Customer Reviews

Restless (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Some people say this is similar to " a walk to remember". But it is not!!! Totally different. The beauty of this leading couple and the quality of this film are super higher than " a walk to remember".
And the story is different basically.
If you like a small movie like " Before sunrise" or " Once", you should watch this.

`Restless' is one of those movies that starts off really awkward. It doesn't really `begin' as much as it just `starts'. It just kind of drops you in the laps of the protagonists and leaves you wondering what kind of odd, strange, bizarre film you've got yourself into watching for at least ten minutes. Then, somewhat magically, it all starts to separate and clear and next thing you know you're watching something with a unique charm and visual personality.

This is far from perfect, but there is an air on imperfection in nearly all of Gus's work.

`Restless' tells the story of a young girl dying of cancer who falls in love with a young boy who's suffering with the loss of his parents. He is coping by conversing with the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot and he's horribly socially awkward, but they are kindred spirits in that they are calmly walking towards death while the rest of the world around them tries to emote something over everything. As they come to terms with the fast approaching death, they fall farther in love and begin to heal in many ways.

The initial plot is somewhat hokey and regurgitated of a lot of teen sob romance stories. It sounds a little Nicolas Sparks, but it has a deadpan charm that is achieved from Gus's directorial choices. Mia Wasikowska is such a fresh find, and her performance here is delightful and honest and very moving when needed. Henry Hopper is less successful (he comes across almost high in a lot of scenes and fails to deliver when necessary). He actually lets the weaknesses in the script (that breakdown with the doctor in particular) get the better of his performance. He can't rise above. I find it sad that the script is a tad shallow in that it never really `goes there' even though it hints a lot to attempting to. The inclusion of the ghost was a nice touch, and it truly added a depth that could have been explored but at least made an impact, but in the end this film feels too light for its own good.

In the end, I'd recommend it, but not for all. If you are a devotee in the Nicolas Sparks era of teen romance films then steer clear, because the flat lined emotions will irritate you, but if you want to see a different take on that overplayed genre then try Gus's take.

Gus has always had a way with making the melodramatic feel oddly cold.

THIS REVIEW INCLUDES MINOR SPOILORS

"Restless," Gus Van Sant's follow-up to a bio-pic "Milk," is a quirky film, to say the least. It is a love romance, but not exactly about love itself. Death plays a more significant role in the story, but its presence here is like a metaphor. The film has some touching moments (with Mia Wasikowska's nuanced acting as the heroine), but its drama is more sensitive (if not sentimental) than emotional. The plotline itself is a very familiar one, but not without some unconventional ideas, like a Japanese ghost appears, who just doesn't look like one (he can speak to the hero Enoch and even hit him in the face).

Meet Enoch Brae (Henry Hopper, son of Dennis Hopper), a death-obsessed boy in black who is often seen attending complete stranger's funerals. At one of these funerals he meets a teenage girl named Annabel Cotton (Mia Wasikowska, "Alice in Wonderland"), who is diagnosed as terminally ill with cancer.

In the meanwhile, because of a near-death experience, Enoch can see a "ghost" of a Japanese kamikaze pilot Hiroshi Takahashi (Ryo Kase, "Letters from Iwo Jima") who died during the WWII. Enoch and Hiroshi are like friends, playing the game Battleship, but Hiroshi has something to say to Enoch, who seems to refuse facing the fact that Annabel is going away.

In Gus Van Sant's newest film time is apparently set in today's America, but if I remember correctly, there is no cellphone or internet. With its timeless theme such as life and death, the film is clearly trying to be thought-provoking as well as romantic. It almost succeeds thanks to Mia Wasikowska's effective performance as Annabel who quietly accepts her fate, but the rest of the film does not allow us to know much about other characters and their minds.

Supporting players include Schuyler Fisk as Annabel's sister, and Jane Adams as Enoch's aunt. The film's producers include Brian Grazer, Bryce Dallas Howard and Ron Howard. The script is penned by Jason Lew (his debut as a writer). The original music is by Danny Elfman. The atmospheric photography is by Harris Savides ("Milk" "Zodiac").

Perhaps the greatest thing about "Restless" is Mia Wasikowska's sensitive performance as Annabel. The film's whimsical narrative is appealing to some with nice soundtrack music, but whether or not you find it charming or boring depends on your taste.

Having lost my husband in a plane crash years ago, I am always intrigued with such explorations of loss and spirituality. I found the film to be quite lovely. In the very beginning it had a "Harold and Maude" feel, but as it blossomed it grew to be so much more. I was really moved.

Gus Van Sant has seen his share of success over the years, but every once in a while, as with most all directors, he misfires. Such was the case with his latest film, Restless, a tale of unlikely teen romance that quietly breezed through theaters back in September. Based on a play by the film's screenwriter, Jason Lew, Restless continues the tradition of twee indie romances, complete with quirky affectations and random plot elements. Mia Wasikowska is Annabel Cotton, a terminal cancer patient with a fascination for nature and Charles Darwin. Henry Hopper plays Annabel's love interest, Enoch, who's lost his parents in a car accident and entertains visits from the ghost of a Kamikaze pilot named Hiroshi. Together, Annabel and Enoch learn to cope with the hands they've been dealt, all the while with Annabel's imminent passing looming over their heads. Unfortunately, Waskikowska's performance was about the only thing I found to like about the film, so unless alternately cutesy and melancholy love stories are your thing, you won't get much out of Restless.

I hate giving any movie by Gus Van Sant a bad review, because he is one of the VERY few Americans who is capable of making truly great movies. (I even loved Last Days.) But - unfortunately for movie lovers - he has bills to pay, and his best movies are never blockbusters. So sometimes, just for the money, he takes on crap that is beyond even his ability to turn into a watchable movie.

The two stars of this one - and the tiresome screenplay - are just too irritating to watch. I wanted to punch Henry Hopper in the nose every time the camera looked his way, and when Mia Wasikowska launched into her moronic, nasal paean to Charles Darwin I felt like puking. It amazes me that the genius who made Mala Noche and Elephant - and the lovely bit in Paris, Je T'Aime with Gaspard Ulliel - wasted his time on this turkey.