Natalie Portman plays an actress who goes to visit Julianne Moore, who is playing a woman who had an affair with a 7th grader, and then eventually married him.
High melodrama has thrilled many, but really didn't work for me. I never warmed to the mix of high drama and black comedy. It was much too artificial for my tastes The film is constructed to make us uncomfortable, but at the same time the construction is so artificial I never connected and I could see the wheels going and director Todd Haynes desire to poke us in the eye.
What's worse is I don't think Haynes get's the balance of serious and satire right and some of the high drama seems like satiric comedy, we laugh when we should cringe. I think this is the reason that some people I know who saw this in the recent theatrical run said there was inappropriate laughter in places. They were blaming an audience who didn't know how to react to the style Haynes used, but I think it's more he didn't get the tone right.
I should add that what doesn't sit well with me is the intense feeling that Haynes seems to be sitting in judgement on everyone on screen. He is a disapproving god who seems to be making fun of his characters. I dislike the feeling of condescension he has for the people on screen almost from the first frame. Worse Haynes doesn't really want us to feel anything for the characters or the situation but wants us to gawk at the train wreck like it's a circus sideshow.
I dislike this film to the point that I'm glad I didn't see it at the New York Film Festival since I would have walked out. While I did watch the film on Netflix to the end, it was simply because I felt obligated to do so because of year end voting and wanted to see Charles Melton's performance.
In the end I was disappointed and I was left wondering what many are seeing in this film.
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