You Were Never Really Here

I’m very fond of director Lynne Ramsay, so I had to see her latest project. If you don’t know her work, it’s kind of out there bordering on improbable. But, she always does something very interesting visually and I just like her style. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Joaquin Phoenix in anything so I was doubly excited for this. He plays the main character, Joe, who tracks down missing girls for a living. The plot is pretty loose here and Ramsay continues her habit of making the audience piece together the story without giving away too much. Joe’s past is revealed through choppy flashbacks: a child who dealt with domestic violence, a soldier who saw a tragic event, and presumably an FBI agent who encountered a van of dead bodies. Obviously Joe is a little messed up. The second half of the film is extremely jagged and you’re not sure what’s real and what isn’t. All I can say is this is a very tense film. It’s only 90 minutes but I couldn’t relax for even a single second of it. Phoenix is brilliant and you can’t look away, even when acts of intense violence occur. The plot (what little is actually explained) is a little unbelievable at some points and kind of overkill. A lot of really really bad things are going on and at some points I thought, “Really?” But, I love Ramsay’s style and Phoenix was so compelling that I was willing to look past it. Also, please please please do yourself a favor and pay attention to the song in the last scene. If you don’t want to watch the movie just listen to Eileen Barton’s song “If I Knew You Were Coming I’d’ve Baked A Cake.” It’s the best and worst song in the world at the same time. You’re welcome for this ear worm.

Film or Movie: Film
You’ll like this film if:
1. You like Lynne Ramsay’s style
2. You like violent thrillers
3. You don’t mind loose plots