Mike Ott attempts social consciousness to flavorless results; Malickian without the mythicality, Sean Baker without the humor. No idea why anybody thought the pallid grey color grade was anything but an eye roll but this is optimal independent "social problem" festival fare.
I have a completely different take on this to most people that largely stems from my own personal history. I'm not sure how much it holds up under scrutiny but for the sake of leaving my own two cents on the pile and not parroting takes that have been tossed around for decades, here it goes.
I think this can actually be read as a movie about the Jewish experience of assimilation into white communities and how we are not…
A generational fall-off.
Bong Joon-ho goes from creating a defining film of the generation to dropping possibly the worst non-franchise movie of the decade. It's almost impressive how beyond terrible this is. The theater was DEAD silent during every joke. I shit you not, there was not a SINGLE joke that landed. When the movie ended nobody clapped, we all just sorta shuffled outta there; I was scratching my head wondering where I'd get my two and a half hours…
