Rosy

I hate to be one of those "the book was better" people. But I started watching this on Hulu not knowing what it was. But two minutes into in I pulled the book "the collector" by John Fowles off my book shelf and told my partner of 15 years this movie is that book. I couldn't get over that they slightly altered the plot (girls story line) and the ending.. in the book she doesn't get the doctor when she needs it. But every other little things Is the same. Which wouldn't bother me if the movie was called "the collector" or if they gave John towels credit in the titles. But they don't. And it's disturbing to close for them not to give credit. Especially when the book was better.

Well, this film has a lot going for it...and a lot going against it. In the plus category, the cast is excellent. Nat Wolff and Tony Shaloub (especially) are experienced and talented actors with impressive resumes. Stacy Martin, though a relative newcomer, is perhaps better than both in this film. And Johnny Knoxville is pitch-perfect in a small role. The direction is also solid.

So what's wrong? Mainly--as is common in near-misses--the actors are let down by the plot. While all kinds of bizarre circumstances and events do occur in real life, the story seems to become more and more contrived as the movie progresses. You're left wondering how this story is going to play out. Is this a love story involving two very damaged people? Or the horror story that the events of the plot (i.e. A kidnapping) should suggest. For a while, it could go either way. And the feeling that the film is toying with the audience detracts from the emotion resonance of the film. Ultimately, that's the problem.

The movie is interesting from the perspective of clinical psychology. We learn enough about the two main characters to know that their backgrounds are full of red flags. (Especially Wolff's character, Doug.) Neither had a healthy relationship with his or her parents--to say the least. In Rosy, that led to a series of unfulfilling and unhealthy sexual relationships and general aimlessness; in Doug, it led to...well...kidnapping Rosy. (And worse.) Students of psychology will see a case study in various aspects of Narcissism and psychopathy, and the relationships that characterize such people. It's sad; it's disastrous--but we all know that these things cannot possibly end well. So in that way, the movie is true to reality. But from a viewer's perspective, it would be more comfortable if there were some kind of redemption, or--on the other hand--if the film didn't trick us for so long into thinking redemption might be possible. Like Rosy, we end up feeling like we need a shower.

But the interactions between Wolff and Martin work on some level for much of the film, which is a testament to their talent, and to the direction. Martin is also gorgeous, of course; but she also has an emotional warmth and range, generally, that keeps her from being a prop. (Far from it. She's the gravitational center of the movie.) I look forward to seeing what she does in The Serpent, and in future films. It's just a shame this script wasn't just a tad bit better. Or maybe just that humanity has such a dark and irredeemable side.

Where can I begin. First off. The director did a lot with the little bit that she had at hand. She took relatively new actors like Johnny Knoxville and made them look like pros. Of course she could not have done it without their cooperation and effort so kudos to all involved. Second. The story is unique and believable at the same time. I do think the writing flowed well for the first 75% of the movie. I don't know if it was just my perception of it or if others would have the same experience, but it seemed like the writing took a turn down an ambiguous path and had me scratching my head. I felt like the flashbacks could have made more relative sense sooner in the movie. All in all this is a movie worth watching if you enjoy a unique story with good acting and direction. Make what you like of it and its ending. Whether you agree with the ending or not it was still a good story that you can get distracted from your everyday life by.

Really good watch, could watch again, and can recommend.

This had the immediate potential to be great and they immediately down played it as something that happened instead of the proper plot of the story.

This is all jumbled up "Pulp Fiction" style, but without big celebrities to make the parts seem more important. The (traditional) 1st act of the story is cut up and dispersed throughout the movie as if to slowly justify how she was put in this position in the first place which causes a very drawn out 2nd act of dealing with the situation, and what feels like a very rushed 3rd act of resolution.

Thinking back on it, I don't even remember how it ended.....hold on...*rewatch ending*, oh yeah, I just didn't remember that as the end of the movie, probably because they cut back to a different scene afterward.

I understand that they wanted to do something different, but they took a great concept and a really good execution and reduced to Really Good at best, and I'm sure there are people that don't care about the psychology of the characters or enough about writing to appreciate what the movie actually shows, but I think if you have an open mind, there is plenty to like about this one.

But the acting by Stacy Martin and Tony Shalhoub brought me up to a five. The editing with all the flash backs didn't help the plot and the script was horrible.