Review of 2:37 (2006) by Jessie C — 27 Sep 2010

This is an Australian film following the day in the life of several high school students, a day concluding with a suicide. It?s very engaging. The whole film you?re wondering which one is going to be the one to end his or her life, you?re looking for signs. The ending is not disappointing, in my opinion.

I loved this movie. The acting could have been a little bit better, but most of the actors were very good. The dialogue was good, the techniques in filming were good. The ?twists? were somewhat predictable, unfortunately, but they still entertained me. If you?re one to want twists to blow your mind, this will disappoint you.

The ending is debated highly. Some say it doesn?t make sense. I can completely understand why someone would say that, although I completely disagree. I see the meaning in the film, whether intended as I interpreted or a product of my own mind, haha. I was very satisfied with the ending, it made sense to me immediately.

A lot of people compare this to Gus van Sant?s Elephant because of the technique van Sant used, where often the same scene can be present several times in the movie from different perspectives. People criticize the movie because they think the director was pretty much just copying Elephant with a different twist, but the director acknowledged van Sant?s idea and meant to imitate it in a respectful display of admiration. I personally prefer people to come up with their own ideas, but I don?t think it?s an awful thing to want to replicate something someone else did as long as you give them their credit. Another thing people do, because of this shared technique, is compare the two. I suggest refraining from that and watching each film on its own terms. To be thinking ?Elephant did it better.? or ?I understood things more in 2:37.? is unfair to yourself the whole time. They?re both interesting, good films. Elephant is more artsy, more intended to be subject of self-interpretation. 2:37 is uses documentary-like confessionals which set up better character development. That?s the main difference between the two. Which one you?ll like more depends upon whether you like to think about things in your own way or like to have a lot of the details filled in for you. Anyway, I recommend both.

I would definitely buy this movie.