MovieChat Forums > Eva (2015) Discussion > I actually enjoyed this film

I actually enjoyed this film

posted 12 years ago by paco-63
6 replies | jump to latest

I had the opportunity to watch this at home with my wife and daughter last night and I have to say that I am not sure agree with much of the tepid reviews of this film (Especially for a directorial debut).

What I saw was a masterful application of understated directed style that was very sophisticated contrasted against the sophomoric love triangle elements permeated throughout the film.

Special effects were handled with a deft hand creating space for other elements of the film to come through in a more natural fashion. A useful metaphor would be to liken this film to a gourmet burger where the simple freshness of its ingredients provides nourishment vs. a Big Mac (which we all know we secretly love;is so packed full of over-saturated flavors that we are sucked in to the high impact effects of sugary special sauces and toppings than that the subtle natural flavors that were always there to begin with.

My personal love story was in the development of the supporting players. For instance, the character of Max played by Lluís Homar deserves specific attention for a subtle but exploratory view of what it could be like to have the ability to think artificially.And while presumably programmed, is granted developmental latitude to question, reason and explore emotions, empathy and understanding. Learning to be human so to speak. I found his character (while subtle) to embody one of the goals of the film.

My belief is that sometimes exploring what it is to be human through the eyes and experience of those who do not share the gift that is being alive can bring a sense of perspective that makes us appreciate more who we are. In the end I found myself loving this character.

The namesake of the film (Eva) played by Claudia Vega was also quite notable in her precocious nature. One thing that I notice about some European films when it comes to young girls on film (and sometimes it makes me uncomfortable) is how sexualized this character seemed to be for her age of 10. There was nothing overt and much was innocent and playful. However, there were moments that struck me as "off" and awkward in her character's interaction with the main character of the film. Let me also state for the record that I recognize that I am viewing through my Americanized puritanical filter and therefore and more sensitive to it than most. That being said, I found Claudia to be lovely as Eva and I have to admit that in the end she won my heart.

Unfortunately, I found other aspects of the film to be less rewarding. The love triangle for instance (while often well acted) fell a bit flat for me here. Outside of how it effected the character of Eva and her relationship with the main character, the history came off as trite lacked a bit on substance and depth.

In the end, I found myself wanting more from this film, but for a first directorial effort, most impressive. Eva was in its own right a beautiful little film (largely hinged on two characters) but I am curious to see more.

[–] spasticfreakshow 10 years ago

i quite agree, although i can understand the love triangle (and you misused the word "effected"; you need "affected"), as a detail in the context of the bigger picture as each brother had something the other wanted. a story of contrasts, and how the two brothers loved one another in spite of it all. david had lana, but alex had her love - each was jealous of what the other had. david had completed an absolutely brilliant robot (max), one that was even able to comfort his brother when he himself could not; alex had the admiration and respect of the entire robot engineering community, yet he was unable to complete a successful prototype.

a poignant moment for me that max was able to give alex a hug (from david, in a way) precisely when he needed it.

[–] tanzil_dhk 9 years ago

a perfect way to describe it....could not have said it any better...

[–] gabridl 9 years ago

Well said.

Let me add a remark about the setting. The Swiss town of La Chaux-de-Fonds is famed for watchmaking. Robots are a kind of clockwork person. Switzerland is also a cold place, physically and emotionally—an interesting backdrop to the passion of the characters, who are more like the most famous inhabitant of Neufchatel, Rousseau.

[–] Adler-99 8 years ago

Spoilers ahead. Late to the topic, but just watched the film last night. I too was rather creeped out by Eva's precociousness and flirtation with her own uncle. But as it turns out, she was a robot and from several remarks she made, she obviously got a fair amount of her emotional programming from movie lines, since she says to Alex more than once, "This is what I [or you] would say in a big movie scene."

I would've liked to have seen the boy SI-9 that Alex was working on more; I found his "awakenings" interesting.

[–] cx-01611 8 years ago

I like the review, but for me in the end I wish she livd happily. The ending made me so mad.

[–] vicky_lc2001 (1907) 6 years ago

I don't think it's simply your puritanical American mindset because I also see what you mean in the flirtatious and precocious character of Eva as a 10 year old. She certainly didn't seem to be a realistic child for me but I guess there's a reason for that and it was revealed why. If she was like any normal child, I doubt she would've been as mature as she was. She did come across as someone who was in love or had a crush on her Uncle, yet her approach was that of a late teens or 20s even.