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A bleak depiction of eight years of captivity. Every aspect of this movie feels extremely authentic. Scenes are neither prettified nor made intentionally scary. The use of music and cuts to enhance the experience are very sparse. And what's more, the movie never takes you by the hand. It doesn't explain what is going on in the Natasha's mind, or the kidnapper's mind. You just have to be smart enough to figure it out yourself.
Does that make it a good movie? Different people will give different answers. As far as I'm concerned, it does. I value authenticity quite a lot, and I appreciate the simplicity of the adaptation.
I also find it quite easy to understand what's going on inside of the kidnapper's head. I get how he thinks, and why he does what he does. He wants someone below him, someone who will obey him unconditionally. He wants her to be pure, and innocent, and to look up to him. Watch his habits and his relationship with his parents, and you may understand why. Does it work out? Of course not. In between pretending to like him (and to be happy), there are numerous times when she reveals how she really feels. He deals with this by being mad for a while, and then starting over. Because what else would he do? Admitting that she'll never like him is not an option.
Based on the character from the movie (which I take it may not be faithful on this particular issue, since real Natasha didn't want to talk about it), he probably did not intend to ever have sex with her when he abducted her. Rape does not fit into the picture. However, a few years in, he is a single guy and she is an attractive woman who is completely under his control, and he has done terrible things -anyway-. The opportunity is basically free for him, so eventually he gets weak and takes this. This too makes perfect sense, in fact it is the most plausible outcome.
I watched the movie not knowing that it was based on a real story, and came out appreciating the style a lot. Knowing it now, the value of its authenticity is higher still. It is an extraordinarily pure piece of art.
score 8/10
silverspawnx 23 October 2019
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5208714/ |
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22-3-2021 04:09:09