And poignant. beautiful setting, well filmed, great acting. and there are no loose ends; it all comes together during the conclusion. loved the rich setting, sweeping epic music and cinematography. moved along at a good pace -- not too rushed, not too slow. held my attention; love that the actors were fully 100% committed to this project -- artistic justice.
SPOILERS -- one event haunts each family member in differing ways and causes them to relocate, change their identity and live isolated one from another. yet as they suffer in their own pain they are still compassionate toward each other and relatable to the audience. you care about them. they're human and as such imperfectly so.
they've experienced pain, suffering and public humiliation. in this house they are offered ways to face this, to transmute their victimhood and reclaim their lives through two vehicles: 1) the paintings on the wall and 2) an interloper who seems to understand more about their private hells and is more effective intervening to help Grace --- by protecting her in one scene and literally saving her life in another --- than even her own parents.
in the end each character will decide how/if they will confront their suffering, rise above it or be broken by it, and move on from it or be paralyzed by it. the last scene shows them living out the decisions each has made: coexisting side-by-side yet in very different realities.
the film defies categorizing and i think the title might attract a viewer looking for something different. but it's a lovely delivery of realism with a sprinkling of magic and wonder. and so well done.
8/10
SPOILERS -- one event haunts each family member in differing ways and causes them to relocate, change their identity and live isolated one from another. yet as they suffer in their own pain they are still compassionate toward each other and relatable to the audience. you care about them. they're human and as such imperfectly so.
they've experienced pain, suffering and public humiliation. in this house they are offered ways to face this, to transmute their victimhood and reclaim their lives through two vehicles: 1) the paintings on the wall and 2) an interloper who seems to understand more about their private hells and is more effective intervening to help Grace --- by protecting her in one scene and literally saving her life in another --- than even her own parents.
in the end each character will decide how/if they will confront their suffering, rise above it or be broken by it, and move on from it or be paralyzed by it. the last scene shows them living out the decisions each has made: coexisting side-by-side yet in very different realities.
the film defies categorizing and i think the title might attract a viewer looking for something different. but it's a lovely delivery of realism with a sprinkling of magic and wonder. and so well done.
8/10