Sundance

This film is everything you should expect by now from a film starring Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams. Every scene with them both in it has an energy not many could match. The emotional restraint in Williams' performance forces the audience to quiver while Moore's erratic and abusive behavior steers a ship that is stuck in a storm. Abby Quinn delivers a show-stopping performance as a daughter caught between her parents lies. She may be the most slept-on aspect of the show. Not much buzz has centered around her and unfittingly so. She carries the emotional trajectory of the entire story throughout and does so in such a way that never allows her to be overshadowed by her seasoned co-stars. 

Thus far, media outlets have been relatively brutal. The Guardian called it a "confused melodrama... (an) emotionally underwhelming remake," Indie wire claims it was "a disappointment," while Slashfilm goes as far as saying it was a "messy melodrama." Judging by the crowd's reaction, my own personal opinion and the opinion of other members of the press I have spoken to, these reviews feel off based.

If anything, the film was an expertly constructed melodrama full of emotion and tension. The film undoubtedly makes the audience feel pain with the characters while also allowing the story to unfold with next to no exposition. It's biggest weaknesses as a film were not that it was confused, emotionless or messy. It's most glaring weaknesses were that the first two acts were rich with emotion and crafted perfectly only to have the third act speed through the inevitable. I would have liked to feel the ending as much as the first two acts in order to fully reach that feeling of catharsis that a perfect movie gives. It felt like by the time the big reveal happens, Bart Freundlich takes a bit of a victory lap, forgetting to tie up the loose ends with the precision that he clearly is capable of. Ultimately, it may have not been the best choice to remake a movie that was made just 10 years ago, but they pull it off and they pull it off well. The movie is definitely one to look forward to when it gets a theatrical release. 

Written by: Cameron Lui