rating: 9.5/10
disclaimer: i'm trying to write down all my reviews after a long time. my memory of things might be shoddy but i'll try my best to capture what i initially felt about the pieces of media that i consumed in my review.
i am vaguely aware that this isn't exactly jesse eisenberg's directorial debut but he did a wonderful job with the screenplay and direction. i think this may be one of the first times til my now third year of being a so-called cinephile that i've seen such a clear bookend ending in a movie. i love the nuanced characterization of the people in this movie, who feel like actual humans. benji is such a complicated character and i hope he finds his happiness later in his life. the dinner scene at the restaurant was crazy. twas literally like dropping a bomb, like when a vase shatters in an otherwise quiet room. i want to hug benji so bad. i was also intrigued by the use of blues and reds in their costumes and how they swap by the end. i remember the chilly feeling i got when we stayed on the shots of the gas chamber. the camera captured the haunting quality of it very well. every award that this movie got was deserved. this deserves a rewatch.
