This isn’t an easy movie to watch. I’m still not sure I completely “got” the movie, but then again, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to see it at a late hour after I had just spent the second half of my day watching other movies. I definitely want to watch it again because this isn’t a straightforward movie – it really makes you think. In fact, I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I saw it.
To me personally, this was a movie about death and our relationship with it. Human beings naturally fear and dread death, and so we try our best to fight our own mortality, either by having children, by trying to leave a mark in this world, something to be remembered for, or by looking incessantly for a “cure” to aging, decay and ultimately, death. It’s also a very emotional love story, but even in this it is driven by the search for eternal life – and the realization that immortality isn’t what most think it would be.
The movie has a predominance of golden/dark tones which I found really beautiful. I was particularly struck by the scenes at a hospital which were unlike any I’ve seen. Some people might argue that it’s not very realistic, but then again, extreme realism isn’t the point, and it succeeded in creating a very fitting mood and atmosphere to the story. The way it was shot and edited was also very effective and beautiful, and managed to bring together the three timelines present in the movie.
The actors alone make this movie worth watching. I’ve always loved both Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman as actors and they are simply fantastic in this movie.
In short, don’t watch this movie if you’re looking for something simple to watch or an easy plot to follow. This is a very unique and thought-provoking film which I’m pretty sure won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it’s well worth watching simply for the experience.