Charlie Kaufman, man! Mad as a bus! But also a bone fide genius, in my book. And I do have a book. Has done for writing movies what David Lynch has done for directing them. Always interesting and worthy of conversation. Always accessible? Not so much. And this quirky gem is perhaps his zenith or nadir to date, depending on your view of his work. Surreal, bleak, sometimes even morose, yet darkly funny, and clever and multi-layed. Nor for everyone. Non-linear and pushing dreamlike qualities of story telling to an extreme.
It is about silent thoughts and fears, expressed inwardly and suppressed for the sake of manners and the feelings of those around us. It asks where is the line between asking for what you need from a relationship and giving back what is expected. It is about being trapped and dying to escape. It is also about wanting to indulge in being alone, as opposed to being social. As well as being about perhaps 20 other things existing between the lines, in the subtext of words and images. This time, Kaufman directs himself and feels unrestrained – both a good and a bad thing. For me it needed some focus, but I also loved some of the audacious ideas.
And such a terrific cast. Jessie Buckley again impressed me and worms her way deeper into my consciousness and my A-list of actors in her age bracket. Jesse Plemons is always great, always. And Toni Colette / David Thewlis as the parents… I mean, what an interesting acting talent combo. It works in more ways than it fails, although I must admit in the mood I was in on first watch I did drift off towards the end as it got stranger and stranger, almost to the point of being meaningless. Critically adored by many, treated with contempt by many mainstream Netflix viewers, which is understandable to some extent. I’d live to give it a higher rating, but on overall balance it only deserves…
Decinemal Rating: 67
The Wasteland 