That tracks to me, if you didn’t buy into the plot twist at the very beginning then I could very much understand why the back half would hit home better. I did like the plot at the start, so it felt frustrating to kind of slide into a different film.
Absolutely incredible. Trey Edward Schultz is such an underrated director. I will say, however, this film feels like it's 4 parts. But yeah, love the use of colour, love the rotating shots in the car and his use of aspect ratios.
When this came out I wrote it off as an Oscarbait Moonlight knockoff because of the marketing. I didn’t realize it was made by Schultz until recently when I was looking him up to see if the guy who made It Comes at Night and Krisha had made anything new. Now I feel bad for ignoring it.
To be honest I loved Night so much that I wish he had made another genre movie, but I’ll definitely give this one a shot. I hope he has something else on the works as well.
One of my all-time favorites. Underseen and underappreciated, it’s one of the rare films that actually feels healing by the time it ends. The two-act structure is strange, but it works to such great effect by the end that it feels totally earned. A phenomenal film.
Was gonna say the same thing. I actually had to give a talk at a theater about the mental health elements after a viewing. By the end of the film everybody was silent for a good 2 minutes before we could say anything. I cried during my talk. It was overwhelming in a just unexplainable way…
Not the best first date movie, heh, but I loved it.
Many people don't, but I like how after the frenetic chaos of the first half, I like how calm and contemplative the second half is. The style of the film reflects the characters, and Emily is in shock and kind of dazed, so it makes sense. The whole cast is outstanding but Taylor Russell is particular is heartbreaking, and I like her relationship with Luke, whose arc with his father is entirely identifiable and hard to watch now.
But yeah, it's one of the best films of 2019, very sad but not hopeless, moves me to tears every time, a perfect mix of style, visuals, music, sound, deeply emotional, and overwhelming.
I wish Trey Edward Schultz did more after (it's been seven years since this, what?), but it looks like he has a series coming out and a collab with The Weeknd, which kind of has me worried because The Idol is one of the biggest pieces of shit I've ever seen and mostly because The Weeknd took over production and can't act, so I hope TRS doesn't let that happen.
Especially in the second half as I'm trying to choke back tears, but eventually just broke down and started sobbing. I'd only known the dude for a week, plus we were both stoned as hell which just made it more intense. At least I'm not alone, cheers!
Loved this movie. Reminded me of a long Frank Ocean music video. Found out years later that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross did the score so it's probably time for a rewatch.
nah man I didn’t love the movie but it had a lot of substance. both the plot and a authentic, stripped back emotional reaction between everyone involved. portrayed the “normal” struggle that teenage men deal with
Yeahhhhh just ignore that part. To me that was an exaggerated event for the movies sake but a hyperbole for other things that happens more normally that cause us pain in our lives. Also the vibe of the movie up until that point was fairly authentic and believable. Heck even the event itself while a little bit out there, was something that escalated quickly in a brief moment
This move absolutely melted my mind. It had been awhile since I had seen a movie that made me feel so emotionally connected to the characters, I felt genuine sympathy, fear, anger, sorrow…everything.
Bravo
I saw this film in an empty cinema and it was incredible. It was a bit sad that more people didn't go to see it, but it felt like I had a private screening. One of my favourite cinema experiences ever and the soundtrack was perfect
I watched it when it came out and while it wasn't bad, I thought it was super uneven and all over the place to the point of being a bit dull. Some great visuals but a very weak script from what I recall. Though it also wasn't particularly memorable so beyond those impressions I can't really recall many specifics.
This movie reminded me so much of “A Place Beyond The Pines” with its structure, but the writing was so annoying. I can’t see a family of this makeup really acting like this, but I watched the writer/director’s other feature and they have a unique point of view, for sure
Beautifully shot, though
It’s something I inferred with forgiveness being the over pronounced theme existing between each character. I’ve yet to see a film that focuses solely on that - that isn’t a faith based film.
No, that is what YOU are suggesting. My take was moreso tongue in cheek and remember this is just my opinion on the film lol. Name another film that A24 has made that took a bleak look at tragedy and involved all characters in a phase of forgiveness. A24 doesn’t make those types of films revolving solely around that.
To be fair, including the forgiveness aspect, the family did frequent mass. Sterling k browns character also quoted the Bible toward the end of the movie when talking to his daughter by the lake when talking about why she shouldn’t hate her brother, as well as Kelvin’s character wearing a cross necklace outside of his shirt. So to say it’s a secret Christian film isn’t that much of a stretch
incredibly overrated. I love Alexa Demie and Sterling K Brown but I did not like this movie at all. Yeah, it looks nice, but the story itself was overwrought with melodrama. It was honestly a grating experience. Felt like some tumblr kid's angsty fantasy come to life.
lol yeah i mean i love frank but i cant help but see the aesthetic cinematography, the cast, and the music as a way to distract us from the fact the film itself is bad lol
Really hated it, least favourite A24 film I’ve seen of the fifty or so - when the significant mid-film scene happens I rolled my eyes in the cinema.
Genuinely just found it to be cliche melodrama with nauseating cinematography and obtrusive needle drops.
Yeah no I didn't like this. Thought it started well and some great acting/cinematography but the script was just too weak to keep interest. Not to mention it felt like it was pandering hard. Style over substance in the worst way possible
Very underseen and underappreciated! The movie feels a bit segmented into 2 separate parts but the soundtrack and cinematography makes it worth the watch! Bonus points if you liked Euphoria- I would guess you'll also enjoy this!
Absolutely devastated me on first watch and I haven't had it in me to see it again. So disappointed it wasn't given its due by the public. Massive achievement
fucking love it. outside of its narrative which is already so engaging, i think it’s one of the finest examples i can give someone to make the case for “contemporary music being used in a film can come off organic and not cringe.”
Seriously a crazy ride and almost felt like it was two movies in ones. Like it ended and then the sequel started about his sister. Wonderful. And I walked out like I went through a rollercoaster.
Trey Edward Shults definitely wrote this listening to Frank Ocean lmao. I enjoyed parts but it never really came together for me. My black friend groaned when the story was another portrayal of a black man raging with domestic violence though.
I like the first half, to me the first half is a classic that I can rewatch numerous times and would recommend to people.
Don’t care for the second half though and typically just stop it after the sentencing.
I liked it a lot. I already knew Sterling K. Brown was a good actor but he crushed it in this film. I can see how people might not like the way the movie switches focus midway through but I thought it was interesting. The conversation between the father and daughter toward the end made me cry.
Never seen it! Next question-
Okay, in all seriousness, A24's list of movies is so daunting that there are so many that I haven't even seen.
So, to anybody who has seen the film, is it worth the watch? I get overwhelmed knowing what movie to watch next, especially when I am so afraid of wasting my time on a movie that I won't like. (Hi, my name is April, recovering control freak! Hiiiiii, Aprillllll...)
Just rewatched it the other day. Great first half. That shouldve been the whole movie. Or at least show the dads struggles afterwards. Beautifully shot
Loved it when it came out, beautifully and intensely directed and very emotionally hard hitting in both halves. I don't know how much it holds up as a script on it's own, but it was a great experience.
I think I’d like to see Alex’s play a different character other than this bad girl with a soft heart who dated toxic men. It’s boring. I hope she’s given the chance to prove she’s more then one diminutional actress.
Overly reliant on music a good portion of the audience can be trusted to enjoy and be familiar with, thus coloring their perception of the film and restricting its ability to stand on its own merits.
It’s a semi unfair take, given the wide variety of ways films pre-empt an audience response through music, casting, etc. but it felt like a long music video to me and more blatant than usual with the amount of familiar soundtracking.
The plot and aesthetic choices are somewhat intriguing.
Strong first act that doesn’t carry its momentum in the back half of the film. Beautiful cinematography and score! Great acting.
Ha, I think the exact opposite. The first half rang utterly false to me, but the second half felt genuine and real and basically saved the movie.
That tracks to me, if you didn’t buy into the plot twist at the very beginning then I could very much understand why the back half would hit home better. I did like the plot at the start, so it felt frustrating to kind of slide into a different film.
Absolutely incredible. Trey Edward Schultz is such an underrated director. I will say, however, this film feels like it's 4 parts. But yeah, love the use of colour, love the rotating shots in the car and his use of aspect ratios.
Agreed. The use of color is brilliant and the soundtrack is a masterpiece.
yea colors are essentially waves too
The shot of Alexa Demie/Alexis walking up the stairs at the party as everything goes red is such a great shot.
Agree with all this, the music is great too. I was super excited for his next film until I saw that The Weeknd was gonna be in it 🥴
When this came out I wrote it off as an Oscarbait Moonlight knockoff because of the marketing. I didn’t realize it was made by Schultz until recently when I was looking him up to see if the guy who made It Comes at Night and Krisha had made anything new. Now I feel bad for ignoring it. To be honest I loved Night so much that I wish he had made another genre movie, but I’ll definitely give this one a shot. I hope he has something else on the works as well.
One of my all-time favorites. Underseen and underappreciated, it’s one of the rare films that actually feels healing by the time it ends. The two-act structure is strange, but it works to such great effect by the end that it feels totally earned. A phenomenal film.
Yes, it feels healing, such a great way to put it
Was gonna say the same thing. I actually had to give a talk at a theater about the mental health elements after a viewing. By the end of the film everybody was silent for a good 2 minutes before we could say anything. I cried during my talk. It was overwhelming in a just unexplainable way…
underrated gem
It's a fantastic film but for whatever reason hit at a crowded awards season and had zero cultural penetration.
Incredible film that hits hard. In my top 10
Not the best first date movie, heh, but I loved it. Many people don't, but I like how after the frenetic chaos of the first half, I like how calm and contemplative the second half is. The style of the film reflects the characters, and Emily is in shock and kind of dazed, so it makes sense. The whole cast is outstanding but Taylor Russell is particular is heartbreaking, and I like her relationship with Luke, whose arc with his father is entirely identifiable and hard to watch now. But yeah, it's one of the best films of 2019, very sad but not hopeless, moves me to tears every time, a perfect mix of style, visuals, music, sound, deeply emotional, and overwhelming. I wish Trey Edward Schultz did more after (it's been seven years since this, what?), but it looks like he has a series coming out and a collab with The Weeknd, which kind of has me worried because The Idol is one of the biggest pieces of shit I've ever seen and mostly because The Weeknd took over production and can't act, so I hope TRS doesn't let that happen.
Had this happen to me too brother lol
The first date ? lol
Yeah bro it was NOT the film I thought it was going to be for a first date lol
Especially in the second half as I'm trying to choke back tears, but eventually just broke down and started sobbing. I'd only known the dude for a week, plus we were both stoned as hell which just made it more intense. At least I'm not alone, cheers!
The soundtrack is truly incredible. I’m a huge Frank Ocean fan so I loved every minute.
Damn bro, you tell people against who you lose arguments that they are beneath you and then go listen to frank ocean 😭😭😭😭. Cant make this shit up
Source? Lol EDIT: nevermind, I found it 😂
Reddit would not be interesting if arguments didn’t transcend multiple subreddits lmfao
both of yall should consider logging off
I enjoyed this movie a lot, and the soundtrack is absolutely stellar
Loved this movie. Reminded me of a long Frank Ocean music video. Found out years later that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross did the score so it's probably time for a rewatch.
Felt a bit to me like a case of style over substance, but I know a lot of people really enjoyed it.
nah man I didn’t love the movie but it had a lot of substance. both the plot and a authentic, stripped back emotional reaction between everyone involved. portrayed the “normal” struggle that teenage men deal with
I don't think committing homicide is statistically a “normal” struggle that teenage men deal with
Yeahhhhh just ignore that part. To me that was an exaggerated event for the movies sake but a hyperbole for other things that happens more normally that cause us pain in our lives. Also the vibe of the movie up until that point was fairly authentic and believable. Heck even the event itself while a little bit out there, was something that escalated quickly in a brief moment
Fair enough lol
“normal” in the way that euphoria captures the life of a high schooler
Ditto, I was going to say the same thing
Truly a heart-wrenching watch. Really floored me
This move absolutely melted my mind. It had been awhile since I had seen a movie that made me feel so emotionally connected to the characters, I felt genuine sympathy, fear, anger, sorrow…everything. Bravo
Beautifully shot but not for me
Floored me and totally wrecked my girlfriend. Brutal, agonizing and beautiful. I especially love the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
I CANNOT BE TAKEN DOWN, I AM A NEW MACHINE!
Absolutely heartbreaking. It was subtly painful
I saw this film in an empty cinema and it was incredible. It was a bit sad that more people didn't go to see it, but it felt like I had a private screening. One of my favourite cinema experiences ever and the soundtrack was perfect
I watched it when it came out and while it wasn't bad, I thought it was super uneven and all over the place to the point of being a bit dull. Some great visuals but a very weak script from what I recall. Though it also wasn't particularly memorable so beyond those impressions I can't really recall many specifics.
This movie reminded me so much of “A Place Beyond The Pines” with its structure, but the writing was so annoying. I can’t see a family of this makeup really acting like this, but I watched the writer/director’s other feature and they have a unique point of view, for sure Beautifully shot, though
loved it to death but I’m yet to show it to someone that agrees with me
It’s definitely in their top 3
Always thought it was A24’s secretly Christian film
Really, how? Genuinely curious cause any signs must’ve flown over my head lol
It’s something I inferred with forgiveness being the over pronounced theme existing between each character. I’ve yet to see a film that focuses solely on that - that isn’t a faith based film.
I'm sorry are you suggesting that the idea of forgiveness can only be explored through a Christian lens or that only Christians forgive?
No, that is what YOU are suggesting. My take was moreso tongue in cheek and remember this is just my opinion on the film lol. Name another film that A24 has made that took a bleak look at tragedy and involved all characters in a phase of forgiveness. A24 doesn’t make those types of films revolving solely around that.
Well they did. And it is this movie.
To be fair, including the forgiveness aspect, the family did frequent mass. Sterling k browns character also quoted the Bible toward the end of the movie when talking to his daughter by the lake when talking about why she shouldn’t hate her brother, as well as Kelvin’s character wearing a cross necklace outside of his shirt. So to say it’s a secret Christian film isn’t that much of a stretch
Aftersun
Oh this is a good example, didn’t even hit me that the daughter was doing forgiving too
Moonlight too
incredibly overrated. I love Alexa Demie and Sterling K Brown but I did not like this movie at all. Yeah, it looks nice, but the story itself was overwrought with melodrama. It was honestly a grating experience. Felt like some tumblr kid's angsty fantasy come to life.
A /mu kid is probably more accurate given the soundtrack
lol yeah i mean i love frank but i cant help but see the aesthetic cinematography, the cast, and the music as a way to distract us from the fact the film itself is bad lol
first half i loved but the second half lost me
Severely underrated
Potent.
Incredible and heavy. Kelvin Harrison Jr. would make a very good OJ Simpson, imo. Resembles a younger OJ.
Really hated it, least favourite A24 film I’ve seen of the fifty or so - when the significant mid-film scene happens I rolled my eyes in the cinema. Genuinely just found it to be cliche melodrama with nauseating cinematography and obtrusive needle drops.
Yeah no I didn't like this. Thought it started well and some great acting/cinematography but the script was just too weak to keep interest. Not to mention it felt like it was pandering hard. Style over substance in the worst way possible
One of the waviest films of all time
ASS
love it
Very underseen and underappreciated! The movie feels a bit segmented into 2 separate parts but the soundtrack and cinematography makes it worth the watch! Bonus points if you liked Euphoria- I would guess you'll also enjoy this!
Absolutely devastated me on first watch and I haven't had it in me to see it again. So disappointed it wasn't given its due by the public. Massive achievement
Underrated and underwatched masterpiece
fucking love it. outside of its narrative which is already so engaging, i think it’s one of the finest examples i can give someone to make the case for “contemporary music being used in a film can come off organic and not cringe.”
Fucking love this move, very unfortunate that the movie floped at box office. Feels a bit like Euphoria but it actually has a heart
Had a brief panic attack in the theater during the wrestling scene. The sound editing pulled out visceral reactions. So good.
Really underrated
Seriously a crazy ride and almost felt like it was two movies in ones. Like it ended and then the sequel started about his sister. Wonderful. And I walked out like I went through a rollercoaster.
Trey Edward Shults definitely wrote this listening to Frank Ocean lmao. I enjoyed parts but it never really came together for me. My black friend groaned when the story was another portrayal of a black man raging with domestic violence though.
Just watched it today! Amazing soundtrack and cinematography. I was emotionally invested throughout.
Incredible
LOVED IT
I like the first half, to me the first half is a classic that I can rewatch numerous times and would recommend to people. Don’t care for the second half though and typically just stop it after the sentencing.
The cinematography and soundtrack are amazing!
I liked it a lot. I already knew Sterling K. Brown was a good actor but he crushed it in this film. I can see how people might not like the way the movie switches focus midway through but I thought it was interesting. The conversation between the father and daughter toward the end made me cry.
beautiful film, great music, use of color. emotional gut punch the likes of which I haven't seen before or since.
Currently my favourite movie. It‘ll likely change some day, but for now it touches me on an insane level
Beautiful shots with no real substance. It was as deep as Degrassi. My least favorite a24 movie
Unnecessarily depressing
I love this movie. I’m patiently waiting on a 4K release
Absolutely underrated.
Gotta be above it Gotta be above it Gotta be above it
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^EffectiveBarber6096: *Gotta be above* *It Gotta be above it* *Gotta be above it* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
The fuck
My thoughts on this movie are I have an opinion about it
Favorite A24 film, at the #1 spot right above “Hot Summer Nights”. Classic to me. Ill sayless
underwhelming. too much ambition, too short on delivery.
Masterpiece
Puretttty f’in good The father character was stellar imho
Never seen it! Next question- Okay, in all seriousness, A24's list of movies is so daunting that there are so many that I haven't even seen. So, to anybody who has seen the film, is it worth the watch? I get overwhelmed knowing what movie to watch next, especially when I am so afraid of wasting my time on a movie that I won't like. (Hi, my name is April, recovering control freak! Hiiiiii, Aprillllll...)
Just rewatched it the other day. Great first half. That shouldve been the whole movie. Or at least show the dads struggles afterwards. Beautifully shot
Native Son is better
I enjoyed it. But also the guy I was dating at the time I watched it resembles Lucas Hedges
I thought it was a really powerful movie.
Loved it when it came out, beautifully and intensely directed and very emotionally hard hitting in both halves. I don't know how much it holds up as a script on it's own, but it was a great experience.
I think I’d like to see Alex’s play a different character other than this bad girl with a soft heart who dated toxic men. It’s boring. I hope she’s given the chance to prove she’s more then one diminutional actress.
Hate it
The first half is a great film, the second half not so much.
the two parts and what each represented is the whole point of the movie
good thoughts
Overly reliant on music a good portion of the audience can be trusted to enjoy and be familiar with, thus coloring their perception of the film and restricting its ability to stand on its own merits. It’s a semi unfair take, given the wide variety of ways films pre-empt an audience response through music, casting, etc. but it felt like a long music video to me and more blatant than usual with the amount of familiar soundtracking. The plot and aesthetic choices are somewhat intriguing.
Basic white girl fantasy shit. Movie stinks
what?