Whale - Written and Directed by Amir Motlagh - Web Site
First, let me start off by saying that Whale, written and directed by Amir Motlagh, is a visual masterpiece. It is shot and edited in my favorite style of dynamic camerawork done with an amazing flare for composition and coverage, and immediately draws you in.
The film starts off by slowly bringing you through the loneliness of the protagonist Cameron, played by Motlagh, and then comes to life when he reunites with his friends (especially with Darren, played by co-producer Darren Oneil, who is extremely engaging to watch even in long monologues). Cameron comes back to his past world and the film comes alive, you feel like you have passed through gates into a world familiar and real.
Whale is a movie about the one who got free. Cameron has gotten free of the trapped lives that his friends live and lament. There is a dynamic of contrasts between Cameron's distance and his friends' self-suffocating , which can hide in the lightness of the group but is exposed in the lonely dialogue in the void left by a party's wake. He comes back, listens, bonds, and lets his wounds heal to fly away again. And he does, he will.
Yes, I love Whale. I love it because the characters and dialogue are more natural than 99% of Hollywood movies made. I love it because the scene between Cameron and his ex is one of the best and most realistic scenes I've seen in a long time.
Amir should makes as many films as possible and I will joyfully watch every one.
great review. Makes me want to watch.
Posted by: John W. Bosley | April 23, 2009 at 04:23 PM