Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Jack Goes Boating: My favorite film from Sundance 2010

1/28/10

Jack Goes Boating, A-

 cried I cried I cried. I saw 14 films at Sundance, this is my favorite. Why? Well it elicited the strongest reaction and best overall experience. First of all the descriptions I had read did not lead me to believe this was going to be like it actually was. This is a serious film about relationships (sort of) with small bits of humor for comic relief (which are hilarious). It is a film about loneliness, fear, insecurity, but most importantly the looming fear of entering a relationship when you see so many others falling apart. I’d say this film’s message on that particular subject is very much like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It’s really scary to enter a relationship because it’s (almost) inevitable that you will eventually lose interest with each other, start seeing flaws, and make mistakes. I can’t say this film is as good as that one but it’s certainly one to see. This is not Hoffman’s movie. This is a film that he steered but it thrives on a communal effort from every single person who worked on it. The ensemble acting is absolutely A+ as are the costumes, the cinematography, the writing, and yes even the directing. Don’t approach this as the next Phillip Seymour Hoffman movie, approach it as a play-style ensemble focused film about relationships.

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