You Were Never Really Here - Come for Joaquin Phoenix, stay for Lynne Ramsay
Director Lynne Ramsay lets her photography background shine in this gritty thriller.
For anyone who has seen Lynne Ramsay’s 2011 film, We Need to Talk About Kevin, the Scottish director’s 2017 feature starring Joaquin Phoenix will be familiar territory. While the films were released six years apart, the two share many characteristics such as a dark subject matter, non-linear narrative, and Ramsay’s beautiful cinematography. As a former photographer, Ramsay has a brilliant ability to frame the most mundane objects (like jelly beans) into a still so beautiful that you could hang it on your wall. I would argue that in this respect Lynne Ramsay should be hailed as a modern auteur alongside her fellow contemporaries such as Wes Anderson and Dennis Villeneuve.
It must be said that one of the main reasons to see this film is to watch Joaquin Phoenix give a performance which doubles as an acting masterclass. Every mumbled word or solitary tear all give his character, Joe, depth which is often missing to many action heroes. The character is a former marine who uses his combat skills and desensitisation to violence to rescue young girls who have been kidnapped by sex traffickers. Despite Joe’s brutality and clear emotional problems he is arguably one of the most heroic characters in film of the past decade. Phoenix, who has expressed a gravitation towards troubled characters, shines with the intensity of the role.
In many ways the plot of the film could be seen as a retelling of Taken. A jaded, former marine, trying to save a young girl from being sold into sex slavery. However, don’t go into this film expecting action. The plot is meandering at times and the disjointed narrative, consisting of part flashbacks and part fantasy, may be confusing to some viewers. Despite this the film in high intensity. Ramsay does not hold back from violence and her liberal use of fake blood would make even Quentin Tarantino wince. However, the brutality is never exploitative. The film is gritty and handles the touchy subject with the gravitas it deserves. I’m a big fan of Lynne Ramsay and I believe she should receive more acknowledgment as a director. With You Were Never Really Here, she manages to tell a story which has been done to death from a new perspective. “Every story that can be told has been told, but it hasn’t been told by you.” Ramsay breathes new life into the thriller genre and manages to bring much refinement too.
If you want to give You Were Never Really Here a watch I’d recommend going in with an open mind. It’s okay to feel lost at times and, rather frustratingly for some people, the film is open to many interpretations. Whether it be Phoenix’s charismatic performance or Ramsay’s beautiful visuals there are many reasons to add the film to your watchlist and, as long as you don’t mind a slower paced take on the typical action film, you’re in for a cinematic delight.
For anyone who has seen Lynne Ramsay’s 2011 film, We Need to Talk About Kevin, the Scottish director’s 2017 feature starring Joaquin Phoenix will be familiar territory. While the films were released six years apart, the two share many characteristics such as a dark subject matter, non-linear narrative, and Ramsay’s beautiful cinematography. As a former photographer, Ramsay has a brilliant ability to frame the most mundane objects (like jelly beans) into a still so beautiful that you could hang it on your wall. I would argue that in this respect Lynne Ramsay should be hailed as a modern auteur alongside her fellow contemporaries such as Wes Anderson and Dennis Villeneuve.
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| Joe and Nina (Joaquin Phoenix and Ekaterina Samsonov) |
In many ways the plot of the film could be seen as a retelling of Taken. A jaded, former marine, trying to save a young girl from being sold into sex slavery. However, don’t go into this film expecting action. The plot is meandering at times and the disjointed narrative, consisting of part flashbacks and part fantasy, may be confusing to some viewers. Despite this the film in high intensity. Ramsay does not hold back from violence and her liberal use of fake blood would make even Quentin Tarantino wince. However, the brutality is never exploitative. The film is gritty and handles the touchy subject with the gravitas it deserves. I’m a big fan of Lynne Ramsay and I believe she should receive more acknowledgment as a director. With You Were Never Really Here, she manages to tell a story which has been done to death from a new perspective. “Every story that can be told has been told, but it hasn’t been told by you.” Ramsay breathes new life into the thriller genre and manages to bring much refinement too.
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| Phoenix’s acting talent is undeniable. |
If you want to give You Were Never Really Here a watch I’d recommend going in with an open mind. It’s okay to feel lost at times and, rather frustratingly for some people, the film is open to many interpretations. Whether it be Phoenix’s charismatic performance or Ramsay’s beautiful visuals there are many reasons to add the film to your watchlist and, as long as you don’t mind a slower paced take on the typical action film, you’re in for a cinematic delight.
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