Don't Look Now Movie Review - A Study On Grief
A couple takes a trip to Venice after the death of there daughter where they get involved with supernatural elements that may alter their perception of the surroundings.
Cast - Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Sharon Williams, Massimo Serato, Hilary Mason, Clelia Matania
Directed By - Nicolas Roeg
Genre - Drama, Thriller
What makes this film exceptional than any other in this genre is its sheer brilliance in depicting cinema in its purest form. It speaks through visuals, cinematically and doesn't rely on dialogues to give the critical parts to the audience. Perhaps, many may find this as an issue with this film as most of the modern audience rely on spoon-feeding rather than understanding the visuals and interpreting them.
In its opening sequence, we see a young girl Christine (Sharon Williams) running randomly in the field and then playing near the pond in a red raincoat while the father, John Baxter (Donald Sutherland) is busy studying slides of the church. He spills a glass of water on the slide, and a blood-like stain starts covering the slide. As if sensing some danger, John runs outside to find his daughter drowned in the pond. He shouts in pain as he holds her lifeless body in his hands.
This shot establishes the movie and tells us that the entire film would be fragmented in this form where the future sequences would be incorporated in between the scenes in the present to create an element of confusion and suspense. It also places an element of doubt regarding the two sisters - Heather (Hilary Mason) and Wendy (Clelia Matania), and it keeps us guessing as to whether Heather is really a psychic or the two sisters are planning a sinister plot against the two couples who first encounter them in a restaurant while dining. The film intercuts between the shots in the famous controversial sex scene in which they are shown making passionate love, and at the same time, it shows them dressing up after the intercourse.
The red raincoat which the daughter wore while drowning also plays a vital role in the film. After there encounter with the sisters, Heather claims to "see" their daughter with them and assures Laura (Julie Christie) that she is happy and in a safe place. Baxton, of course, dismisses the thought, but his belief is shaken when he sees a figure in a red raincoat running in an alley. Did he actually see her daughter? Or was it just a part of his imagination? To make matters complicated, the film introduces a subplot involving a serial killer on loose who murders the people in the city. Due to the killings and because of the fact that the film shifts its narrative to Venice which is surrounded by water, Baxton sees bodies being pulled up from the river which reminds him of his daughter's death and his grief. Even when he sees that reflection of the figure in the red raincoat in water, he is reminded of his daughter.
Another important factor that the use of water contributes to the narrative is that the time is shown as fluid as water in the movie. Baxton's vision of his wife with the sisters on a boat turns out to be a fragmented scene from the finale and these kinds of overlapping blur the actual timeline of this film. The characters start doubting the reality, and so does the audience.
The glass is used as an omen here. Whenever something bad is about to happen, glass is broken in the film. Like before Christine gets drowned and killed at the beginning of the film, Johnny, the younger son, breaks a pane of glass and Baxton knocks a glass of water.
Many regard this film as one of the best horror movies of all time which is true but, I believe more than horror this is a psychological thriller executed brilliantly where horror only takes a fraction of the part. It is smart and filled with incredible visuals, ones that require your brain cells to function properly and wittily. Anthony B. Richmond's cinematography further captivates the film while music by Pino Donaggio invests you in the scene. This is one of the best movies you will see out there which truly understands the meaning of cinema and delivers exceptionally on every level. The film does not include subtitles in foreign parts as they wanted the audience to be as confused as Baxton.
All the performances are fantastic here, and no one was wasted. Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland as the grief-stricken husband and wife were awesome together. Hilary Mason and Clelia Matania as the sisters were also excellent in the film.
As mentioned before, time is represented as fluid and the past, present and future exist in the same timeframe in this film. Fragmently edited and gorgeously shot, try to watch this film if possible and get ready to experience a phenomenon in filmmaking.
Rating - 5/5
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Cast - Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Sharon Williams, Massimo Serato, Hilary Mason, Clelia Matania
Directed By - Nicolas Roeg
Genre - Drama, Thriller
What makes this film exceptional than any other in this genre is its sheer brilliance in depicting cinema in its purest form. It speaks through visuals, cinematically and doesn't rely on dialogues to give the critical parts to the audience. Perhaps, many may find this as an issue with this film as most of the modern audience rely on spoon-feeding rather than understanding the visuals and interpreting them.
In its opening sequence, we see a young girl Christine (Sharon Williams) running randomly in the field and then playing near the pond in a red raincoat while the father, John Baxter (Donald Sutherland) is busy studying slides of the church. He spills a glass of water on the slide, and a blood-like stain starts covering the slide. As if sensing some danger, John runs outside to find his daughter drowned in the pond. He shouts in pain as he holds her lifeless body in his hands.
This shot establishes the movie and tells us that the entire film would be fragmented in this form where the future sequences would be incorporated in between the scenes in the present to create an element of confusion and suspense. It also places an element of doubt regarding the two sisters - Heather (Hilary Mason) and Wendy (Clelia Matania), and it keeps us guessing as to whether Heather is really a psychic or the two sisters are planning a sinister plot against the two couples who first encounter them in a restaurant while dining. The film intercuts between the shots in the famous controversial sex scene in which they are shown making passionate love, and at the same time, it shows them dressing up after the intercourse.
The red raincoat which the daughter wore while drowning also plays a vital role in the film. After there encounter with the sisters, Heather claims to "see" their daughter with them and assures Laura (Julie Christie) that she is happy and in a safe place. Baxton, of course, dismisses the thought, but his belief is shaken when he sees a figure in a red raincoat running in an alley. Did he actually see her daughter? Or was it just a part of his imagination? To make matters complicated, the film introduces a subplot involving a serial killer on loose who murders the people in the city. Due to the killings and because of the fact that the film shifts its narrative to Venice which is surrounded by water, Baxton sees bodies being pulled up from the river which reminds him of his daughter's death and his grief. Even when he sees that reflection of the figure in the red raincoat in water, he is reminded of his daughter.
Another important factor that the use of water contributes to the narrative is that the time is shown as fluid as water in the movie. Baxton's vision of his wife with the sisters on a boat turns out to be a fragmented scene from the finale and these kinds of overlapping blur the actual timeline of this film. The characters start doubting the reality, and so does the audience.
The glass is used as an omen here. Whenever something bad is about to happen, glass is broken in the film. Like before Christine gets drowned and killed at the beginning of the film, Johnny, the younger son, breaks a pane of glass and Baxton knocks a glass of water.
Many regard this film as one of the best horror movies of all time which is true but, I believe more than horror this is a psychological thriller executed brilliantly where horror only takes a fraction of the part. It is smart and filled with incredible visuals, ones that require your brain cells to function properly and wittily. Anthony B. Richmond's cinematography further captivates the film while music by Pino Donaggio invests you in the scene. This is one of the best movies you will see out there which truly understands the meaning of cinema and delivers exceptionally on every level. The film does not include subtitles in foreign parts as they wanted the audience to be as confused as Baxton.
All the performances are fantastic here, and no one was wasted. Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland as the grief-stricken husband and wife were awesome together. Hilary Mason and Clelia Matania as the sisters were also excellent in the film.
As mentioned before, time is represented as fluid and the past, present and future exist in the same timeframe in this film. Fragmently edited and gorgeously shot, try to watch this film if possible and get ready to experience a phenomenon in filmmaking.
Rating - 5/5
Follow Me On:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/vikas_yadav98
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vikasy199/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vimovies123/
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