"Embers" Has a Great Premise but Sluggish Delivery
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| Embers (2015) |
Taking place in a post apocalyptic world in which a disease which makes creating and maintaining memories impossible, Embers offers a glimpse into the lives of several different people who have their own ways of grappling with the harsh world in which they have no way of knowing who the people around them are. Interspersed between these glimpses into the lives of those too poor to afford a way to escape the disease, we are offered a look at the empty life of a young woman who lives in a shelter with her father, untouched by the disease but horribly bored with nothing to do but test her memory time and time again. With its fascinating premise, beautiful and meticulous camera shots, and slow atmospheric soundtrack, I really wanted to like Embers.
Unfortunately, Embers failed to hold my attention throughout the course of the film, as it wavered awkwardly from scenario to scenario and fell into the trap of repetition as married couples forget one another and give each other whatever names they feel suit the other person best, or as people are brutally beaten and sexually assaulted only to forget about the whole ordeal a few minutes later. The film also failed to set up rules for the disease which made it increasingly confusing to watch. In some instances it was implied that sleep was what caused the loss of memory, because people find themselves scared to fall asleep with their loved ones when they know they will wake up with no idea who is beside them, but in other sequences it seems as though the memory can just reset without warning within a matter of minutes. So, in essence, the film has instances where it dissolves into simply watching confused people wander about with no idea of who they are, where they are, or what they are going to do next.
The film's lack of direction succeeds in giving it the sort of hopeless feeling I'm sure the director longed to create, but it also creates a sense of hopelessness so intense in the audience that it can feel as though there's no point in carrying on watching. While the ambiguity of relationships between the characters is important to maintain for their sake it would perhaps be fortunate if there was some way to inform the audience of how these characters came into each other's lives, such as the mute little boy who clings to the side of a man who seems as though he may be his father. Ambiguity is important, but the film leaves too much to the imagination and instead has the audience sitting in a constant state of melancholy confusion which, again, I realize is the intent of the film as a whole but does not make for an interesting enough viewing experience.
Other films which work hard to maintain a sort of melancholic atmosphere such as Melancholia by Lars Von Trier are able to make up for the lack of things happening in the actual plot with use of extremely stylized sequences and beautiful music to pass the time. Unfortunately, Embers offers neither of those things and instead carries on with its sluggish and sometimes dull pace as actors stumble through dialogue that sounds more like it is being spoken in a stage play than in a post apocalyptic wasteland.
I tried to like Embers, but it simply didn't grab hold of me. However, you may feel differently, and if you feel so compelled to see it for yourself it is currently available to view on Netflix.
Unfortunately, Embers failed to hold my attention throughout the course of the film, as it wavered awkwardly from scenario to scenario and fell into the trap of repetition as married couples forget one another and give each other whatever names they feel suit the other person best, or as people are brutally beaten and sexually assaulted only to forget about the whole ordeal a few minutes later. The film also failed to set up rules for the disease which made it increasingly confusing to watch. In some instances it was implied that sleep was what caused the loss of memory, because people find themselves scared to fall asleep with their loved ones when they know they will wake up with no idea who is beside them, but in other sequences it seems as though the memory can just reset without warning within a matter of minutes. So, in essence, the film has instances where it dissolves into simply watching confused people wander about with no idea of who they are, where they are, or what they are going to do next.
The film's lack of direction succeeds in giving it the sort of hopeless feeling I'm sure the director longed to create, but it also creates a sense of hopelessness so intense in the audience that it can feel as though there's no point in carrying on watching. While the ambiguity of relationships between the characters is important to maintain for their sake it would perhaps be fortunate if there was some way to inform the audience of how these characters came into each other's lives, such as the mute little boy who clings to the side of a man who seems as though he may be his father. Ambiguity is important, but the film leaves too much to the imagination and instead has the audience sitting in a constant state of melancholy confusion which, again, I realize is the intent of the film as a whole but does not make for an interesting enough viewing experience.
Other films which work hard to maintain a sort of melancholic atmosphere such as Melancholia by Lars Von Trier are able to make up for the lack of things happening in the actual plot with use of extremely stylized sequences and beautiful music to pass the time. Unfortunately, Embers offers neither of those things and instead carries on with its sluggish and sometimes dull pace as actors stumble through dialogue that sounds more like it is being spoken in a stage play than in a post apocalyptic wasteland.
I tried to like Embers, but it simply didn't grab hold of me. However, you may feel differently, and if you feel so compelled to see it for yourself it is currently available to view on Netflix.
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