Review of You Were Never Really Here (2017) by Chris O — 14 Apr 2018

You Were Never Really Here is a beautiful, poetic piece with amazing shots.

You Were Never Really Here, a film released in 2018, is a story about a veteran who hunts down people for a living, essentially acting as a hitman. More specifically, he saves young girls from terrible operations. When a case begins to spiral out of control, Joe begins to experience his life falling apart as he begins to see things more distinctly.

I got to see a showing of You Were Never Really Here thanks to a free, advanced screening. I had not heard much of this film other than the fact that it was highly praised as an amazing, must-see experience. When I went into this experience, I had no idea what to expect. The trailers made it out to be a heavy, action thriller, but it was far from it; which for me is a gripe on its own, but we'll talk about that some other time.

The story focuses on a more dream-like, hallucinogenic approach as the main character, Joe, begins experiencing the horrors around him once a job goes wrong. In all honesty, I'm not entirely sure what this film was about. I believe that this film was more like a poem rather than a narrative story, as it really merged the worlds of hallucinations and reality. In that sense, I thought it was really beautiful, but also really weird. I think this is one of those experiences that I can't really explain, rather, people just need to experience for themselves.

One thing that was really amazing in this story was the cinematography. I genuinely loved some of the shots in this film and there were times when my mouth hit the floor. When I look back on this year and the films that were released, I'm going to remember a couple of the shots in this film. They were gorgeous, perfectly composed and lit, and hauntingly pretty. Some of the images are engrained in my head and if I ever get to shoot a film that looks nearly this good, I'll be so happy with myself. Even if you end up not like this film, it's a short watch and you'll be able to appreciate how great it looks.

Joaquin Phoenix certainly did a fantastic job in this film, capturing our hearts and making us invested in his character. This was really one of those things where I just didn't really know how to comprehend what I was watching while I was watching it. He gave a really emotional and gritty performance, while really driving in the point that this movie was pushing. He added a lot to the physicality and psychology of this role and it really stood out to me.

In the end, You Were Never Really Here is a beautiful film that acts less like a story and more like a 1 hour and 20 minute poem. My experience with this film was fun but it was something I wish I saw alone (not in theaters because of some annoying movie-goers). I do believe, as I do with all films, that it should be seen on the big screen and if you get a chance, go watch it in theaters. It's a solid film overall.