2017 Directed by Lynne Ramsay
A traumatised veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe's nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.
Joaquin Phoenix Judith Roberts Ekaterina Samsonov John Doman Alex Manette Dante Pereira-Olson Alessandro Nivola Larry Canady Vinicius Damasceno Neo Randall Frank Pando Edward Latham Claire Hsu Denis Ozer Tia-Sophia Begh Lucy Lan Luo Annie Mac-Yang Lilian Tsang Mengqi He Rose De Vera Tian-Lan Chaudhry Ryan Martin Brown Ace Ramsey Silvia Pena Jason Babinsky Jonathan Wilde Ronan Summers Kate Easton Scott Price Show All…
Rebecca O'Brien Sue Bruce-Smith Pascal Caucheteux Lizzie Francke Lynne Ramsay Jonathan Ames James Wilson Rose Garnett Rosa Attab Ben Roberts
유 워 네버 리얼리 히어, A Beautiful Day, Iš tiesų tavęs niekuomet čia nebuvo, 너는 정말 여기에 없었다, Tu n'as jamais été vraiment là
This is one of those movies that is teeming with dialogue-free shots and scenes that are supposed to invoke ideas that are key to understanding what the director wants to say. About 15 minutes in, I realized this and spent the rest of the film being upset that I wouldn't understand those ideas unless I watched this movie a second time– and probably even then. About 30 minutes in, I started wondering whose review/article about the movie I'd have to read to really figure out how much I liked it.
I feel this too often with movies lately, and find myself being taken out of them because my mind very quickly slips into the meta-level of not just taking in…
fuuuuckkkk yes.
Lynne Ramsay directing Joaquin Phoenix in a *super* art house TAKEN (complete with POINT BLANK stylings) that's glazed with Jonny Greenwood's best score to date. obviously hacked within an inch of its life but the skeleton is fascinating. i wanted to watch this over from the start as soon as it ended.
A radical deconstruction of the action genre and what we've come to expect from our heroes. Fantasy, flashback and reality are all swirled together, a trauma-saturated past manifesting as shard of glass in the soul. The question of "did that really happen?" has never been less important. Ramsay owns this film, particularly in her writing. Phoenix is good, but it's the absolutely impeccable editing that creates his powerful performance. Though there's minimal dialogue, the impressionistic soundscape paired with Jonny Greenwood's pulsating score makes this film feel anything but quiet.
How can a man save anyone else when he cannot save himself?
Rating: 92/100
Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t make a lot of movies. It’s easy to forget about him when he’s not around. Then he shows up in something and you’re like “Oh right he’s basically the best actor in the world.”
47/100
When people who dislike Taxi Driver describe their understanding of it, this is the film they're actually describing. Schrader acknowledges Travis' military service without ever employing it as an excuse; Ramsay serves up jagged flashbacks at key moments to suggest PTSD. Iris' heartbreaking failure to recognize how she's being exploited complicates the story; Nina barely exists here as anything more than a symbol of innocence defiled. Taxi Driver maintains a queasy tension but withholds violence until the horrific climax; You Were Never Really Here plays like said climax turned into its own feature-length badass exercise. Ramsay's formal expertise makes individual sequences (e.g. the security-cam massacre) thrilling, but the movie as a whole feels utterly hollow, especially when it tries…
It may not appear so at first glance, but this is a Lynne Ramsay film through and through -- a heart wrenching, hyperviolent addition to her oeuvre of films focusing on the individual's psychological response and post-traumatic path subsequent to their environment's introduction of an unexpected and uncontrollable tragedy. Morvern Callar, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and You Were Never Really Here could almost function as an unofficial trilogy dealing with said theme, exploring lonely, singular minds' reactions to larger, more macro-level issues such as the suicide of a loved one, the parenting of a psychopath and the abduction & exploitation of children. Joaquin Phoenix sinks deep into his role of the enigmatic Joe, a war veteran and former member…
“it’s okay, joe”
as i’ve been solidifying my 2018 favorites list the past few weeks, this has been at the back of my mind every day. i saw something in it the first viewing, but i didn’t exactly connect. sometimes revisiting something, even something you already love, makes it click. your mood has to be right, and your timing. like things perfectly align so what once felt hazy in comparison is now clear. now i understand, and now i can see. and what i see is beautiful
in my perfect world, lynne ramsay would win best director for this. but she probably won’t, and it’s okay
“it’s okay”
