If you have seen this movie there is nothing that needs to be said about the acting or the cinematography, they're both near perfect. All four of the main characters shine as much as any of them have in their careers, especially Collin Farrell and Kelly Condon.
Many movies have great acting and cinematography, but what puts this movie over the top is the layers and expiration of each character. Colin Farrells characters journey dives into the feeling of losing a friend unwillingly, which is a horribly sad experience, as expressed by Farrell. Farrells character is left with no concrete answer as to why his friend left and this sends him down a spiral similar to the 7 stages of grief, but with a much more frustrating reality which is his old friend is perfectly fine and just decided to turn his back on him. Farrell perfectly shows us the sadness, confusion, and futile attempts to patch things up.
Gleasons character on the other hand shows the depressing thought of wasting one's life. Gleasons character, who broke his friendship off with Farrell character, initially comes off as an irrational, but as you peel back the layers the full picture starts to come together. Gleason deflects his sadness and anger towards himself to Farrell. This stems from his loneliness, and disappointment in his life to this point. This is clearly shown by Gleasons wonderful performance, who shows us a clearly talented and intelligent man who has likley lived his whole life on this island with no wife, just a dog. Gleasons character doesn't want to be responsible for the life he's made for himself, so he blames Farrell. In reality there was nothing stopping him from drinking with his buddy and writing music, or even saying let's not get drunk 7 days a week so i can make my music. On some level Gleason knows this so he makes up the rule about his fingers so he can have a real reason to blame Farrell. Gleason empathy after accidentally killing the goat shows the lack of hate in his heart, and finally the scene where he's waiting for his house to be on set on fire Gleasons lonely expression projects that he may let the fire take him too.
Keoghans character shows the completely depressing reality of mental health and suicide. His character seems to be Farrells side kick for the whole movie, as his story seems to fall into the peripheral. This is a perfect representation of how he felt. Farrell only hangs out with him because his actual friend left him, and mostly only talks to him about his old friend. Sense Keoghans demeanor was mostly positive, Farrell never gave his mental health a second thought, although many signs were there. Keoghan asking out Condons character was ultimately a last ditch effort to get his life back on track, and watching that scene a second time knowing this is so tragic. This is the best acted scene in the movie.
Condons character is what balances this movie perfectly. She is maybe the only character who isn't completely depressing, as she is always shown to have a level head and logical thinking, hope and kindness. She seems to be the only one to point out how unfair Gleason is being. Ultimately her intelligence gets her off the island as it seems no one else ever can. She is a testament to how sticking through tough times and staying level headed could make your situation better.
There are plenty more layers to this movie which makes it great on a 2nd 3rd and 4th rewatch and endlessly thought provoking. The fact that this is all done with just one relatively simple storyline is an absolute marvel of writing and acting. This movie is not for everyone as many won't be able to relate to a friend leaving you unannounced, a friend committing su*cide, or the feeling of your life passing before your eyes with nothing to show for it. For those who can't relate the movie is still visually stunning with a great story and some very darkly funny moments.
Sorry I called all the characters by their actors names as I haven't watched this movie in about 5 months. No matter how long it's been this always tends to pop in my head as an extremely concise, densely layered, beautiful movie.
Many movies have great acting and cinematography, but what puts this movie over the top is the layers and expiration of each character. Colin Farrells characters journey dives into the feeling of losing a friend unwillingly, which is a horribly sad experience, as expressed by Farrell. Farrells character is left with no concrete answer as to why his friend left and this sends him down a spiral similar to the 7 stages of grief, but with a much more frustrating reality which is his old friend is perfectly fine and just decided to turn his back on him. Farrell perfectly shows us the sadness, confusion, and futile attempts to patch things up.
Gleasons character on the other hand shows the depressing thought of wasting one's life. Gleasons character, who broke his friendship off with Farrell character, initially comes off as an irrational, but as you peel back the layers the full picture starts to come together. Gleason deflects his sadness and anger towards himself to Farrell. This stems from his loneliness, and disappointment in his life to this point. This is clearly shown by Gleasons wonderful performance, who shows us a clearly talented and intelligent man who has likley lived his whole life on this island with no wife, just a dog. Gleasons character doesn't want to be responsible for the life he's made for himself, so he blames Farrell. In reality there was nothing stopping him from drinking with his buddy and writing music, or even saying let's not get drunk 7 days a week so i can make my music. On some level Gleason knows this so he makes up the rule about his fingers so he can have a real reason to blame Farrell. Gleason empathy after accidentally killing the goat shows the lack of hate in his heart, and finally the scene where he's waiting for his house to be on set on fire Gleasons lonely expression projects that he may let the fire take him too.
Keoghans character shows the completely depressing reality of mental health and suicide. His character seems to be Farrells side kick for the whole movie, as his story seems to fall into the peripheral. This is a perfect representation of how he felt. Farrell only hangs out with him because his actual friend left him, and mostly only talks to him about his old friend. Sense Keoghans demeanor was mostly positive, Farrell never gave his mental health a second thought, although many signs were there. Keoghan asking out Condons character was ultimately a last ditch effort to get his life back on track, and watching that scene a second time knowing this is so tragic. This is the best acted scene in the movie.
Condons character is what balances this movie perfectly. She is maybe the only character who isn't completely depressing, as she is always shown to have a level head and logical thinking, hope and kindness. She seems to be the only one to point out how unfair Gleason is being. Ultimately her intelligence gets her off the island as it seems no one else ever can. She is a testament to how sticking through tough times and staying level headed could make your situation better.
There are plenty more layers to this movie which makes it great on a 2nd 3rd and 4th rewatch and endlessly thought provoking. The fact that this is all done with just one relatively simple storyline is an absolute marvel of writing and acting. This movie is not for everyone as many won't be able to relate to a friend leaving you unannounced, a friend committing su*cide, or the feeling of your life passing before your eyes with nothing to show for it. For those who can't relate the movie is still visually stunning with a great story and some very darkly funny moments.
Sorry I called all the characters by their actors names as I haven't watched this movie in about 5 months. No matter how long it's been this always tends to pop in my head as an extremely concise, densely layered, beautiful movie.