Starring Jennifer Connelly, Cillian Murphy, Mélanie Laurent and Peter McRobbie
A woman who struggled as a mother has her past come back to haunt her when she encounters the son she abandoned 20 years earlier.
In a film where I assume you are supposed to empathize with the mother and some how understand why she abandoned her son, it achieves the exact opposite. Perhaps it is Jennifer Connelly's portrayal of the single mother, or even the writing, but the character seems to be nothing more than a whiny, stubborn woman who makes poor choices regarding her children and obviously has a favorite.
Despite the frustrating stupidity of Connelly's character, the director, Claudia Llosa keeps it interesting with it's artsy feel and beautiful cinematography. But that's not enough to raise the overall quality of the film.
Even though Cillian Murphy acted phenomenally, even acting circles around Jennifer Connelly when they shared screen time, his character was just dumb. He made choices that made no sense (i.e. cheating on your wife while she's at home watching your kid, with no other reason to other than the fact the woman was French and attractive. It just didn't fit the character).
The entire film felt like it was made to show the harsh landscape of living just out side the arctic circle. The story made no sense. What needed to be explained, wasn't explained. No one learns anything. There isn't a single character arc throughout. It's just plain boring, with the exception of a single five minute scene.
My Rating: 5/10
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