After having read some negative reviews I was quite skeptical about this film, but ultimately I don't regret having watched it.
I think the problem with this film has to do with wrong expectations. Many who watch it may expect a thriller, and as such it misses some features that a good thriller should have. The storyline is not very intriguing for a thriller, it isn't logically very sharp, and we see quite a number of things that don't contribute to the thriller element.
The key to this film is that we experience the perception of the main actor, which is clearly disturbed. We may think that we can reconstruct a real story from this perception, but in my view this is rather a film about mental illness, inspired by the concept of "The Father", and as such it works pretty well. As in "The Father", the audience is left with some open questions, although we may be slightly less confused about what really happened, and instead the psychological background is less clear. However I am willing to buy into this, particularly because I am familiar with some of the psychological symbolism (the secret in the basement; the rising water) from my own dreams, so this resonates with me. This is not a film for those who want to understand everything (even though I'm never sure whether others could understand what I can't), rather for those curious about the experience to get into the head of a disturbed and confused character. We can interpret, but the help we get is limited.
The photography is particularly good, and I don't have complaints about the performance of the actors. The film suffers a bit from trying to keep the hope alive that it could be a thriller, but ultimately it captured me and gave me food for thought.
I think the problem with this film has to do with wrong expectations. Many who watch it may expect a thriller, and as such it misses some features that a good thriller should have. The storyline is not very intriguing for a thriller, it isn't logically very sharp, and we see quite a number of things that don't contribute to the thriller element.
The key to this film is that we experience the perception of the main actor, which is clearly disturbed. We may think that we can reconstruct a real story from this perception, but in my view this is rather a film about mental illness, inspired by the concept of "The Father", and as such it works pretty well. As in "The Father", the audience is left with some open questions, although we may be slightly less confused about what really happened, and instead the psychological background is less clear. However I am willing to buy into this, particularly because I am familiar with some of the psychological symbolism (the secret in the basement; the rising water) from my own dreams, so this resonates with me. This is not a film for those who want to understand everything (even though I'm never sure whether others could understand what I can't), rather for those curious about the experience to get into the head of a disturbed and confused character. We can interpret, but the help we get is limited.
The photography is particularly good, and I don't have complaints about the performance of the actors. The film suffers a bit from trying to keep the hope alive that it could be a thriller, but ultimately it captured me and gave me food for thought.