So I just saw Nightcrawler. Probably one of my favorite films of the year. I went into the film knowing very little about it. All I heard was it was getting really positive buzz about Jake Gyllenhaals performance. So I went in with no expectations and got what was quite possibly the most twisted film Ive seen this year outside of Enemy (coincidentally also starring Gyllenhaal). Its all about the world of nightcrawling video journalists in the urban sprawl of LA. Gyllenhaal plays Lou, a nightcrawler who video tapes all the horrific crimes and accidents in LA and then sells the footage to the local news station. Lou is an intriguing character. Not really likeable but intriguing. Theres something not quite right about him at the start, but by the end he is a full blown sociopath. The film is ultimately about how society has become desensitized to violence and crime. Lou is a personification of that sociopathic mentality. The world is completely uncaring of people with the exception of one or two people throughout the film. Best thing I can compare this film to is David Cronenbergs Videodrome. Not necessarily in terms of visual but in terms of the thematic elements and ultimate goal of the film. We perceive far too much of our world through video screens. Seeing dead bodies on a screen turns those people into nothing more than graphic entertainment for the masses. This is even presented blatantly when one of Lous rivals crashes his van and Lou films him being put into the ambulance totally covered in blood. I dont really have many complaints about this film. Maybe it ran a little long towards the end but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it. I dont know if I liked it as much as Blue Ruin, but its definitely in my top five for the year. Go see it as soon as you can.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 01:52:56 +0000
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