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Even if the script is a bit too clever, natural performances keep the characters sympathetic. This is especially impressive in the case of Arnold's Mark, a fast-talking womaniser who is unapologetically inappropriate but is also a loyal friend. He tends to blurt out things he really shouldn't, and fails miserably to squirm out of the holes he digs himself. Russo and Laughlin are playing more thoughtful people, even if both Rose and Ryan have rather overwrought reactions to each momentous revelation.

As things escalate, the situation actually comes to blows. And the words are even more vicious. As romantic entanglements become increasingly knotted, it's the narrative's serious trajectory that is engaging, even when it turns sentimental. Everything hinges around things that have been held in for some reason but need to be said. In some ways, the main point here is that most of us do stupid things when we're young that are likely to cause problems later, especially in combination with whatever life throws at us.

themes, language, violence

1.Aug.26

Naturalistic performances depict remarkably complex characters throughout the cast. Using their full physicality, both Bird and Clausen bring out the underlying emotions within their roles, pulling us in much deeper than the usual scary movie. Because he allows us into Naim's head, Bird is able to take us on a staggeringly intense odyssey. Seen through his eyes, Wasikowska's Arlene is skilfully aloof, arguing that we need fear to survive.

The question for these boys is whether they can escape their inner demons, and also what those demons actually are. At one point Ryan says, "If I'm going to live with this thing, I want it to look like you." But where this story goes is also infused with a yearning sadness, as it spirals around young people whose futures are jeopardised because they're afraid to be their true selves. So Naim begins to realise that if just one person will support him, all of this will stop.

themes, language, violence, sexuality

12.Aug.26

Close is lovely as an elderly woman trying to help her son get through his personal pain, reminding him that she won't be here forever. Danielsen Lie brings his engaging charisma to this soft-spoken man, planting a tree as a way of moving forward and helping his daughter in the only way he knows. And at the centre, Matthews sharply captures the mindset of an inquisitive, if rather sullen, young girl trying to make sense of her place in the world.

Everyday events fill the running time. Grandma potters around, repairing the moss along the island's rock slabs, stealing a quiet cigarette before Sophia finds her. She also whittles a small fleet of ships. The film astutely contrasts the perspective between these two women at different points in their life, although the concluding swap in point of view feels wrong. Still, there are delicate connections among this mother, son and granddaughter, creating a remarkably hushed film that celebrates nature's ability to ground our feelings in reality.

themes, language

3.Aug.26