had for any movie prior. This all helps to heighten the story, as I found the funny scenes funnier and melodramatic scenes all the more hard hitting than they would have been without the interaction. Another added aspect is that it's just simply fun to have control. It began to encompass the allure of video games as I watched (and played!), finding myself on the edge of my seat with each decision.

Now for the actual movie which I found to be great, kind of. The pace throughout was excellent, with the loud/over-the-top and quiet character building moments to be perfectly built up to, while at the same time managing to co-exist simultaneously. I also found the cinematography, although a bit more restrained than show, to be extremely well shot. In many moments the filmmaking was extremely close to the main character, as it felt like the camera was studying him the most personal of ways. I also found the way it visualized repetition to be extremely interesting. It's communicated fast so we get the gist, and yet in many moments, especially when dealing with the trauma of a certain past event, it lingers as it communicates more and more detail throughout.

There are a few disappointing aspects however. There's the dialogue which, although certainly isn't bad, didn't hold to the normal standards of Black Mirror. It's definitely competent, but it all just felt very restrained especially when dealing with such situations. I never actually found what the characters were saying to be that interesting, and it all seemed to lack the ability to create tension as much as it was trying to. I also found the escalation of the story, with the exemption of a very clever 4th wall breaking scene, to be rather dull. Not that it needed an especially messed up moment that most episodes possess, but I felt that with this story it could have definitely gone farther.

There is another flaw, but even as I write this now I'm debating whether it was one or not. I'll start with an aspect that I loved and that was how personal this movie became. It perfectly internalized the mental decline of the main character, along with garnering sympathy through his traumatic past. However, I find this to be more of a testament to the movie's interactive abilities, because quite honestly the main character is not that interesting. Besides his ability to exemplify sympathy, I never necessarily found him to be that likable. He's incredibly reserved, rarely showing glimpses of personality. And maybe it's because I knew that I could always start again, but I never actually felt remorse when he was in danger or something terrible happened to him. And yet despite this I'm still hesitant on claiming that this is something wrong with the movie. Yes, the character is somewhat dull, but would this movie have actually benefited from a strong minded and completely unique individual? That approach, although may have worked, may also have created an alienation between us and the character. Maybe the current character is the best they could have had for a story like this. He's easy to get along with (which is vital, especially when considering the fact that you're basically put in his place), and because so little is actually revealed it's easy to understand him making contrasting decisions. In a sense the character acts like a blank template, as you insert pieces of yourself into him. These are all vital characteristics for a main character, when creating a story that truly is a "chose your own adventure".

In conclusion, despite a couple of disappointing aspects I still absolutely loved this movie! Netflix was the perfect platform for an idea like this to be implemented and I find this all to be a huge innovation for the film industry. I eagerly await to see more of it in the future, whether it be for a Romance, Horror, Comedy, Sci-Fi, or any other genre they may decide to try next.

What I liked: +Amazing opening! Not only does it establish and juxtapose the rest of the film, but it exerts a nostalgic, photographic, black and white style not seen for the rest of the film. Although it's disappointing that the director didn't keep the creative mojo up, this single sequence still shows his inventiveness and feels purely his own.

+The cast is full of colorful characters! Some with limited screen time still make their character quirks come out, striking it as memorable. These characters are entertaining to watch, and it's through their performance that they actually feel even plausible. This adds sincerity to these roles, where at times they seem to lack on the page.

+The cast works well off each other. With each character comes a sense of predictability (I say this in a good way), making us savor and expect each response. Each response then feels like a situation that deserves our attention.

+Rodney Dangerfield is charming! Maybe it's his happy go lucky attitude or the fact that he's actually a nice guy with intentions, but he's just really likable and fun to watch. It makes the whole film all the easier to laugh at.

+This is a film with respect for it's style. Yes, it's over the top, but it's consistent with that. They give each emotion the right amount of sensitivity. With each joke they always fit it into the context of the story, feeling true throughout.

What I disliked: -There are some dumb plot points. They never truly feel representative of real people, which sucks since the film is full of interesting people who could use depth. Still, it established the plot fast and doesn't hinder the entertainment value too much.

-A couple of side characters whom held importance could have had more screen time and depth. This is evident with the son's girlfriend who is just a cliche.