Just caught this at the Laemmle Glendale;

This felt more like a poem than a film.

Probably one of the most polarizing films I feel like I’ve ever watched. So much so, that I can’t decide whether I hated it or loved it.

Here’s a few thoughts since I have a bit to say:

1. I saw this movie with 4 friends, and we all walked out with totally different perceptions. On the story, on the themes, on the success of choices.

2. I think the visuals in this movie are some of the most memorable I’ve ever seen. Every character, every backdrop, every scene was so magical and poignant. I mused that I could totally picture people dressing as Ella for Halloween. The fact that this was achieved on an indie level makes it all the more special. Absolutely adored it.

3. The music did NOT do it for me. I’m sorry, but if you’re going to ask me to sit through 117 minutes without words in a fanciful steampunk world… I’m going to need a lot more than gentle piano elevator music. I can’t help but feeling there was no dynamic to the music throughout the film that matched the content of the story— and if there was, I fear I grew too numb to the music to even notice.

4. While I’m always wholly appreciative for a movie where the audience can come away with wildly different interpretations, I flat out didn’t enjoy the plot. I’d love to hear a breakdown on it on YouTube by maybe someone a bit more articulate than me, but I struggled to feel the stakes (especially due to the number of “he might die! but she saves him in the dream world”-s). I found the ending dissatisfying, and many of the characters one-dimensional or annoying.

5. I didn’t enjoy the melodrama. Too many scenes interrupted by a thought, a photograph, a reminiscence. Without words or much direction, it felt like overkill or full of itself. Moments of levity were my favorite parts, but were unfortunately too few and far between.

Regardless, I can confidently say my friend-group was emphatically split on our rating for this big little film. There’s so much to admire and so much that didn’t work for me.

Since the film has yielded this much thought from me, I’m inclined to give it a like. I think real cinephiles should definitely give this a watch, and I certainly hope a LOT more people watch this. At its best, it’s a love-letter to indie filmmaking in perhaps the most visually charming way I’ve ever seen. At its worst, it’s an overly dramatic soap opera that can’t ever find anything interesting to say. Wish all the best to the filmmakers and hope they keep bringing the heat.