Ballast
- Thread starter Will Clegg
- Start date
Zak Forsman
Major Contributor
missed it when it played LA. very much looking forward to seeing it. looks right up my minimalist alley.
Mark Harris
Pain in the ass
This was a disappointment.
I know it was praised for using non or unskilled actors, but I think that is one of its greatest downfalls. The actors are not really up to the task, and it doesn't seem like the director has enough skill or experience to draw really exacting and specific performances out of them. Much of acting had a "general" feel. Particularly the parts where anyone had to show strong emotion. It's fine enough to have non-actors doing things like going to the store and having conversations that drive the plot. But when you need them to create an emotional state different than the one they showed up with that day, the lack of skill becomes painfully clear to me.
Also, it suffers from the contemporary fallacy: "It looks like me, so it must be good." Meaning, I think people are often fooled into thinking realistic equals truth because they recognize it without having to expend any effort. Mumblecore exists solely on this fallacy. I think this is a mistake.
But ultimately, I think the greatest sin was that it was just boring. Far far far too stretched out with random atmospheric shots. All of that time could have been spent giving us more character or story.
I know it was praised for using non or unskilled actors, but I think that is one of its greatest downfalls. The actors are not really up to the task, and it doesn't seem like the director has enough skill or experience to draw really exacting and specific performances out of them. Much of acting had a "general" feel. Particularly the parts where anyone had to show strong emotion. It's fine enough to have non-actors doing things like going to the store and having conversations that drive the plot. But when you need them to create an emotional state different than the one they showed up with that day, the lack of skill becomes painfully clear to me.
Also, it suffers from the contemporary fallacy: "It looks like me, so it must be good." Meaning, I think people are often fooled into thinking realistic equals truth because they recognize it without having to expend any effort. Mumblecore exists solely on this fallacy. I think this is a mistake.
But ultimately, I think the greatest sin was that it was just boring. Far far far too stretched out with random atmospheric shots. All of that time could have been spent giving us more character or story.
Zak Forsman
Major Contributor
that's too bad. saw this on Netflix Streaming but haven't watched it yet. still might give it a go.
Mark Harris
Pain in the ass
You should see it still. Wouldn't mind discussing with you.
tony240sx
Well-known member
I actually really like this film. I saw a screener of it about a year ago and I have been meaning to rewatch it on netflix. The cinematography for me stuck out. I loved the use of natural light. It has been a while so I don't remember a lot of specifics about the performances but I thought the actors pulled things off very well. I do remember the mother giving a strong performance. The main guy and the kid were a little flat but that worked for me especially in the main character. He was supposed to be a blank person in a lot of ways. As for the plot, while it did drag in parts, I really admired the fact that a story was told about this little chunk of life from these characters without the need to fill it with dramatic plot points. The drama in each characters situations came out for me in the subtle moments and they seemed very realistic. Like I said it has been a while, I just remember really enjoying the way the film was done. I dont want to give anything away but I also liked how the expected dramatic turning points or climax never happened, if that makes any sense at all.