The Long Take

Wow! Absolutely astonishing! This is the perfect way to start the reviews section of this website because this film consists mainly of long takes. The detail and subtlety of the actors’ performances will blow your mind. I could not stop staring at the screen. For the first time in perhaps years I was literally glued to the screen. Every nuance and moment of tension was perfectly captured and the silence is deafening at times.

I’ve searched for this film for a while and thought I’d given up until I came across it yesterday in a local video store (Rondebosch Café). I figured I might as well pick it up since it nabbed the Palm d’Or at Cannes 2007. I was enraptured by this film. Visually it was so moving. This is what cinema is about!  The cinematography is intuitive in the way the camera is constantly changing position yet manages to frame scenes in beautiful compositions. It looked like a cross between Haneke and Kiarostami. The real power comes from how emotion is sustained by the long takes. The viewer is not allowed to leave the situation; one feels as trapped as the characters. What is even more impressive is how busy some of the shots are both in terms of action and set design. The images are rich and voluptuous yet refrain from being too sentimental, not begging for sympathy but building a relationship to the characters.

By the end of the film you are so hooked on the characters and their situation that every beat of action sucks you in. It is one of the best character films I have seen in a long time. If you enjoy long takes and intense, nuanced performances then this film will blow you away. By far one the most breathtaking cinematic experience I have seen this year.  Your eyes will bleed!