What happened with this movie, happens so often, where authors/screenwriters try to write a main character who is an aspiring writer (same for aspiring musician)... and they make everything so pretentious, the writing, the characters, the storyline. This movie did it so much that when you actually peel back the "poetic" dialogue, you realize that the characters aren't even really saying anything at all, and are wasting beautiful words or phrases on truly meaningless statements.
"Chaos has rules."
"I am the king, prove to me your worth."
None of this had any significance because the plot was entirely lacking.
And just to add, I love prose. I love fluffy, flowery writing. So, it's not because I don't like this type of style that I am being so critical. It's because I love it so much, that I am.
It always is my favorite part when there's something substantial happening in the plot, and a character says something that just defines the moment, the story, or themselves. And it's even more perfect, when what's said is clever or witty or poetic. For example, "And in that moment, I swear we were infinite," from The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
This movie tried so hard to create those moments, to be the next great indie thing, but what was the story really telling us? What character development did Daniel go through from the beginning to the end? What underlying message did us viewers take away that may be familiar in it's understanding but unique in how it was told?
I am left wondering.
It's unfortunate too, because I do think the actors all played their roles well. Even more so, I think there were a lot of wonderful cinematic shots that helped create this indie LA aesthetic. But, the dialogue, the story, the unanswered questions about nearly everything that happened - ruined what could have made this a pretty good film.