Review of The Law of Enclosures (2000) by David H — 12 May 2010
A stunning disappointment, especially after the unbelievable triumph of Greyson's prior Lilies. It seems that for this film, Greyson unleashed his inner pretentious art filmmaker, and the results are as boring and, well, PRETENTIOUS as expected.
A film about love and relationships has the potential for beautiful minimalism and simplicity. Unfortunately, Greyson piles on the metaphors with reckless abandon. For one, he attempts to draw pointless parallels between relationships and the first Gulf War.
The analogy doesn't at all enhance our understanding of the natures of love and relationships beyond what the characters and screenplay already make clear, which makes for quite the pointless parallel.
Love is war. Right, tell me something I didn't already know. Oh, throw in a silly deer as a metaphor for... well, something. Again, it doesn't tell us anything beyond the explicit level of the main plotline.
So yeah, it's pointless and PRETENTIOUS!!!! Dialogue is stunningly banal, with a lot of cheesy "I want you inside me" lines. Acting aside from the always-capable Brendan Fletcher is mediocre at best and downright lethargic at worst.
Sarah Polley, naturally, is God-awful. Also a surprise is the blandness of Greyson's direction. Aside from the final shot, there is nothing particularly striking here visually, which, again, makes for a pretty boring experience for the eye.
There ARE some shots which scream "I'M DIRECTING," but even those are too few and far between to wake spectators up. Music is intrusive, and it sounds quite similar to nails on a chalkboard.
Overall, one of the best parts of this tremendous misfires is the closing credits. And I'm pretty sure I don't have to explain why.
This review of The Law of Enclosures (2000) was written by David H on 12 May 2010.
The Law of Enclosures has generally received mixed reviews.
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