You Were Never Really Here

Parental Rating: R

Contains: Language    Nudity    Violence    Adult Content    

Jill's Review

Opens April 13, 2018

Runs 90 Minutes

Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) is a tormented soul. He has flashbacks from a traumatic childhood and from his service in the Gulf War. This put him on his current path - he tracks down missing girls and returns them to their families, often leaving bodies in his wake. This time he is asked to find the missing daughter of New York Senator Albert Votto (Alex Manette). Joe finds Nina (Ekaterina Samsonov) and prepares to take her home. Only, the tables are turned and Joe is facing something much more sinister than he had ever imagined. Will Joe be able to save Nina? 

The Husband and I saw the preview for this film. It looked like a thriller with a dark edge. And, Joaquin did win the Best Actor nod at Cannes for this film so it should be decent, right? Wrong. Joaquin appeared to be walking around in a trance for half of the film. He had flashbacks and hallucinations. It was difficult to really piece together what was happening. The characters mumbled and whispered. I guess it was supposed to be atmospheric and arty but it was just frustrating. The story was pretty straightforward once you figured out what was going on. But, it could have been so much better. And, the Husband kept saying...how can anyone walk around town with a bloody hammer and no one notice? After the film, most of the people seemed to feel the same way - frustrated and a little confused.  If you do go see it, make sure you pay attention to what the injured guy says when he is dying on Joaquin's kitchen floor. Otherwise, you will never know what is happening. Anyway, I would skip this one. It is purely for art film lovers, not the normal movie goer.

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