Rating: 3/5
I loved it when it was The Leftovers. It still had me when it became Barbarian. I was fine with the third act, but I felt the shimmer waning when I walked out.
If you’ve seen movies, this one tells you its deal almost immediately, so it’s less a matter of what is happening and more why. The strength of the movie lies in its characters, whom the movie gives most of its runtime to developing. Whether it matters in the end is up to the individual.
If it didn’t feel the need to dot every I and cross every T — you know, let the mystery be — I might have enjoyed it more. If you’ve seen Longlegs, my complaints are relatively similar.
** Stray Thoughts **
- Great use of smash cuts.
- Super gross gore, if you’re into that sort of thing. It rivals Ari Aster in fixation on head trauma.
- Better use of Julie Garner than Wolfman.