This film tries too hard to be weird, surreal, and fast-paced. It seems like the director was trying to create an atmosphere of intrigue, mystery, dreaminess, and magic. It worked too some degree but it came at a cost and could've been done much better.
From the beginning, it's difficult to follow what's happening because the story jumps around too rapidly. The characters are never revealed to us, but kept at a distance and thin as cardboard. While this keeps them mysterious and makes the story feel more like a fairy tale, it also makes us much less able to empathize with or care about them.
In the middle, the film slows down a little. Unsurprisingly, it gets tedious. We don't learn much about the one-dimensional characters for the length of time spent on their story.
Towards the end, we start to sympathize with the characters a little due to the heightened emotions shown on screen. We grasp the tragedy of their story, but they still don't feel real and it's too late to salvage the film.
Ultimately, this film feels rather hollow and gimmicky. The characters aren't real. As plenty of better films have demonstrated, you can build a strong sense of mystery and intrigue without sacrificing having characters. Alternatively, if the film was technically stronger, it might have kept the viewer engaged that way.
From the beginning, it's difficult to follow what's happening because the story jumps around too rapidly. The characters are never revealed to us, but kept at a distance and thin as cardboard. While this keeps them mysterious and makes the story feel more like a fairy tale, it also makes us much less able to empathize with or care about them.
In the middle, the film slows down a little. Unsurprisingly, it gets tedious. We don't learn much about the one-dimensional characters for the length of time spent on their story.
Towards the end, we start to sympathize with the characters a little due to the heightened emotions shown on screen. We grasp the tragedy of their story, but they still don't feel real and it's too late to salvage the film.
Ultimately, this film feels rather hollow and gimmicky. The characters aren't real. As plenty of better films have demonstrated, you can build a strong sense of mystery and intrigue without sacrificing having characters. Alternatively, if the film was technically stronger, it might have kept the viewer engaged that way.