The title and marketing do a real disservice to the actual quality of this, particularly the strength of the performances. Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges are so believable and heartbreaking as mother and son, and the details of their relationship hit more close to home than I expected. The emotion is there, but the plot is just so overworked and strangely complicated that the objective gets confused. It’s still beautiful, but it’s just too dense to really hit.

“I think I want them to hurt me.”

Love the concept of this woman creating self-destructive rituals to deal with her grief and guilt, but half of this movie consists of flashbacks that don’t give any insight. We learn so much about a side character and hardly anything about our protagonist. I do admire how Gillan really gave herself over to this, and the unique formal ideas she employs in a handful of moments, but so many excessive pieces here just confuse and break away at the strong core.

me, running as fast as i can: "i appreciate your style, i just don't get it! please, leave me alone!"
david lynch, galloping after me and playing a trumpet: "negativity is the enemy of creativity"