Review of You Were Never Really Here (2017) by Alan W — 24 Nov 2017

Lynne Ramsay's "Taxi Driver for the 21st century", as the French poster helpfully screams, is, for me, a muddled and slightly unsatisfying affair. Based on Jonathan Ames's novel, I'm sure there is a well written and cogent story somewhere but the film, draped in sombre shades and elegiac neons, keeps holding back both narratively and emotionally and I never feel very invested in anyone on screen.

Then, it has the fancy/pretentious idea of telling its story using only implications, fragmented images and almost inaudible lines mumbled by Joaquin Phoenix which doesn't endear itself to this viewer.

We've seen Phoenix in similar roles before, here he is another broken and tormented man called Joe, possibly abused at an early age and well-trained as an ex-military, he is now an enforcer who specializes in rescuing young girls in distress and his latest clients brings him into the world of politics with Alex Manette's Senator Votto and his missing daughter Nina.

As a thriller with a sordid and shocking subject matter, and in spite of the graphic violence on show and one rather interesting turn of events in the last reel, the film is unnecessarily confusing and a bit underwhelming.

As an indie drama, it is not the most sophisticated or interesting character study, which leaves the film in limbo between the two. At 85 mins long, perhaps the film can go easy on the atmospheric tone and instead fleshed out some of its ideas and narrative plot points and stop being so damn enigmatic.