angel74

I admit that I was attracted to the film mainly because of the lead actor. Dar Salim caught my eye in the Dicte series; he looks like Vin Diesel, but he is originally from Iraq. The real-life foundations of the story draw the viewer into the plot during the slower start, and then it's a wild ride from there. The pace intensifies, the atmosphere in the immigrant underworld is also decent, and the main hero doesn't exactly catch his breath on his journey for justice. After the scene in the intentionally crashed car, when suddenly it's not certain if he physically has what it takes to finish what he started, the plot escalates until the completely, once again, quite realistic end. Simply put, this action drama Danish-style about seeking revenge for the killing of a younger brother is truly worth watching.

The story of a relationship that started too beautifully to be lasting. Although the whole story is taken from a woman's perspective, I can't help but feel like I watched a theatrical performance by Vincent Cassel. How he managed the transformation from a charming and witty man into a manipulative egotist is breathtaking. I can't recall him playing a more positive role anywhere, even though here he is actually the one primarily responsible for the relationship breakdown and his partner's psychological instability. However, Emmanuelle Bercot doesn't lag behind in terms of acting either; her fits of hysteria literally send shivers down the spine. The film is further adorned with particularly brilliant dialogue. It is also interesting to observe Emmanuelle's alternating happy or euphoric states and her expressions of despondency or depression. At the end, there remains an unpleasant taste that reality often bears a striking resemblance to it. (85%)

Although I respect Jan Hřebejk as a director, this film really didn't work out for him. Probably his weakest film, and yet it's full of good actors. It's hard to wrap my head around it. The overall impression is awkwardness of giant proportions. However, it's important to realize that all this futile effort was preceded by Viewegh's poor screenplay.

The very good performances by the two leads and excellent cinematography kept my attention throughout the film. I don't know if it was the poor quality of the subtitles and their occasional absence, but it was quite difficult to navigate the actions of the main characters. Maybe it was also the slightly different mentality, which Venezuelans certainly have compared to us Europeans. The theme concerning the relationship between an older man, who certainly isn't lacking financially, and a young man, who is financially struggling, caught my attention. I am therefore inclined to give the film a weaker four stars.

I simply believed in those young punk girls, and that's quite important for such movies. A certain rebellion is part of puberty, but those three girls (almost looking like boys) really went all out, pushing the boundaries of what their surroundings could handle, and I was rooting for them. Punk’s not dead!