Review of Dark River (2017) by Wayne K — 19 Nov 2018
A movie with obvious talent but a lot of unfulfilled potential, Dark River looked great, and reminded me how beautiful and unique the English countryside is, but the story never comes close to being satisfying or involving.
We've seen siblings fighting in movies before, but rarely has it felt so weightless and lethargic. Segments of dialogue are unintelligible due to them being muttered in heavy accents, and the words you can hear just aren't very interesting.
It's the kind of film where characters rarely say what they're feeling, but the director is unable to effectively convey their inner torment. The flashbacks, which are supposed to illuminate the past, quickly become irritating, and one simple conversation could have covered all of them sufficiently.
It jumps around erratically, never keeping focus or allowing us to digest what is happening. It could have been great, a family drama focusing on an intense rivalry between 2 estranged siblings fighting for the last thing they have.
Instead it feels more like 2 grumpy children bickering over their favourite toy. There was a lot it could have done, and a lot it could have said, but it chose to do very little, and say even less.
This review of Dark River (2017) was written by Wayne K on 19 Nov 2018.
Dark River has generally received positive reviews.
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