This movie has one of the best plot twist i've seem recently. It plays out so subtly and then when you are finally confronted with the realization it's just like wow.
The last 2 minutes of this movie completely blew my mind. The kid is a genius! Very clever. This movie brings the debate on how important science is and how empathy is necessary.
Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons were also both in the second season of the Fargo tv series (which is highly recommended) They subsequently got married.
I’ve watched that film a few days ago and damnn Peter played Phil like a fiddle 😳🎻 the whole fuckin time holy shit ! He just woke up one day and chose violence .. literally 😂lol. It all made sense in the end.. the whole time watching this movie expecting it to go somewhat into a forbidden romance- Brokeback Mountain- kinda direction I still had the feeling that something felt wayy off..I couldn’t exactly tell what it was, it was just the soundtrack and sound design that always sounded quite eerie, Peter‘s non-verbal behavior and certain behavior in general.. in the end it all made sense💀 Him cutting up that rabbit „for practice“ not giving two fucks, contrasting his mother and the other characters expecting him to keep it as a pet, him just breaking that rabbits neck on the field seemingly being unaffected by it (it had to be done but still), him talking about cutting his dad down after he killed himself like it’s an everyday thing to talk about when even Phil was like „oh shit.. that’s rough buddy..“ and then also his dad who seemed to notice that something was off about him, worrying „he isn’t nice enough“… damn.. then of course the obvious, manipulating Phil like a damn mastermind, knowing exactly which buttons to press, what to say to achieve his goal of executing his evil plan after finding out about Phil‘s secret. - all of these hints sprinkled throughout the movie. All of these are typical psychopath behavior: Lack of empathy, impulsiveness, manipulative behavior, not really caring about other people‘s opinions when it comes to you, being obsessive over a specific thing, problems with expressing emotions etc The whole time we thought Phil was the psychopath and Peter just a very vulnerable, shy boy who went through so much in his life already but still manages to be himself and through him discovering Phil‘s secret develops empathy for Phil and understands he’s in a very difficult situation because he’s in the same situation so he’s kind heartedly helping Phil to slowly open up as well 🥹.. NOPE - it was all just his plan all along that Phil would let his guard down so he could figure out the perfect way of getting to him, giving him an opportunity to execute his plan of murdering him not only in a way Phil wouldn’t notice what he’s up to but no one else as well… watching him like a hawk, taking notes on all his mannerisms waiting for him to make a mistake that would give him an opening 💀 So in the end he just managed to get away with the perfect murder damn 👏🏻 what an ending honestly! Didn’t expect that at all!
I didnt get this movie fully from the start. Like i didnt get what caused the downhill for Kirsten character and then i realized that benedict's character made her miserable, made her doubt herself and madeh er think that shes a bit crazy (like she thinks someones watching her when shes drinking) I also didnt get the reason of her son killing him - but the opening intro "what son i am if i cant protect my mother?" - so benedict made his mother miserable and he had to protect her. But i also thought there is some hidden personal agenda to it? It felt almost sinister at that scene at the end. I also think benedict was a closeted gay, but we never know if the son was actually queer, he was just different, so maybe there was also some personal motivation for some bullying or unsolicited flirtation. Spooky film, but i liked it.
This at times feels too directed. Not overly directed, but so dictated upon on what needs to occur in a single scene that there is a surprising lack of life to this. The four central characters don’t feel fully alive. They are more so vessels to move the plot and themes to the position Campion needs them to be. Also Greenwood’s score is better in Spencer. And I find it humorous that people assume the Kodi Smit McPhee character is gay based off stereotypes in a film that is being critical of toxic masculinity. This films treatment of homosexuality is so conservative and old fashioned as well. The novel it’s based on was written by a closeted gay man, who clearly felt there was no progress to be made. In 1967 when the book was published it’s a fair assumption, but Campion gives no reason for a 2021 adaptation.
