I almost didn't see this film in theatres. It's only gotten a limited release so far, and I saw it on one of the last days it was playing at the only theatre near me that has shown it. I wasn't expecting to like the film, and thought about not seeing it. But I'm glad I did. It's one of my favorite films that I've seen this year, and can be truly classified as an "experience".
I'm not sure if I should even try to summarize the film's plot. I read a brief summary before I saw the film, which was probably a good idea, since there is very little exposition or explanation as to what is going on. The film follows Scarlett Johansson, as an alien taking the form of a human, as she travels through Scotland sexually tempting men, presumably so they can be harvested for some reason or other. It doesn't get much more complex than that, which is fine, since plot is not the film's primary concern.
I didn't always know what was going on in the film, but didn't find that to be a problem. I was able to accept that everything I saw made sense within the world of the film. I've found that if (in movie or television) something is thrown in just for the sake of being strange or confusing, I will have a visceral reaction against it. If, on the other hand, I get the sense that the filmmakers know the purpose and meaning behind strange and confusing events, I can roll with it, even if I don't understand it. That's the sense I got here.
The film is riveting from beginning to end. It starts with a series of strange sounds and visuals. It takes a long time for everything to come into focus and for the audience to realize what they're seeing. The sense of curiosity this brought with it grabbed me the second the film started. The first several minutes of the film have no dialogue whatsoever, and the rest of the film uses it sparingly, but the visuals are so striking and provocative that there is never a dull moment.
It's also refreshing to see a film where the main character undergoes an emotional transformation, but it isn't spelled out for you. So much is left up to interpretation. You're not going to get scenes of Johansson's character explaining how she's feeling or what she wants. Instead, you just get to see the actions that she takes and infer from them what you will. The film trusts its audience to be smart.
I look forward to seeing this film again when it is released on DVD, or sooner if another theatre near me picks it up. I've seen a lot of good movies so far this year, but very few have stood out as so breathtakingly original and unique as this one.
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