Bliss

The review title contains the two films that blew my mind as much as this one did.

This film explores and exploits the idea of the unreliable narrator to the maximum. It poses questions, answers them, but then takes away the answers.

It keeps the two far sides of the possibility so precisely balanced and strong, that you could tie a string in-between, and the tension would be literally palpable. The tension that keeps guessing and wondering the entire film, until the Very Last Second.

It is incredibly dystopian but also utopian at the same time, and you can't help but feel for the unluckiest guy in the world, who might know the absolute truth.

Whatever impression the trailers or your film guide have given you - this movie is not a Sci-Fi movie - its a simple story about how a man can simply drop out of society because of things happening outside his control, and the challenges faced by homeless addicts with with mental health issues, top acting and a decent story and far better than a lot of the dross that has been unleashed on a disappointed public during the pandemic.

Those who marketed this movie made a huge mistake. They gave a high expectation of a Syfy type movie. I watched this movie with exactly that in mind and it left me lost and confused. I really believe it's because of the lasting impression the marketing left on me.

It took me just about past the midway point of the movie I started to realize it wasn't about Syfy at all. It's about drug addiction, the mentally disabled, and homelessness. The moment I recognized this, I had a better impression of the movie. Having a career in LE in a city I experienced many with those difficulties. It's easy to criticize the homeless or dismiss them, but if you had a better understanding of the issues they're having mentally your feelings would change. And I think this movie did a good job putting the viewer inside the mind of an addict/mentally ill person. I only wish those in charge of the marketing would have done a better job.

With having a better understanding of the movie, the actors did a great job.

This film has so many interesting ideas but i found that it doesn't really follow all of them though.

I'm pretty confused at the low score and how badly it is being panned by critics.

I thought the acting was pretty good and i was really interested in these characters. Which is where i think some of the issue are found.

I think this film needed to take a step back from the sci-fi elements. They are very sparse but are there enough to hinder the true storyline. If i am being honest i think the whole 2nd act needed retooling. It was like a brick wall that the movie just slammed into. And then it just sort of slogged along. Once again i thought 'oh this is interesting' but then it just like stalled and i sat around thinking what is this movie now. It kind of gets its momentum back in the 3rd act but i think the 1st is where this movie shines.

This movie is also great at visual storytelling. The production design, costuming and make up all work so well. It allows you to understand what the film is trying to say before the film explicitly tells you and i though that was really good.

I honestly think this movie could have been great but it just got its self bogged down with the sci-fi part and trying to trick? the audience.

I think it held its cards too close to its chest but i think the twist is blatantly clear from literally the first scene. This isn't a bad thing at all. I think it would have been better letting us view this world though the lens of us knowing twist from the beginning. I think that would have been a much more interesting and very eye opening character and subject study.

This film is marketed as a sci-fi, altered reality adventure. It isn't. "Bliss" is a drug-induced hallucination from the perspective of a man who has lost touch with reality and fallen in love with an enabler. This is his struggle to regain his sobriety and reconnect with his estranged daughter. The film is a bit messy and the acting is simply passable... However, it is fresh and inventive, and it moves along swiftly.