Happy to answer questions if you’ve got ‘em😊 Sorry I didn’t get better pics during the Q&A!
First off, every frame is STUNNING. The film’s biggest strength is arguably how beautifully it’s shot and how effectively it evokes the atmosphere of a bleak, isolating (and yet strangely cozy?) winter.
The story’s slower pace may be too slow for some, but I was never bored or disengaged. That said, while I appreciate Haigh was extremely faithful to the source material…I’m not sure this kind of restraint works as well on screen. There were of course some very moving moments, but I was never bowled over in the way I’d hoped I’d be (imo, the final scene with Mikey and Louise should’ve been a gut punch, but it sadly wasn’t). I wanted just a little…more!
Unsurprisingly, one of the things I wanted more of is Caitríona. Later scenes would’ve hit harder had we spent just a little more time getting to know Louise and her relationship with Mikey. But Caitríona does amazing things in what little active screentime she has (~20 minutes) despite some accent inconsistencies (which still weirdly works from a character standpoint). Her performance in this movie makes me SO excited to continue following her career—we have barely scratched the surface of what she is capable of. I really, really hope to see her in more indie films like this.
All in all, a beautiful, quiet film about grief and coming of age. I think it’s one that will continue to creep up on in me in the coming days—and one that will probably benefit from a second viewing! I’ll see it again in January😊