Synopsis
Having set out from coastal Queens to the Catskills, an Irish immigrant carpenter finds himself overcome by an inexplicable fatigue.
The Builder
2010 Directed by Rick Alverson
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A small, somber movie with modest - if ambling - emotional aims.
Feels as if the film does not really have a beginning, middle, and/or end.
I think the frequent use of a hard cut to black in tandem with a neutral sound bridge began as an aesthetic but eventually became a crutch for the filmmaker. Lean on it too hard or one too many times and, well, the thing is bound to break.
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The Builder [2/4]
- The first half is pretty strong, there are weird technical kinks throughout that I'm pretty split on (some of the cross-dissolves don't really work, but one works really well, and some of the silences during a scene don't work, but again, one of them works really well), although I love the music and I think he's got a skill for cutting picture, some of the more stylized editing falls flat but he has some great cuts here. Also, Colm O'Leary's performance is really restrained but really strong, I loved just watching him carry rocks around or hang up clothes, he feels very organic in his actions, which makes him a really strong choice for this role.… -
Relato en las periferias de los hechos.
Un hermoso ejercicio de la elipsis
Una narración que sustituye la linealidad por la horizontalidad. -
"Instead of getting to something, he's trying to get away from something."
illusionpodcast.blogspot.com/2016/01/episode-86-rick-alverson-arrives-2010.html
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An immigrant construction worker pursues the building his perception of the ideal American house. His pursuit quickly grows to the point of obsession.
Colm O'Leary has an interesting presence, but Alverson's film refuses to give the viewer much direct information about this builder. As this artfully filmed movie progresses the information slowly emerges.
The inner-turmoil and intensifying depression within his head is never articulated, but Colm O'Leary's movements and actions begin to form a reason for lethargy.
"The Builder" is not an easy-access narrative film, but Alverson has carefully constructed a film that haunts long after the credits have rolled. A film that sneaks up on you.