Scottish director Lynne Ramsay [We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)]'s newest film You Were Never Really Here is a directorial triumph, even though it does not really manage to take off. This does not take away from its brilliance however and that is why it got the award for best screenplay (in a tie with Yorgos Lanthimos for The Killing of A Sacred Deer) as well as Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix at this year's Cannes Festival.
And speaking of Phoenix, what a marvelous actor he is! By not speaking, at least for most of the film, he manages to keep our attention drawn and our eyes stuck to the screen. He does not need to say much, eitherway; the camera follows him everywhere and his exceptionally clever mannerisms and extremely expressive eyes are what move the plot forward. His co-star is a small girl, Nina, (Ekaterina Samsonov), who does not speak much either, yet we can understand the overwhelming feelings she must be experiencing just by looking at her eyes.
And speaking of Phoenix, what a marvelous actor he is! By not speaking, at least for most of the film, he manages to keep our attention drawn and our eyes stuck to the screen. He does not need to say much, eitherway; the camera follows him everywhere and his exceptionally clever mannerisms and extremely expressive eyes are what move the plot forward. His co-star is a small girl, Nina, (Ekaterina Samsonov), who does not speak much either, yet we can understand the overwhelming feelings she must be experiencing just by looking at her eyes.
You Were Never Really Here is a combination of Taxi Driver (1976) and Drive (2011); it has a plot similar to the first and is set very much like the latter - with long calm shots and minimalistic scenography. Our protagonist is a silent traumatised hitman named Joe, who is hired to find a senator's daugher who has gone missing. As he tries to rescue her from a pedophiles' hotel in the middle of New York, he is unexpectedly found in the centre of much bigger plots and schemings.
But that's where I felt like something was missing. Despite its common subject, the movie offered us the thrill of wanting to know what would happen next; it even made us care for the characters by using simple means of quick flashbacks and small everyday scenes. However, it felt like it ended sooner than expected and I surely wanted to watch a little bit more. Not because the story did not come to an end, but because I would prefer it if the majestic direction and excellent editing and cinematography would serve a much greater narrative.
It is quite clear, though, that Ramsay has total control of what she wants to show us with You Were Never Really Here. This is not your typical straight-forward Americanised conspiracy thriller. It is an eerie dive in the protagonist's almost incomprehensible nightmarish fears which he tries to confront while he strives to rescue another innocent soul from destruction. For some viewers that is satisfactory in itself; if only it could be more fulfilling by the end.
It is quite clear, though, that Ramsay has total control of what she wants to show us with You Were Never Really Here. This is not your typical straight-forward Americanised conspiracy thriller. It is an eerie dive in the protagonist's almost incomprehensible nightmarish fears which he tries to confront while he strives to rescue another innocent soul from destruction. For some viewers that is satisfactory in itself; if only it could be more fulfilling by the end.
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