Review of Woodshock (2017) by Matthew D — 04 Apr 2018

Woodshock is a dazed dream sequence of an indie art film. I truly wish Woodshock was better. I think audiences everywhere will be confused by the muddled plot or bored by the slower pacing. The narrative is too scattered to engage you for the duration. You are constantly asking what is happening or what is the significance of each scene. Woodshock is all style with little substance. It relies too much on esoteric dream sequences related to drug use to cover for the lack of a plot unfortunately. The ending feels justified because of this style at least. I am satisfied by Woodshock, but it is sadly still a disappointment. I really wanted to like this movie more as Kirsten Dunst is my favorite actress. At least Dunst is phenomenal with what she is given.

Dunst is by far the highlight of Woodshock as she portrays depression and apathy with a dejected sadness. Dunst is perfectly cast as a woman who lives in a wooded region that is coping with the loss of her mother. She is distraught by her mother's death and self medicates with weed and other drugs. It causes her to slowly lose her mind by all appearances leading to increasing dream sequences. Dunst depicts grief for her loss in a somber mood with additional apathy for her loveless marriage. Dunst captures natural beauty along with a deep longing for real affection so convincingly in Woodshock. You are glued to Dunst on screen at all times.

First time directors Kate and Laura Mulleavy strive for the profoundly emotional heights of depression films like Lars von Trier's Melancholia, Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, or Sofia Coppola's Virgin Suicides, but they never quite reach the same level of film making as their contemporaries. The dreamy atmosphere and hazy imagery is very reminiscent of Sofia Coppola's directorial style; however, Kate and Laura Mulleavy do not impress nearly as much. Woodshock is impressive for first time film makers as it's well shot, but their sequencing feels out of order and confuses the viewer easily.

Their lovely cinematography is indeed gorgeous captures the wilderness of Woodshock well. The Mulleavy's shoot their close ups with a good grace, their establishing shots of natures and rooms are very pretty, and know how to pan the camera in an engaging manner.

The Mulleavy sisters' writing style is too scarce. While the dialogue is believable, it is also too far between. It leaves much of Woodshock open to long drawn out passages of the environment with no plot progression. The narrative is not focused enough. You could watch Woodshock several times in a row and still not find a coherent plot. The movie devolves into madness with contrived twists. In short, the writing is a mess.

Woodshock's thematic elements are far stronger than the writing. The themes of death, loss, grief, depression, apathy, love, substance use, and loneliness are apparent. You have to look past the pretty pictures into the emotional moments to experience these themes, but they are certainly present.

Oddly, Woodshock has little score or background music. It could have greatly benefited from an engaging musical accompaniment to the lovely visuals. Some more memorable music could have helped the slower pacing. There are several beautiful music cues that add a bit of emotion to some scenes. Overall, the score is too scarce and quiet to really contribute to the rest of the movie.

In all, I doubt most viewers would like Woodshock. It's entertaining and weird, but far too reliant on drugged out dream sequences to propel the plot forward. It's absolutely gorgeous and thick with thematic metaphors. I like Kirsten Dunst in it a lot, but she can only save Woodshock so much. I hope the Mulleavy sisters continue to direct indie films in the future after they have strengthened their writing chops. Woodshock is indie film drama with not enough drama.