Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews

Written and Directed by Ari Aster
Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren, Will Poulter

1. I find it incredibly interesting that there were more women than men at this showing of the film.
2. Ari Aster somehow makes the film feel shorter by adding 24 minutes.
3. He is a director that can hold tension at will, and for long periods of time. His efforts are not as obvious as are Tarantino’s. They are equally enjoyable.
4. Florence Pugh deserves an Oscar for this performance. Her journey is orchestrated through a minimum of gestures and words. She’s one of the best actresses on the planet.
5. Jack Reynor is gathering quite a career as a character actor. His portrayal here is worth both scorn and sympathy from the viewer.
6. The second viewing (original review here) gives the viewer a chance to more fully enjoy Blomgren’s (“Have you been held?”) Pelle. Every line of dialogue is laced with double meaning and gives an ominous portent with such a gentle smile.
7. Will Poulter is destined to play Mark in films for the rest of his career, it seems. He’s got such a slappable face, even when it’s worn by someone else.
8. The lineup of naked nurse maids (or Mom’s Book Club, as stated by my friend Binage) improves only slightly. I wonder if they cut part of it.
9. Ardor’s suffering and agony is perfectly contrasted from the front of the film, when Christian holds her more out of obligation than love. In the last act, she is held by her new family. Their duplication of her screaming and agony is in sympathy. They are suffering with her, and they deserve to hold her. Christian deserves the fate he gets, held by the spectre of the monster he really is.
10. The community only starts lying when people start to disappear. I do wish they could have found a way to present explanations honestly, like Pelle.
11. Every character gets the fate they deserve. It’s like a slasher film in this way. Difference is, the metaphor of the girl who ‘doesn’t like sex’ is more worthy this time. Ardor, like her name, just wants to be loved. Pelle knows this, just like the community.
12. Not sure I can fit my life nicely into the cycle as the community of the Hårga does. I think I would like to have some idea of when it’s time to go, but maybe not leave it up to how I land. If I make it to 72, perhaps I will be too happy to care. I doubt I will be too happy to care, and I kinda think I won’t make it to 72.

(****1/2 out of *****)