I had been waiting for this movie for some time when a friend told me he saw it and that I should watch it. It surprised me that I wasn’t aware it came out – but then again, it’s a psychological thriller that requires patience and thought, of course it was not advertised, it’s not commercial at all.
I was waiting for it because it comes from one of my favorite directors – Denis Villeneuve, responsible for Incendies (can’t believe I haven’t reviewed that one yet) and Prisoners, and it’s based on a book written by one of my favorite authors – Jose Saramago. Obviously, everything was set up to disappoint me.
The film was odd, to say the least. It took something I thought to be essential from the book – for those of you who have read it, they took out that person who also asks about Daniel Santa Clara, who goes to meet one of the characters in the end. By the way, the book is called The Duplicated Man and you should read it.
A thing they added and I don’t understand why are the spiders. I could come up with a metaphor or two for them, but none of them feel right. So, if you’re reading this and you know what I’m talking about, please tell me what you thought about the spiders.
I don’t want to discuss the plot too much. Jake Gyllenhaal does an amazing job, and both Melanie Laurent and Sarah Gadon are a pleasure to look at. While Villeneuve’s previous movie was mostly grey, this one is mostly beige, it’s a heavy atmosphere that perfectly captures the hopelessness of city life, how we’re always alone and the world just evolves towards chaos.
Once, my mother told me her theory about parallel universes. It scared me, because, as a little kid, I just knew I wouldn’t like me if I’d meet me. I still think that. Anyway, see the movie, read the book afterwards (in that order) and then come back and pleeease, let’s discuss those spiders!
Joyrock 