Review of Only God Forgives (2013) by Adam S — 15 Nov 2014

Two points must be addressed before reviewing this film, considering the flack that it has received. Most of the criticism surrounding "Only God Forgives" is that it is too violent and that Nicolas Winding Refn's direction is pretentious.

Firstly, similar to some people's criticisms with the violence in Drive; such criticism is unfounded. The levels of violence experienced in media over the many decades means the violence in this film is not as shocking as it would have been to audiences 60 years ago.

The violence encountered in "Only God Forgives" is tame in today's world and suitable given what the violence is supposed to accomplish vis-à-vis the film's message. Secondly, it's pitiful to see how many people outright reject this film because they don't like it under the banner of pretentiousness.

People who label this film as such don't even know what they mean when they use this word. How is "Only God Forgives" pretentious? The answer: it's not. The film is art. Simply because "Only God Forgives" isn't easy to understand at first viewing doesn't mean that it is bad.

In fact, considering this film is a work of art, you'd have to get into a very ontological debate about what good vs. bad art is before you can go anywhere near criticising "Only God Forgives".

Refn has directed a hypnotic film comparable to "Apocalypse Now" in the way it entrances the audience and takes the character of Julian (Gosling) on a personal journey. Not many people are complaining about the way the film looks and sounds, and there is a reason for this; the film is amazingly shot and features a mesmerising score from Cliff Martinez.

Most of the criticism is attributed to the story and the characters, and this is where the criticism falls short. Great art exists to engage, to challenge, to perplex and above all to make one think. Thinking has never been high on a lot of people's priorities in life; but it is high on the list of this film's priorities.

Contrary to what has been said, character development exists in the form of Julian's transition from the torture of guilt and an overbearing and manipulating mother, to absolution in the final act of the film when he is symbolically forgiven and released from his torment.

Moreover, the criticism of Gosling's performance in this film is pathetic; he is able to convey emotional states with his silence much better in this film's environment and atmosphere than he would if he were to speak.

There are buried themes in this film, themes of free choice and consequences; morality and the motif of the hands representing man's ability to give pleasure and pain, to create and to destroy. Furthermore, the only pretence in this film is on Julian's behalf; effectively explained by his imitation of a boxing statue in the film.

This shows Julian pretending to be a strong man, something which he is definitely not until the end of the film. I would caution people against being too quick to judge "Only God Forgives" as this film demands at least several viewings and meditations on what it is trying to say in between before it can be properly judged.

Either be prepared to watch this film multiple times and abandon your expectations as to what a film in this genre ought to be, or be prepared to shut your mouth.