The Lobster (2015)

The Lobster takes a story that has been told a million times and puts an outlandish twist to it to tell some cold truths to its audience. It is set in the near future but that aspect is only there to give the sense that the subjects can not exist in the present but could twenty years from now.

The introduction scene sets up the strangeness that is to come with a shocking scene that automatically locks in the attention of the viewer. David, the main character, is a man whose only company is a dog. He speaks in a mechanical reluctant tone as if he himself questions every sentence he says. David gets sent to The Hotel, a place in which single people get turned into animals of they do not find a partner within their forty-five day stay. The strange prospect of the film is what keeps the viewers attention; you want an explanation but you will not find one unless you think a layer above the literal events that happen. The settings of the film are very claustrophobic, only what is needed is shown and what is shown is intentional.   

The Revenant (2015)

Releasing The Revenant in theaters at the end of 2015 redeemed that whole year in the movie world. That film was a breath of fresh air after dozens of cash-grab flicks. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Glass, a living father who wants nothing more than the well-being of his family in the midst of the violent conflicts between the whites and the Native Americans with which he connects. Tom Hardy plays a hateful Fitch, a man who cares about no one but himself. Although Fitch causes a lot of damage to Glass, he is not the main character that he has to overcome -  nature is.

From the close-ups to the wide aerial shots, every frame of the film is stunningly captivating. The story combined with the beautiful imagery makes for an immersive and thrilling experience. You feel the chilling cold that Glass feels and you feel his fear when he hides from enemies. It will make you think twice about going hiking or camping in the woods. This movie is sure to become a classic man-vs-wild one.

The Kite Runner (2007)

The Kite Runner is an adaptation of Khaled Houseinni´s novel of the same name about an Afghan man haunted by his past. The film begins with a young Amir in Afghanistan at what would be the peak of his friendship with Hassan, his best friend. Amir betrays Hassanś trust by not defending him from a traumatizing experience.

The exposition of the movie felt more complicated than the rest of it as if the director got lazy after the first third of the story. The exuberant filmography and the solid character development was mostly replaced with fast paced dialogue. The child actor playing Amir had more emotional range in his performance than his adult counterpart; in fact most of the acting felt mechanical after the exposition of the plot.

This movie is watchable but it is in now way close to a masterpiece. It’s a nice flick to watch when you feel like watching a movie with a risky PG-13 rating.