Pretty Pictures

I recently borrowed the movie Stay on DVD. Starring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, and Ryan Gosling, this film was out in theaters for perhaps just slightly longer than a day or two last year. I didn't go at the time, because of pretty negative reviews and word of mouth. But for free... well... that was a different proposition.

I can think of no better way to put it than this: I don't think I liked this movie. And I strongly encourage you to see it. Now... let me see if I can explain this bizarre contradiction.

The story itself is incredibly disjointed, and doesn't make a lot of sense. Given what's going on (which, I believe, is better for the viewer to know nothing about going in), it's largely meant to be that way. But it's just a little too disconnected, a little too odd, and doesn't really come together in a way I found satisfying at the conclusion.

However... this movie is gorgeous. It is made with an attention to detail I can't readily compare to any other film. Every little detail of every frame is painstakingly considered. I may not have been satisfied with how it all added up, but there was a reason behind it all.

The cinematography used in telling the story is extraordinary. They twist a lot of conventions about how simple dialogue scenes are supposed to be shot. None of that classic "wide / over / over / close-up / close-up / wide / end-of-scene" stuff. More than once, they do things that made me truly think to myself: "did I just see what I think I saw?" Each scene is more brilliant than the last in its use of cutting, light and shadow, morphs, angles, and more.

In fact, I'm thinking I might actually go out and buy this movie for my own collection. It's just that amazing, from a directorial, editorial, and behind-the-scenes standpoint. I could easily watch it again just to watch it all again.

Of course, there remains that nagging matter of the story, which I'm pretty sure I didn't like. I simply can't reconcile it all into a "grade," as I normally do in my movie reviews. I'm going to have to ponder it for a while. And if you like movies, I encourage you to see it and do the same.