The other night I watched Neil LaBute's misanthropic Your Friends & Neighbors. I didn't realize it was LaBute, and was expecting a sort of indie romantic comedy. But Your Friends & Neighbors is dark and disturbing, looking into the relationships between unhappy and unpleasant people.Every relationship -- and there are numerous overlapping ones -- has a sour quality to it. Like each character has something nasty in their heart. There are two exceptions: Aaron Eckhart and Nastasya Kinski don't have the abrasive narcissism that the others do. Their personality flaws, their neediness and cluelessness, complement the biting cruelties of their friends and lovers.
Did I like this movie? I think I did. The characters' coldness, dissatisfaction, self-absorption, and bitterness was fascinating in a way. But I'm not sure exactly what LaBute was going for, what he wanted the audience to take away from it. So I was left kind of stunned.
2 comments:
The subject matter was too painful for me to see, but after reading your take, I think I will try to catch it...
The subject matter was too painful for me to see, but after reading your take, I think I will try to catch it...
Post a Comment