Jamin-chaput

I LOVE SE-Asian films. The synopsis of this film intrigued me, I'm very keen on a lot of the subject matter. But the execution of this film was poor.

First off, the editing. Distracting through the whole film. Some scenes seemed to be cut together at random. The sound editing in some scenes was distracting.

Second off, the acting. I don't think anyone in this film did a good job. I don't necessarily blame the actors, it felt like a film where the director didn't...direct. There was a palpable lack of direction. The elderly American astronaut was especially awful. Like beyond belief. The strange enunciation of every word felt so out of place.

I don't need a movie to be perfect to be enjoyable. But clearly they had a budget for this film and didn't know what to do with it. Scenes dragged and lacked the emotion they were meant to convey.

I hope my next Thai film is better.

There's probably 100 reviews that already tell you the jist of the plot and 100 more that are more eloquent than me at explaining the emotional journey it takes you on. So my review is just corroboration porn! For those of you so touched by this show and story that you're looking for similar takes on the the experience of watching Adolescence in order to extend that experience beyond episode 4.

I love cinema, I love the art of the long take. No joins, no cuts. From Tarkovsky to Zulawski, that type of camerawork is beautiful and authentic. But sometimes it can be gimmicky. The movie 1917 pretended to be one take, and it's a fantastic movie. Of course there were loads of invisible joins and you're constantly thinking about how cool this one-take war movie is. In Adolescence you're aware of it but you also almost forget about how it's filmed entirely because every other part of this show towers over. Still, unreal achievement in cinematic storytelling. The technique adds to the story, it doesn't overshadow.

On to the story. It seems that even the people who didn't love the show at least agree on one thing: the acting was beyond superb. To think that they didn't have hundreds of takes to nail their scenes makes it even more impressive.

I watched all 4 episodes of this show at once, and in a true rarity I didn't touch my phone once the whole time. I recommend the same to you. This show has loads of substance, but it's an experience.

One thing I particularly love about this story is that it tackles so many themes without any singular theme being the most important nor failing to do justice to any one. But it's still up to you to read between the lines, to read the body language, to read the subtext. I suppose all of that reading is why not everyone gave this a really high rating, we're not very good at reading as a society anymore. Some reviews have focused on the lack of case details, some of the open ends. They've failed to realize the show didn't miss any of that, they purposely didn't add it because that wasn't the point. We're too used to procedural dramas, to (true) crime shows and movies with twists and turns. Adolescence isn't about any of that.

What is adolescence about? Like all good art, it SHOULD be about different things to everyone. But there's undeniable themes: youth, bullying, masculinity, trauma, parenting, online literacy, and more that I might not be clever enough to remember or have picked up on. But it's not preachy about any of those. It's not an essay on toxic masculinity. It's not a damnation of online content. It's not trauma porn. It's not a guide for parents. But maybe it's all of that combined. It's up to you. One thing that it is for certain is: moving. The emotion is undeniable. That there are lessons to take from it is undeniable.

Watch it.

Is this a directorial debut for Zoe Kravitz? If so, well done. It is filmed well, nice angles, good cuts, well put together.

The only reason this doesn't get a higher mark is because its a story that's been done a lot before. That isn't a particularly bad thing. If things are done well, then they're good. But there was no surprise at what was coming. The movie is a "thriller", so there's no spoiler in saying the island isn't the paradise it's meant to look like to everyone.

But there are a couple twists along the way that made it worthwhile to watch. A couple new elements added to a story that's been done before. It was definitely a fun watch. Perhaps my only gripe with the general script or pacing was that it took maybe a wee bit too long to get to what we all knew was going to happen (in one way or another).

Overall a fun watch. 5 stars might make this seem more mediocre than it is, and 6 might be a bit too much praise. But if you like this genre then its unlikely you'll be disappointed watching Blink Twice. 5.5/10

Also, pussy island Zoe? That wasn't a great name. I'm glad it got called blink twice.