First let me say, I love Ryan Gosling. I think he's one of the best actor's going around today and his name on this film is pretty much the only reason I gave it a try.
Unfortunately, for me, this hasn't worked. It seems that Ryan was so intent on stepping out of his comfort zone that he's leaped into the dream of someone on hard illicit drugs. I guess he wanted to enter the directorial world with a bang and really stamp some of his personality onto the film. He is obviously heavily influenced by directors he has worked with in the past. The problem is, in making it quirky, artsy, original, whatever you want to call it, the film has just been lost.
The film consists of three stories that tenuously connect to each other, but none of which are particularly interesting. The mom is behind on mortgage payments, so she takes a job at some weird fetish club. The son steals metal to try and get some money, meanwhile finding a road that goes into the town reservoir. And Saoirse Ronan lives nearby with a grandmother who doesn't talk. I know that synopsis sounds like it was written by an infant, but to be honest, I still don't know what the hell the film is about! Slight positives were Saoirse Ronan putting in a decent performance, and some of the cinematography did work. However, for Gosling to really get amongst the elites of the directing world, he needs to concentrate on the film being good first. It's fine to have your own style, all good directors do. But ensure the film has the subject matter on a basic level to captivate an audience before worrying about little idiosyncrasies you can include to make it your own.
Unfortunately, for me, this hasn't worked. It seems that Ryan was so intent on stepping out of his comfort zone that he's leaped into the dream of someone on hard illicit drugs. I guess he wanted to enter the directorial world with a bang and really stamp some of his personality onto the film. He is obviously heavily influenced by directors he has worked with in the past. The problem is, in making it quirky, artsy, original, whatever you want to call it, the film has just been lost.
The film consists of three stories that tenuously connect to each other, but none of which are particularly interesting. The mom is behind on mortgage payments, so she takes a job at some weird fetish club. The son steals metal to try and get some money, meanwhile finding a road that goes into the town reservoir. And Saoirse Ronan lives nearby with a grandmother who doesn't talk. I know that synopsis sounds like it was written by an infant, but to be honest, I still don't know what the hell the film is about! Slight positives were Saoirse Ronan putting in a decent performance, and some of the cinematography did work. However, for Gosling to really get amongst the elites of the directing world, he needs to concentrate on the film being good first. It's fine to have your own style, all good directors do. But ensure the film has the subject matter on a basic level to captivate an audience before worrying about little idiosyncrasies you can include to make it your own.