Sunset Song (2016)

Too much of everything

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

(Flash Review)Taking place in the early 1900's in Scotland, the story follows the challenges of a farmer woman from her youth to young adult and the dramatic challenges placed in front of her. How does she and her brother deal with a physical and an emotionally abusive father as he mistreats them and his wife? How she takes control of her life when she finds prosperity and love? And later when war comes to their land, how will she handle the situation her new husband is placed in and the effects on him and their family? This film is told at a properly quiet pace for the period and culture. With its measured pace, it still delivers many dramatic and emotional moments with the help of stunning cinematography that really punctuates the scenes. While subdued, the actors wear their emotions with a raw passion. Overall, this is a solid emotionally dramatic period piece with a barrage of painterly cinematic scenes.

Having voice-over narration throughout the film vastly reduced the visual storytelling expected of film, instead of having it revealed visually and with minimum exposition through dialogue. So much was on-the-nose exposition. As a result, it was tedious to watch. I forced myself to finish the film, just in case it improved - it didn't.I was rarely drawn emotionally into the story, but felt more like a bystander stood next to the film crews during rehearsals. There seemed to be a different emotional feel between internal and external scenes, and I wonder how the choice to shoot digitally and film for internal and external scenes affected this, albeit subconsciously.It was confusing that the narrator sounded like the same person as the lead female actor, but referred to that character by their name, as though it wasn't them.The screenplay adapted from a novel had not been condensed suitably for the limited time available for a film, and seemed to have instead crammed in as many events as possible from the book, and so not leaving enough time to explore any of them to any emotional depth.

I went into the movie not knowing anything about the book, the model or what should have been the proper soldiers dress. I also don't know a good accent from a bad one when it comes to Scottish.I felt the movie was gorgeous but some scenes were dragged out too long, especially closer to the end. I felt the actress was believable and saw the characters personality was much like the film itself, slow moving and deliberate with few outbursts but when they happened they were believable.I didn't understand the husband. Why not slog through it rather than become an a-hole? but I guess he was determined. To me this was stupid and the wife should have been angry, then forgiving, rather than understanding. The story was a view into what it may have been like back then helping me to see real people in real tough situations but who also had God and nature to nurture them.It is the beauty of the film that has stuck with me. I didn't know Scotland was that gorgeous.

Sunset Song, directed by Terence Davis, is the meandering story of a young woman coming of age in the early 20th century in Scotland. I want to use this film to make a point about why I think modern cinema, though as fascinating as ever, just isn't quite as good as previous decades for cinema. People blame blockbusters for ruining cinema, even though loads of genuinely good blockbusters are released every year. Why do people go and see blockbusters? Because the alternatives are usually sub-par dramatic films. Boring indie flicks, Oscar bait and mediocre dramas which are made for critics and critics alone. So, while blockbusters could be better, people go to see them because the alternative isn't good enough either. This film is a perfect example. With its use of voice-overs, slow pace, thematic depth and character based narrative, this is not a mainstream film at all. It's something critics will enjoy, but audiences may find it more difficult to relate to thanks to its self indulgence.Sunset Song is visually stunning, with many great shots of the Scottish landscape. The film starts out well with some family related story lines for Chris, the young woman at the centre of the story. This stuff is reasonably moving and has a sense of a soul. Peter Mullan is very good as her brutal father. The middle section of the film completely sags, as it drones on and on with nothing really happening aside from her getting married. Then the final third involves the First World War and its effects on her. When you're actually relieved that World War I happens so that something interesting is finally going on, you know you're in trouble. In this final third, the film finally finds its feet but too little, too late. It's well directed, has some occasionally powerful moments and it's overall well acted, but unfortunately the main actress, Agyness Deyn, is awful and completely unconvincing. Add in an overindulgent runtime, a monotonous script and a general lack of energy, settling instead for conveying its messages with loads of pretentious voice-overs performed terribly by the lead actress who murders the Scottish accent. Not a terrible film, and a moderately interesting watch but it's too superficial to truly satisfy.6/10