26/41
It was completely disappointing and took an unconventional effort without much commitment
Narrative
A lonely man who works as a hearse driver is assigned to look after a special body for a month until he can return her to her parents, but when he realizes his supposedly dead charge is still alive, he forms a bond with her that leads him on a dangerous trail to calm her down. The main problem here is the dominance of a laborious arthouse aesthetic instead of more traditional, faster-paced material. The mysterious nature of the central relationship, in which it’s not entirely clear how the romance between them begins, given her condition and how unique it is compared to the amount of time we’ve spent watching it up to this point, does little to make it all come together logically, as it presents more of a father/daughter perspective than anything else, based on how he treats and protects her.
That said, there are some interesting elements here, with this one focusing on the savage nature of her condition making it difficult to sustain their relationship
This is accompanied by overly long and meandering scenes of him wandering around the city trying to figure out how to help her or trying to deal with the mounting danger his actions have caused. It’s the prioritization of these factors, even with their excellent use in the form of beautiful imagery and deeply rooted commentary on conservative life in the country, that makes the mainstream genre work that much more impressive. At multiple points they are exposed to random strangers who turn themselves into sacrifices in order to provide him with the blood he needs to survive, and these scenes add a poignant depth and gravitas to what is essentially a series of macabre vampire feedings through the way they are presented here.
It was completely disappointing and took an unconventional effort, without much commitment
A significant part of this is getting through the finale, as the confrontations take place in the mountainous region of the area, which has a much greater impact due to the frenzied activity, but is too slow and arty in its own right. It could be cut down a lot or moved faster to help a lot, because it really slows things down. -Drivers, a single man is assigned to care for a special body for a month until he can return her to her parents, but when he realizes his supposedly dead charge is still alive, he forms a bond with her that leads him down a dangerous path to comfort her.
The main problem here is the dominance of a laborious arthouse aesthetic instead of more traditional, faster-paced material
The mysterious nature of the main relationship, in which it’s not entirely clear how the romance between them begins, given her condition and how unique it is compared to the amount of time we’ve spent watching it up to this point, does little to make it all come together logically, as it presents more of a father/daughter perspective than anything else, based on how he treats and protects her. This is accompanied by overly long and meandering scenes of him wandering around the city trying to figure out how to help her or trying to deal with the mounting danger his actions have caused. It’s the prioritization of these factors, even when they’re perfectly utilized in the form of beautiful imagery and deeply rooted commentary on conservative life in the country, that makes the mainstream genre work that much more impressive.