The Awakening

[stuartboy]

I was so busy reading the Immortals thread and thanking my good instinct for escaping that particular train crash of a film that I forgot to say I was at Odeon Covent Garden this evening with OH where we met cliveas plus friends, as well as two networking friends of PXC's that I see around a lot - they got their tix from PXC of course. It was respectfully but not entirely full, and the screening was fairly quiet.

Knowing the twist already, I was able to concentrate on the little details and watch certain people from the onset, and I still stick to my original opinion about the slightly ambiguous ending. Would have loved to ask the director a few questions, but the Q&A was actually a short talk from a parapsychologist who was amusing but didn't add anything to the film really.

Still 9/10

@Beate So you agree that even after a second viewing we're still not sure...
I am guessing that must be the intention, but would have thought the director (who I saw in Q&A last week would have held that view too).
Definitely as good a second time around though.

[Beate]

http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2011/11/11/lf ... ng-review/

[Beate]

http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/theatr ... ning-16973

[Beate]

http://www.thefilmpilgrim.com/reviews/t ... eview/6359

[soonforgotten]

I've had a pretty significant change of opinion after a second viewing of this. I wrote up a spoiler-filled discussion of this including transcription of some of director Nick Murphy's explanations from the Q&A last night: http://t.co/UdEIDZSo

[stuartboy]

@sf Very enlightening and slightly at odds with what Mr. Murphy said at his Q&A in Glasgow last week regarding Florence's fate. I think his intention is definitely to encourage debate and doubt and conversation about the film. It remains (and it seems intentionally) ambiguous.
A very thought-provoking and ingenious film none-the-less and one which one day may even be cited as a benchmark like some of the classics.

[raj101]

oh that? forgot to review this fromlast week. its a dumb film, tbh. Thinks its cleverer than it is. Think Freudian. Well, its a mess of dialogue and directing, and bereft of logic, though you may argue that a descent from rational into the sensational was the point of the movie. But the scary scenes are really not scary, though I remember liking looking round the old public school, lovely building. Rebecca Hall plays the girl who wants to be seen as clever (you know the type, there was one at every school, not too pretty but always trying to show shes bright all the way down to the way she walks, talks and moves) quite well, but her change in character came way to suddenly. Good supporting cast too, but the script deterioates rapidly and leaves them waning.

I mean, I do appreciate an ambiguous element to a film, but too much of it had no reason, whereas the ending had a hopelessly contrived ending. I was thinking Kill List, as with that you get a lot of atmosphere, interesting characters, but a letdown in logic when it is needed most.

And the problem with inferring that previous plot elements are untrue, but not providing you with cast iron grounds for it, is that it casts doubts over every establised fact in the movie...oh maybe she isnt a ghosthunter at all, or maybe she imagined going to Cambridge etc.

[McG]

[raj101]

lol well it just doesnt make enough sense, McG. Ambivalence is fine but not when it makes the final scene looks if the director is using that as an excuse for being lazy.

i dont think i've mentioned any spoilers! just commented on the films style.

[Celini]

Give it a second chance raj... If you have some vouchers to spare of course