OK, now that that is taken care of...
(Thought I'd get the totally unpleasant yet, it seems, obligatory IMDB "Nag, Nag, Nag & Nothing to Say" post out of the way before the insipid, slow-witted, and entitled IMDB commentators actually make it.)
BTW, I absolutely loved this film. A rare 10/10 for me.
Ignorance is bliss... 'til it posts on the Internet, then, it's annoying.
Funny thing is the title of your post, as idiotic as it may seems, is far better suited to the abysmal pile of crap that is "Sun Choke", than the perfect 10 (no less!) that you gave it...
"Abysmal pile of crap." Another vapid cliché I should have included in that title...
If I find such posts annoying, imagine how I feel about such replies (though I was more or less asking for it here).
I've allowed subjectivity to seep into my rating for this one due to the effect it had on me, but my purely objective one would still place this film at 8.
I saw it early, when few had even heard of it, and went in with zero expectations and absolutely nothing to influence my opinion; I was completely wowed. I was pleased to see that the professional & more cerebral reviews I read after the fact echoed my own reaction to a T...
As it's now on Netflix and accessible to all those who wouldn't normally seek out such fare, I'm not surprised that the praise it initially received is now completely watered down as it is a polarizing film which simply can't be appreciated by a segment of viewers, including too many of the self-appointed-yet-unqualified film experts...
Glancing at your rating history, it's uncanny how much we seem to be on the same page re taste and the worth of myriad films, except for a tiny handful on which we differ wildly; so, for whatever reasons we can both probably justify, this is one of those films, I suppose, we'll just have to agree to disagree on.
Ignorance is bliss... 'til it posts on the Internet, then, it's annoying.
Maybe the fact that english is not my first language doesn't allow me to express my very profound dislike of this movie with all the eloquence that it deserves, suffice to say I found it utterly devoid of anything meaningful to say, thus trying very hard to hide its insignificance behind a barrage of flashy visual effects.
In the end, it made for a very shallow and supremely unpleasant experience.
God knows I'm not afraid of austere or even difficult cinema, as long as I feel that these characteristics serves a purpose, a vision or a discourse, but in the case of "Sun Choke" it's as if the director started out with a few general ideas and a handful of all too familiar tropes that he tought would somehow found a deeper meaning if stringed together in a mildly cryptic way and laced with enough visual flourishes.
If I'm to fall for such a con (and why not, it's okay to feel like it from time to time), I'll go with a pro and choose any early Aronofsky ten times over a proposition as weak as "Sun Choke"...
That being said, I'm sure your reasons for loving it are just as good as mine for hating it so yeah, agree to disagree here.
Same here, English isn't my first language, but I'm very comfortable with it; the same can be said of you as you not only express yourself extremely well, but far better than most.
When I briefly examined your profile I instantly understood that whatever complaints you had weren't simply based on its independent and art-house nature as you clearly didn't shy away from such films.
I was so taken by "Sun Choke" I actually took the time to write a review (I'd rewrite some of it now, having watched it a few times, but...), and the reasons you provided are valid ones I've no difficulty accepting, especially since I had already identified such an interpretation as a possible source of division among qualified viewers. My take, as pointed out, is that there is no such meaning here—it is irrelevant—and anyone trying to uncover or apply any deep meaning will surely be left wholly unsatisfied; its importance lies on another level. I even mention Aronofsky in my review...
For me this film was anything but a "barrage of flashy visual effects"; I thought Cresciman demonstrated tremendous know-how and control, offering a carefully-constructed and subdued beauty throughout.
One aspect I do need to consider, which I mention here not to garner sympathy but because it points to a possible appreciation for this film which may not be within the reach of many: I've had to deal with insanity (in a way that leads one to also seriously question one's own sanity). My sister showed signs of schizophrenia in her late twenties and was eventually forced on a cocktail of drugs which eventually led to a gruesome suicide. I was also in a serious 9-year relationship with someone who, it turns out, became progressively more bi-polar... The things she put me through... oy!
Although events in the film in no way whatsoever resemble anything I lived, I was overwhelmed by the manner in which it conveyed and explored insanity and by the emotions it allowed me to tap into, and this, in a way that no other film had yet managed. So, having said that, am I surprised to see that love for this film isn't universal? No. Not one bit.
Cheers!
Ignorance is bliss... 'til it posts on the Internet, then, it's annoying.
Thank you for your thourough reply and the confidence you display by sharing some personal stuff.
One thing I gather from our exchange is that notwithstanding the objective merit of one work of art (granted such a thing even exists)our personal background and inclinations weigh a great deal on how much we appreciate said work.
I remember for instance the quasi devotion I used to have for Bertolucci's "Sheltering Sky" when in my twenties, a movie that had some personnal resonnance for me and toward wich I became more critic as years passed and allowed me to made peace with some things from my personal history.
Not that I think that your admiration for "Sun Choke" comes solely from sentimental reasons, but, you know, I believe there is always an irrational dimension regarding our relationship to art.
As for me and movies, my appreciation more and more depends on wether or not I feel this evanescent thing travelling back and forth between the screen and me, something akin to a breathing that grant life and truth to wathever universe the movie is proposing. Although I've seen thousand of movies and am fairly confident in my ability to appreciate a work of art in a rather objective and enlighted way, I'm well aware that in the end, some undefinable factors will have their say on my overall appreciation.
Well, nice sharing with you.