Emma-M-V

I found this series really dull. I hardly know how to break it down, because it is just so meh. The acting is fine, and some of the characters are interesting - like the mother character, and the controlling grandmother, and the uncle has his moments, but by and large it is a dull story filled with dull characters. I'm not sure whether this is better blamed wholly on the adaption or not. I haven't read Rice, and I hear some compelling characters might be missing here. But to compare the show with Interview with the Vampire, which is this one's sister show and which I really enjoyed, despite the many liberties taken there, I think perhaps the source material might be a bit at fault, at least for me. The setting is less interesting, being set in modern times, and there is no chemistry or compelling story between any of the romantic pairings. When I heard there was an adaptation of an Anne Rice witch series, I was excited. I find witches, mages, wizards and so on to be pretty fun and compelling, generally, but this idea of the witch as imagined by christians - the demonic witch, really doesn't work for me as well. It is a mythology built on patriarchy and misogyny and which presumes a christian ontology, which when played straight is quite off-putting to me as a non-christian and feminist. The main character feels very powerless and lacking in agency and motivation, and she's again, just not that interesting - she's introduced as this archetype of the "modern" career woman who had no friends besides her mom and is unhappy because she won't create a monogamous relationship with a guy. And then throughout the rest of the series she is pulled between good boy and bad boy, while confronting mostly evil relatives. There is next to no real joy or emotion here, and very little to really capture your interest besides the pretty houses.

I knew of the ending to this movie before watching it and I think that helped me have a good experience - as did being introduced to it as a trans narrative. I think I still would have liked the film if I had gone into it entirely blank, but I understand that a lot of people feel somewhat tricked, even if the clue is right there in the title.

The movie is a beautifully poetic exploration on the trauma of failing - failing at heteronormative gender roles and feeling like failing at life in general. Of living your life like an animal that has been run over but is still limping along. With goals and desires turned to dust.

And it is told such a creative way - the way that these complex abstract ideas like alienation and disassociation is made into understandable words and actions on screen. So dreamlike. It is a really lovely film.

At times not very visually interesting - a long stretch is shot-reverse-shot in a car, at other times it is very visually interesting indeed. The dialogue is really something else. Poetic is the only word for it. And the performances are excellent.