- S: The film and relationship are quite sensible other than the two splitting up on the trip. The whole scene with Lee visiting the botanist in the greenhouse feels out of place and
redundant.
- C: The film is beautiful. Sets and lighting give the whole film a dream-like quality which really adds to the experience. The costuming and makeup are also quite good, especially in the jungle scenes.
Only negative is that the beginning editing is so choppy that it is distracting. The quick cuts and constant camera angle shifting take away from the acting and ability to focus on the activities in the various
bars and apartments. Fortunately, this issue fades and, perhaps, makes the long drawn out shots more rewarding.
- E: The back half of the film hums with life. The film lulls when Lee and Eugene split up on the trip, a scene which is confusing and adds little. It also takes a while to get started, with a long-drawn out
exposition which does too little explaining.
- N: The beginning of the story is pretty weak, since it is quite literally just drinking. They also hide the drug addiction of the main character a bit too long I think. This
long pause at the beginning though picks up and blooms like a flower after a long winter. The back half of the film is just the right blend of artistic metaphor and purposeful narrative.
- T: The film received three bonus points: one for the Ayahuasca trip scenes, one for the great ouroboros scene, and one for the great blend of art and narrative in the ending which is so hard to come by.
Film started slow and then built up to a rocket launch. The entire third chapter is an elaborate metaphor that is beautiful and artistic but not so artsy that it becomes pretentious or indecipherable.
Movie should be first a story and then a work of artistic expression, and this film does that quite well.
Number of Watches: 1
