Camille Claudel 1915 (2013)

Directed by: Bruno Dumont
Country: France

Movie Review: French filmmaker Bruno Dumont is back with a total different film but not less disturbing as his previous “La Humanité”, “Hadewijch”, or “Outside Satan”. As the title suggests, this is a biopic that intends to describe sculptor Camille Claudel’s life in the year of 1915, when she was incarcerated in an asylum located in the outskirts of Avignon, after ten years of confinement in her atelier with fear that her works could be stolen by her ex-lover and teacher, the famous Auguste Rodin. Camille shows all her anguish and sorrow due to her parents’ silence and absence towards her appeals to get out, stating that she is not insane. Only her brother, the writer Paul Claudel, pays her a visit from time to time, becoming her only hope to escape that unbearable place. In the last part of the film we get to know more of Paul’s ideas, a writer whose devotion to God made him blind, defending that Camille’s delusions of persecution and grandeur were more a case for an exorcism than sickness. Light was set beautifully, aiding Dumont setting up the perfect cold atmosphere and sorrowful portrait of Camille, magnificently performed by Juliette Binoche. The pace adopted is slow and invariable, reminding me Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method” but with much more emphasis on oppressiveness. The top-notch direction was filled with medium close-ups and medium long shots that efficiently help to describe the sad and tedious life of this great artist.

Somewhere in Palilula (2012)

Directed by: Silviu Purcarete
Country: Romania

Movie Review: Awaited with great expectation by the fans of Silviu Purcarete, a renowned Romanian opera and theater director, “Somewhere In Palilula” didn’t disappoint, bringing a stirring story that works as a satire of the Romanian medical profession. Dr. Serafim is a fresh pediatrician who accepts a job in the phantasmagoric Palilula, a small city known for not having children, all killed at birth by the recently deceased Dr. Pantelica. In difficult times, where food was a whim and drink was a must, doctors and patients were immersed in alcohol and smoke, slowly pushing the unbusy Serafim for a life of excesses and debauchery. After a fast introduction, we get to know all the characters a bit closer: Dr. Gogu, a black man beloved by all women in town; Dr. Ilie, a choleric drunkard; the toothless and passionate Virgil; Barza, a rich Italian frog-seller; the spooky and newly arrived Kiki; negligent Leonardo and his heartless superior; a woman who turns man every half-moon nights; and many more. With a bold and stylish approach, Purcarete presents us insanity everywhere with appealing hints of surrealism, creating this way a disconcerting atmosphere of eccentricity that comes very close to Peter Greenaway’s works. Its bizarreness and dark humor fits as a glove in a mockery with social and political considerations. The only setback is that the film runs for too long, always with a lavish cinematography whose intensity sometimes becomes exhausting.

Dark Blood (2012)

Directed by: George Sluizer
Country: USA / UK / Netherlands

Movie Review: “Dark Blood” is George Sluizer’s unfinished film from 1993, forced to be put on halt shortly before its end due to River Phoenix’s death related with drug abuse. The story follows the adventures of a Hollywood married couple, Buffy (Judy Davis) and Harry (Jonathan Pryce), on a car trip throughout the deserted landscapes of Arizona towards a romantic weekend scheduled to help fix their relationship. After their car breaks down, a widower young man named Boy (Phoenix) rescues them, offering his home and promising to drive them to St. John, the next closest city. But instead of being helpful, the strange and unbalanced Boy develops a huge attraction for Buffy and decides to keep the couple hostage. At first his intentions were shared by Buffy who had already shown some signs of dissatisfaction regarding her marriage. Halfway things get out of control, but instead of getting tense or provoking, the story slows down somehow. Despite a certain mood created, the plot wasn’t as strong as it might seem during the first 30 minutes. This statement nothing has to do with the fact of this film hasn’t been properly finished; the way that the plot was handled in the last part simply didn’t fascinate me. Even flawed and with an overused score, “Dark Blood” can be seen as an exercise with the missing parts composed by a voice-over, but it lacks many essential factors to become memorable.

Paradise: Hope (2013)

Directed by: Ulrich Seidl
Country: Austria / others

Movie Review: Ulrich Seidl’s Paradise Trilogy comes to an end in great style with “Paradise: Hope”, the most interesting and balanced film of the trio. It starts with a gymnastics teacher preaching discipline to the teenager newcomers of a diet camp, a place to learn how to eat healthily and do appropriate exercise. Our eyes then turned to Melanie, a girl who gained a crush on the camp’s doctor after her first medical examination. All tension comes from this relationship, carrying a strong sexual component at first, but changing tone for the last half-hour. Will the doctor follow his voluptuousness in some circumstance? Melanie’s psychological background is shown through conversations with her dorm mates about their parents’ absence and sexual experiences. It was interesting to find that despite being at a very strict place in terms of rules, the girls easily fell into improper conduct, which includes alcohol, cigarettes, and striptease games. Visually, “Hope” is presented in the same line of the two previous parts, “Love” and “Faith”, adopting the same cleanliness, tidiness, and pale colors in the well-composed images. The major difference was in terms of plot, which was more consistent, and less shocking or forced. A connection with the first part of the trilogy is established when Melanie tries to reach her mother on the phone; as you may remember, she was looking for love and sex in Kenya. As usual, Seidl takes a cold look into a degrading society whose values and moral are called into question.

Escape From Tomorrow (2013)

Directed by: Randy Moore
Country: USA

Movie Review: Randy Moore’s writing and directorial debut, “Escape From Tomorrow”, depicts a family’s troubled last vacation day in Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort, filled with strange adventures and presented in capricious, dreamy tones. Jim’s day starts in a lousy manner. He was fired with no reason by phone, got stuck in hotel’s balcony, and his overwhelming wife seems to drive them into a despairing marital crisis. Among acting childish, having weird thoughts, and showing paranoid behaviors, that day would become a tempting trip to Jim, since he spent most of the day following two French young teenagers, but ended up in bed with a weird woman who revealed to be a witch. Instead having a great time in family, Jim will spent the day as in a nightmare composed by intense witchcraft, futuristic scenarios, and sickness. Some creativity has to be recognized here but that doesn’t mean that every move has been achieved properly, especially after the film falls into a sci-fi thriller, losing some of the initial direction. The super-contrasting black and white photography was well chosen to reinforce the intended dreamlike atmosphere, while the mix of tension and humor worked fine in several occasions. Roy Abramsohn had a good performance as Jim, a curious character who, in my eyes, could have been even better availed. More visually attractive than intellectually challenging or funny, “Escape From Tomorrow”, still can provide some entertainment through its fantasies and ghastly dreams.

Captain Phillips (2013)

Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Country: USA

Movie Review: Considering Paul Greengrass’s past works (“Bloody Sunday”, “Bourne Supremacy”, “United 93”), I was expecting something vibrant and thrilling, and that was exactly what he provided with “Captain Phillips”. The plot was based on the true story of Richard Phillips, a merchant mariner who, in 2009, was made hostage by four Somali pirates when they hijacked his container ship Maersk Alabama in Indian Ocean. Billy Ray (“The Hunger Games”, “Breach”, “State Of Play”), wrote the screenplay from the book "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy Seals, and Dangerous Days at Sea" by Phillips himself with Stephan Talty. Although comparable in terms of subject matter to the Danish drama “A Hijacking” (already reviewed in this blog), this one focuses less the psychological side and delivers a much more strenuous and invigorating trip on action. Greengrass continues using a handheld camera, which enhances the tension and realism of the action, and shows to be a master in this genre. His films are never boring and the energy concentrated in the scenes doesn’t give space to unnecessary or stagnant moments. Moreover, I truly believe that great part of its success was due to the amazing performances. Tom Hanks gives his best performance in more than a decade (third Oscar in sight?), bringing all the emotions and courage needed to make this believable, while rookie Barkhad Abdi was a good surprise as the sea pirate in charge. Satisfaction guaranteed for action/thriller enthusiasts.

Blind Detective (2013)

Directed by: Johnnie To
Country: Hong Kong / China

Movie Review: If some weeks ago I have said that “Drug War” was one of the best films by Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To, now I have to say that “Blind Detective” is one of his worst. With a proven track in the action-crime genre, Johnnie To tries to add some humor into this distasteful plot and the result becomes too childish to impress. The film stars Andy Lau as the blind detective, Johnston, and Sammi Cheng as Ho Ka Tung, an attractive female inspector who becomes his partner in a special investigation case. Both actors had worked together for several times, including other rom-coms from this same director. During its overlong and mind-numbing 129 minutes, the film failed to be eccentric or funny, and the screenplay by the long-time collaborator Wai Kai-Fai (“Drug War”, “Mad Detective”) left much to be desired. The unintelligent humor never caught me, the dialogues were tiresome and almost unbearable, the attempts to create tension were never exciting enough, and finally as romance the film fell in the ridicule of stereotyped moves. I would be much happier if Johnnie To remained faithful to the underworld crime thrillers, which are what he knows to do best, instead of wasting time with these hollow experiences. “Blind Detective” became the biggest disappointment of the year so far.

Gravity (2013)

Directed by: Alfonso Cuáron
Country: USA

Movie Review: Stunning is the first word that comes to my mind when I think of “Gravity”, an outer-space thriller starring Sandra Bullock as a bio-medical engineer in her first mission, and George Clooney as veteran astronaut. Both of them will try to survive to an accident that affected their shuttle, leaving them adrift in the vastness of space. Mexican Alfonso Cuáron returns to direction in top form, 7 years after the also resounding “The Children Of Men”. This time he had the collaboration of his son, Jonas, in a script that despite very simple in its basis, was extremely efficient on the screen. The realism and accuracy evinced in certain details, makes it the most interesting sci-fi film from the last years, relegating for a much inferior plan other big present-day productions of the same genre such as “Oblivion”, “After Earth”, or “Prometheus”, which weren’t able to entertain and shock us so thoroughly. And what’s funny here is that Cuáron didn’t need guns, rays, or space battles to turn it into a breathtaking experience from start to finish. Visually impeccable, technically perfect, and with an elementary story that was sufficient for its purposes, “Gravity” is a journey that you cannot afford to miss. Prepare yourself to breath heavily in this thrilling, agitated, and suffocating experience, which has the ability to make you simultaneously claustrophobic when inside confined spatial capsules, and agoraphobic (in its non-terrestrial variation) with such space immensity.

Bless Me, Ultima (2013)

Directed by: Carl Franklin
Country: USA

Movie Review: Deeply involved in TV series since 1997, writer/director Carl Franklin (“One False Move”, “Devil In A Blue Dress”) took time to make a faithful adaptation of Rudolfo Anaya’s novel “Bless Me, Ultima”. The story, set in the 40’s New Mexico, depicts the special relationship between a sensitive young boy, Antonio, and an elderly healer called Ultima, who despite inoffensive has the reputation of being a witch. Both will join efforts to fight the evil, personified in the character of Tenorio and his malevolent daughters whose witchcraft practices almost killed Antonio’s uncle. Antonio revealed to be a likeable, large-hearted little boy with a strong personality, who was struggling to find answers for all his innocent but pertinent questions about God. Superbly narrated by Antonio’s adult voice, the film creates a sort of uneasiness by opposing beautiful images of the fields, blue sky, and quiet harvestings, to those of evilness and thirst for revenge. Tension was well set through the mystery, mysticism, and superstition associated to the eternal battle between good and evil. Some viewers may not identify themselves with this odd tale that asks ‘why there is so much evil in the world?’ without trying to answer it. However, the quality of Franklin’s filmmaking is undeniable. I have a little remark concerning the score though: the panpipe music was played perhaps too often.

The Unspeakable Act (2012)

Directed by: Dan Sallitt
Country: USA

Movie Review: “The Unspeakable Act” managed to tell an awkward story and turn it into a pleasant surprise. After eight years of absence, American filmmaker/writer/editor Dan Sallitt returns with an endearing work that beyond well developed in structure, also stands for honesty in the portrait created, and rigor regarding technical aspects. Jackie Kimball (Tallie Medel) tells us what bothers her right from the beginning; she believes to get into a nervous breakdown because her older brother Matthew (Sky Hirshkron) got a new girlfriend and is preparing to go to Princeton University. Her heartbreak takes such proportions that her inexpressive mother (Aundrea Fares) sends her to therapy, where she will admit to have a sexual attraction for his brother and occasionally crushes on girls. These therapy sessions were superbly depicted and just served to sharp our curiosity about Jackie and the emotional state in which she slumped. Another beneficial factor was the good dose of mystery associated to the family’s past. The subject matter, absence of music, and composed images created by static shots, which opposed to Jackie’s talkative way and natural thinking-out-loud narration in order to express herself, formed almost an improbable encounter between Lanthimo’s art-house and Rohmer’s fluent style. Newcomer Tallie Medel was impressive, becoming fundamental to achieve authenticity in this unexpectedly gripping character-study.

Enough Said (2013)

Directed by: Nicole Holofcener
Country: USA

Movie Review: Considering that most of the romantic comedies recently released are just copies of one another, I must say that “Enough Said” presents a sweet touch of frankness that makes it quite better than the majority. The film stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini, in which was his last performance before his death at the age of 51. Eva (Louis-Dreyfus) and Albert (Gandolfini) are both divorced, having one daughter each. After meeting at a party, they start dating in a regular basis, seeming to enjoy each other’s company. The problem is that Eva also becomes friends with Albert’s ex-wife, Marianne (Catherine Keener) who without knowing, starts to poison their relationship by describing what she considered Albert’s most annoying behaviors and faults. In parallel, concerns regarding their children are also addressed in a very convincing manner, composing a complete picture of complex relationships. As in her previous work, “Please Give”, filmmaker Catherine Holofcener was able to create a mature script populated with rich characters, all of them with something valuable to say or show. I have to point that despite its honesty, some strategic moves were put together in a few crucial scenes, but the good news are that those moves were made charmingly, using prolific dialogues, searching for the funny side of drama, and effectively providing mixed feelings. If you’re in the mood for romantic comedies, try this one and your time will not be wasted.

Concussion (2013)

Directed by: Stacie Passon
Country: USA

Movie Review: Despite the ambition showed in “Concussion”, Stacie Passon’s debut as a writer and director wasn’t totally satisfying. Well performed by Robin Weigert, the plot follows Abby, an unsatisfied lesbian who, for a while, decided to stay away from her wife, children, and work and become an escort for women. This urge came suddenly after she was hit accidentally by her son when he was playing baseball, suffering a concussion on her head. Under the name of Eleanor and charging eight hundred dollars per appointment, she will meet many peculiar women and act accordingly to their needs. The list includes a fat teenager with no experience, an impetuous woman who knows what she wants, a scared one who tries to escape, a woman from her hometown who was more experienced than she was, and a violent one with whom she wasn’t so comfortable. This hidden life of sensuality and pleasure brought both good and bad surprises. Sex is addressed freely and the necessity for new sexual experiences seemed to make sense in Abby’s life, but maybe I expected more from this story whose conclusions didn’t make me more responsive than I was at the beginning. I believe that with a bit more humor and less love scenes wrapped in white bedsheets, the film would have gained another impact. Without being misdirected, it lacked something in the plot to surprise and make us feel more involved in Abby’s world of pleasure. “Concussion” won the Teddy jury prize at Berlin Film Festival.

The Dirties (2013)

Directed by: Matthew Johnson
Country: Canada

Movie Review: Audacious and darkly funny are the best adjectives to characterize “The Dirties”, the directorial debut by Matthew Johnson who also plays himself in the main role, a bullied High School student whose plan consists on killing a group of bullies he calls The Dirties. The film starts in a provocative way stating that scenes of graphic violence are intended for mature audiences and out of respect for the victims and their families, the footage has not been altered in any way. Matt and his friend Owen Wilson despite isolated from the rest of the world, have each other as company. Although they not always agree, their irreverence and creativity are a constant presence in school. Their revengeful plan was well premeditated, including a shooting practice and obtaining of blue prints from school, but while Owen sees it as a mere game without taking it seriously, Matthew is really determined in carrying it forward. “The Dirties” is a compelling portrait on bullying, school violence, and alienated teenagers, that could not achieve even better results because its experimental filmmaking was technically carefree, presenting a sort of anarchy, which intended or not, wasn’t appealing for the eyes. The frequent use of shaky camera with sudden zooms, lurking from corners or windows is a good example. Nevertheless, it showed enormous merit in other aspects such as: the creative idea behind the plot, the rousing and sarcastic finale, and credible performances. Regardless its faulty execution, at least we can say it was done with the right attitude.

Bad Milo (2013)

Directed by: Jacob Vaughan
Country: USA

Movie Review: Presented as a tasteless joke, “Bad Milo” is a parody with hints of horror that didn’t achieve its intentions. It was directed by Jacob Vaughan who has been working lately as editor in films such as “Black Rock” or “Jeff, Who Lives At Home”, and counted with Duplass brothers as executive producers. The story is simple-minded and often gross, following Duncan (Ken Marino) who is struggling with something annoying inside his bowels. After consulting a doctor without practical results, he finds out that a horrible little creature is living inside him, occasionally getting out of his ass to kill people he is upset with. Duncan tries to establish a good relationship with the creature calling him Milo. Despite of the help of Highsmith (Peter Stormare), a hypnotherapist, the problem aggravates when Milo becomes more and more raging and uncontrollable with everyone, including Duncan’s family. Repetitive and ordinary, “Bad Milo” fails to engage, and despite being conceived just for the fun of it, becomes repugnant in several scenes. The funniest situations involved people like Duncan’s mother and her super young boyfriend, or a manipulative boss who creates a stressful atmosphere in work. In turn, Milo looks like a hairless Gremlin and was never scary or funny enough. The unattractive cinematography by James Laxton, and Vaughan’s vulgar script, helped to turn this film in…stupid Milo!

Night Of Silence (2012)

Directed by: Reis Çelik
Country: Turkey

Movie Review: The captivating story of “Night Of Silence” presents a unique vision of duty and tradition in Turkish society. Accurately written and impeccably directed by Anatolian filmmaker Reis Çelik, the film uncovers the reality of Gelin (Ilyas Salman), a 13 year-old young bride who after being prepared according to tradition, was taken to the nuptial room where she awaits her new husband of 60 years-old, Damat (Dilan Aksut). The first scenes of the film made us conclude right away that Damat, recently released from a long-time imprisonment, belongs to those zealous men whose duty and honor is above everything and everyone. With this premise we cannot blame Gelin for being so afraid and trying to delay her inevitable fate of giving herself to this man. Surprisingly, the story takes a different turn and what seemed obvious became a game of words in the form of stories, unexpected revelations, and fear behaviors that happened to be very interesting to follow through. The overwhelmed ambiance shared by the protagonists could be strongly sensed, thanks to the incredible performances, rigorous cinematography by Gokhan Tiryaki (known for working with Nuri Bilge Ceylan), and every meaningful detail in a non-invasive direction. This is a film of patience for both characters and viewers, but the different angle of vision set up by Çelik along with the exposure of demanding rituals, and a finale whose ambiguity will force you to think afterwards, make “Night Of Silence” a genuine experience that comes very much intriguing.

Mood Indigo (2013)

Directed by: Michel Gondry
Country: France

Movie Review: Adapted from a novel by Boris Vian, Michel Gondry’s “Mood Indigo” is a futuristic romantic comedy filled with animation, which lies somewhere between the happiness of “Amélie” and the fantasy of Jan Svankmajer’s films without the darkness associated to its stories and mechanical creatures. This sounds good, but Gondry’s versatility has already proved not to be always consistent and this is another case in which the technical aspects are much more highlighted than the story. The film stars Romain Duris and Audrey Tautou as Colin and Chloé, respectively, a loving couple whose happiness is tested after Chloé got sick with a growing daffodil in her lungs caught during their honeymoon. A great soundtrack along with alluring visuals containing vivid colors, animated animals and objects that gain life, and unexpected distortions of the body, were scarcely sufficient to content me, since the romance was enable to convey any empathy or emotion. Many scenes, despite beautifully set up, lack depth and were presented in a childish way, with a joyful posture that was often annoying. I didn’t find it funny either, and must confess that for several occasions I had to struggle with myself to keep on watching so many details created to catch the eye but evincing a superficiality behind them that could not be ignored. The sumptuous yet frivolous “Mood Indigo” left me indifferent all the way through, becoming another failed adventure from Gondry’s creative mind.

The Gilded Cage (2013)

Directed by: Ruben Alves
Country: France

Movie Review: Ruben Alves’ directorial debut “The Gilded Cage” puts face-to-face Portuguese immigrants and French bosses in order to create a simple but amusing social comedy of errors. Maria (Rita Blanco) and José (Joaquim de Almeida) make a typical Portuguese couple who have been working in France for 30 years, becoming indispensable in their jobs. Maria works as a concierge in a building, while José is supervisor in a construction company. When they are informed about an heritage left by Jose’s brother, the couple ponders return to Portugal, but their bosses will do everything to keep their hard working employees and the doubt will be installed since their own children are French. To complicate even more the decision, the couple’s daughter assumes to be in love with the son of her dad’s boss. The film addresses quite well the spirit of the immigrants who live to work and save money for one day get back to their origin country. The film boasts a certain success as comedy, playing with culture differences, feelings of inferiority, and language puns, to create hilarious scenes without ever being offensive or derogatory. Rich on visuals and music, but with a modest direction, “The Gilded Cage” will say much more to the Portuguese and French, especially considering that many funny language expressions can be lost when translated. In this family comedy with several aspects to be enjoyed, actresses Rita Blanco and Chantal Lauby excelled.

Chasing The Wind (2013)

Directed by: Rune Denstad Langlo
Country: Norway

Movie Review: Rune Denstad Langlo’s sophomore fictional-feature, “Chasing The Wind”, was not skillful enough to arouse the same interest as the previous “North”(2009). The story follows Anna (Marie Blokhus) who lives in Germany and reluctantly returns to her small hometown ten years after a terrible accident that victimized her parents, in order to attend her grandmother’s funeral. The first minutes, without being much explanatory, make us anticipate family problems, which became more and more evident in conversations with her grumpy grandfather and her ex-boyfriend, for whom she still harbors strong feelings. The characters’ moods vary among anger, resentment, forgiveness, and ultimately understanding and acceptance of their fate. The problem comes from the fact that all these variations occur in too familiar tones, relying in a dragging pace and in a failed attempt to look poetic. The first real moments of some impact just arrived in its final moments with surprising revelations from Anna’s granddad, but they came too late to provoke us in a more acceptable way. The performances were forgettable and Langlo was never determined to leave his comfort zone, being the biggest responsible for the film’s pale temper. Aesthetically clean on visuals and with an unattractive original music by Ola Kvernberg, “Chasing The Wind” didn’t surpass the standard ways of storytelling.

Moebius (2013)

Directed by: Kim Ki-Duk
Country: South Korea

Movie Review: After “Pietà”, winner of last year’s Venice Film Fest, South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-Duk portraits once again a dysfunctional family, using his habitual style in order to provoke with violent, shocking, and disturbing images. From the start, we can guess the heaviness that the film will carry out, addressing topics such as adultery, sexual perversion, bullying, and incest. The insanity presented in this picture is based on the sickness of the mind, which is posteriorly extended to the body in multiple forms. We can ask what kind of woman cuts the penis of her own son as a way to get revenge on her husband? Well, you have to see the film to get the answers, but I can affirm it’s almost impossible to feel any kind of sympathy for such obnoxious characters. Other curious aspect is that the film is speechless, just relying on the power of the images to tell the story, but also making the protagonists even more inhuman. Every frame created from the poor script, including rape and castration, was meant to make you uncomfortable, without trying to say anything valuable. That’s why this film was a complete failure to me; you are provoked in a disgusting way and then there is no lesson to be learned from the ridiculous occurrences. Far from a pleasant watching, the almost unbearable “Moebius” is just another big setback in Kim Ki-Duk’s intermittent career. Tiresome and unnecessary…you may skip it, for your mental sanity!!

Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013)

Directed by: David Lowery
Country: USA

Movie Review: The first scenes of “Ain’t Them Bodies Saint” were the premise to what would be a notable independent film. In a fantastic sequence of images set up in a field of Texas, Ruth (Rooney Mara) shows her love for the outlaw on the run, Bob (Casey Affleck), telling him that she’s expecting a baby and doesn’t want to go to jail. After a shooting with the authorities, Ruth wounds officer Patrick Wheeler (Ben Foster), but is Bob who claims responsibility, getting arrested and sentenced to several years in prison. Nine months later, she gives birth to a little girl and curiously gets the protection of Patrick who creates a special bond with her daughter, while Bob, unable to stand apart from his family, escapes from prison after five failed attempts. However, all the cops and some reward hunters have an eye on his family and are ready to prevent him to see the daughter he has never met. Although patient and reflective most of the time, the film lets us sense a constant tension in the story along with an oppressive atmosphere. Indoor scenes were set with yellowish and dark reddish hues, while some outdoors images were picturesquely shot in counter-light, creating a diverging ambiance. The script, a love story marked by sacrifice of a forced separation, was positively structured by helmer David Lowery, becoming affectionate in its final scenes, where a tired Bob shows his huge will to redeem himself and have a family life as anybody else. As he said: ‘I used to be the devil, but now I’m just a man’.