The intruder is able to say a few things and mentions that his mother was asleep when his friend pulled the trigger and that Nina is the governors favorite one and trades her around. SO back to the scene of Joe in his bedroom, we also see him teasing himself by putting a knife down his throat and by repeatedly dropping the knife towards his foot as he moves it away at the last second. He asks her a question about what she wants to do. We also get another image of him as a young boy breathing inside of a plastic bag in the closet as he hears the loud shrieks of his mother screaming. Films like under the skin, drive, 2001, etc.., are masterful films because of how much they convey through aesthetics and how they chose to go about it. * I like how the film made joe be drawn towards helping people who are also experiencing traumatic stress and has a nerved yearning to rescue and connect with Nina. Close. I believe that he also didn’t want her to physically engage in violence at a young age. I love when films do this because to me it really immerses you into the moment that you’re watching unfold on screen. Did she know her son was being abused? With Mireille Enos, Sam Shepard, Goran Visnjic, Vincent Piazza. As Nina flips through the channels, a news story covers current breaking news of the senator committing suicide by plunging off a skyscraper. The waitress with blood on her face drops the check off as she looks directly at joes bloodied body and says “have a nice day”. Every time Ramsay revealed a new skeleton in Joes closet I rolled my eyes. So, by Joe day dreaming of his suicide inside an occupied diner and having not one person react to the blood/gunshot/dead body, it represents the invisible anguish he suffers alone. Its similar to Refns Drive in the sense that the main character is lied to about the specifications about an illegal job and ends up paying the consequences by getting caught up in something that was way larger than what he thought. You Were Never Really Here . If there is anything you would like to criticize or add to this analysis please let it be known! The reason why nobody paid any attention to joes suicide in the diner, is because its meant to represent the nature of humanity. The first glimpse we get of one of the after effects of his post traumatic stress, is the early scene where he is seen at the edge of his bed as he conveys a discomforting facial expression. Joes mind is always on the thought of pain, violence, death or suicide. With all his trauma and the violence he is capable of inflicting, his hulking physique and scruffy appearance, the character is so very childlike. So the senator got despicably butthurt and sent joe on a selfish false mission in order to try and retrieve Nina for himself. When they were first introduced together I expected she would somehow play into the plot, but no, instead she's killed with the old "pillow as a muffer" trick. I apologize if the write-up is rather lengthy, but there was so much to say about the film. The bit on the fight scenes start at 6:15, but I recommend watching the whole thing: https://youtu.be/cHWnMmBteiA. Because the anxiety of Joe’s character builds and builds as the film progresses which allows the film to slowly build his character and uncover his past inch by inch. The music here not only demonstrates the devastating reality of indoctrinated brainwash and perversion but it also creates a sense of contrast and irony to the context of the scene. Loved the way Ramsay staged every scene. The film visually shows us what post traumatic events look, feel, and sound like and also shows the after effects that these traumatic stresses can have on a person. It's the way it makes you feel the weight of what happened that's really disturbing. REDDIT and the ALIEN Logo are registered trademarks of reddit inc. π Rendered by PID 23212 on r2-app-0d6fa4feb21c1ca03 at 2021-02-16 10:44:22.128501+00:00 running 6289523 country code: US. Before he actually raids the child sex ring, we get a quick glimpse of him vomiting outside the door before he enters it. Ramsay's gift of invention is in overdrive (the title credit screen is practically worth the price of … Sips the remainder of his drink, and the film ends. Joe agrees with this. I’m sure that there are still plenty of things in this film that I did not touch on or perhaps interpreted incorrectly, but this is precisely the reason why I love film like this. Greenwood’s score makes Joe’s life events screaming and yelling at him to “do something” all the more immobilizing and difficult. He finally discovers Nina at the dining table eating some food with blood all over her hands and food. So when he is asked to take a picture of these girls, He has an anxiety triggered episode. It’s a film that’s both written and directed Lynne Ramsey who happens to be a Scottish female director. The film begins with the sound of train tracks as it cuts to a subtle foreshadowing shot of an incredible underwater scene we get later in the film. Lastly, the character of Joe seemed a little unbelievably over burdened with past trauma. Summaries A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. Please correct me if you think there was a satirical reason for this choice, but it was played agonizingly straight-faced. The only way to understand YWNRH is through a Freudian lens. The Game (1997)—Possibly THE MOST conflicted I've ever felt after watching a film. I obviously saw a very different movie then you did. I didn't care when Joe's mom, his boss, or anyone died because I hardly knew them. Using Portrait of a Lady on Fire to show how Good Posture deals with Bodies, Geometry and the Limits of Cinema. How far does this conspiracy go!”. 9. There was so much I liked about this film that I was really bummed how unsatisfying it was. The fact that he chose to go through the trouble of wearing a suit seems to be one of the many symbols of that throughout the film. This is just a great visual character detail about how he truly feels about violence. [–]Carlito148[S] 8 points9 points10 points 2 years ago (2 children), Human trafficking and child sex rings are a real thing though. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 4.5/5.0 - 3 Percent Only 3% of candidates can make it to the other side. Remember at the beginning of the film when he burns the picture of the asian girl, throws it in the trash and uses the hotel bible to smother the flame? This is now where we get the conclusory scene of the film where we see joe and nina accompanying each other at a diner. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. Directed by Camille Thoman. The other thing the intruder mentions is that the governor likes to trade them but Nina is his favorite. I think the suit he uses is from the man he interrogated and held his hand during his death. Joe follows the same happy child-like music that was playing earlier in the film during the raid that was captured through the CCT security cameras as he makes his way towards the governors room. This results in her having to deal with being drugged up constantly, all day everyday for obvious reasons I shouldn’t have to explain. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. It took me a re watch to notice, but theirs a moment when Joe sees his Mom in the bed through the window as he's sneaking in and immediately knows whats happened while the audience hasn't seen anything yet, the realization on his face is so heartbreaking. and join one of thousands of communities. That can extend to a societal feeling by hitting big marks of the 21st century (Iraq, corrupt government, etc.) We then hear some barely audible noise of some disturbing mumbling coming from Joe. Nice catch! Joe catches the cop off guard and makes a quick decision to fight the cop to death. My local theater just got it last week, The release for this and many others is so fucked. We get so used to the noise of the world that it just becomes our mind's static noise. Hell, I cared more when the hitman died because at least he had a moment of humanity! It then cuts to a shot of him tightening his airways and edging himself through slight suffocation with a plastic bag. Extensive Analysis on 'You Were Never Really Here' (Character, Theme, Story, and Aesthetics}Lets Discuss and Argue. It took me a while to figure out that it was the boy who told them where he lived. There is conflict between these two characters: she's getting old, he feels trapped by her, they love each other regardless. Subtly is not her strong suit. He was his father's son, after all Joe has witnessed things that cannot be erased. They are similar in the sense that they both share the harsh reality of experiencing severely harmful and traumatic events during their early stages of life. This particular shot and scene takes place within the mind of the teenage girl. We also see another devastating reality when we see a literal drugged up child that looks to be around the age of at least 8, walk out of the first room Joe entered. Archived. This is one clear example of the film unveiling more of his past as his anxiety beings to elevate. It just shows a few glimpses of them lying dead on the ground. Seriously if you pick up the countdown where it left off when the scene cuts away, it will be exactly on time with the films countdown when it cuts back to it. Thanks for your feedback, [–]Carlito148[S] 7 points8 points9 points 2 years ago* (0 children). When you suffer from PTSD, you replay the moments that led to it continuously. (Last seen in Twin Peaks: The Return) Turns out she's more of an emotional pawn then a real character, just like every other character introduced in the film except Joe. The violence, the cloth, the hammer, the asphyxiation, etc.. all things he has seen and experienced that are now unfortunately part of him... just perhaps in a less sinister way. Once he arrives and moves through the doorframe, he notices the governors dead body on the ground with his throat slit. So I kind of just put two and two together there. You Were Never Really Here puts us straight into the head of the main character, Joe, played by Joaquin Phoenix. But when I first heard this pjece of dialogue, I immediately thought back to beginning scene where Joe comes back from his mission and sees his mother sleeping in the living room. You Were Never Really Here is closer in tone to John Boorman’s Point Blank (in its fanatic momentum) or Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (a near-maniac rescues a young girl). To me, the movie was about a complete lack of agency felt by Joe. You were never really here is a masterclass example of filmmaking that I believe is undeniably inspired by the movie Drive which is directed by Danish film director, Nicholas Winding Refn. Through eventual flashbacks we notice that this is something that is basically identical to what his father did before he abusively punished his children. There is a 180 character minimum for top-level comments. It cuts a quick image of a childs feet fidgeting in the sand. But hey, the fact that I'm writing so much about it definitely means it had some sort of effect on me. Are his other films similar to it or do they offer a different watching experience? He takes on jobs that require him to retrieve missing teenagers that have been kidnapped. 4.0/5.0 - 10 Cloverfield Lane A crazy man tries to convince his hostages he's saving them. I found ‘You were never really there’ to be one of the most humanly jarring and enthralling cinema experiences that I’ve ever had. Gulf War vet and ex-FBI Agent Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) is a killer specialising in hits within the child-sex trade. I'm not saying they don't exist, I'm just saying at this point in time, with me being hyper aware of all these internet conspiracy nutbag types, it only exacerbated my issues with a film I already have issue with. It was a little like a really well acted, well shot, “artistic” SVU episode. [–]ProphetoftheBull 2 points3 points4 points 2 years ago (0 children). The violence itself is largely not shown. I’m not 100% on this but it seems plausible enough to interpret it this way. A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. This movie was such a wild and weird ride, but the ending made everything click for me: Joe and Nina are sitting in the diner booth, surrounded by people's conversations about the mundane aspects of their lives at that moment(The waitress making small talk with her customers, the people in the booth behind Joe talking about pie and etc.) Cue dramatic music. I see what you’re saying about Alex Jones loving it lol but it’s still executed in a very captivating way imo, [–]SoFuLL 3 points4 points5 points 2 years ago (1 child). After revisiting We Need to Talk About Kevin it stood out to me how similarly it handles that. Throughout the film we get glimpses of his father holding a ball pein hammer as his weapon of abuse. I recently watched Nostalghia by Tarkovsky and I although I can recognize its artistic quality and see why it’s so loved, I didn’t personally enjoy it. What an experience. You Were Never Really Here is a mental and moral dissection of a human being who suffers from some serious post traumatic stress. Posted by 2 years ago. The shipping container cut isn’t more than 15 seconds, the desert war scenes can’t amount to more than a minute 20 overall, and the suffocation flashbacks are so fast. It’s done in this because again, the film is recreating whats going on inside the mind of our main character joe. The scene where Joe finds his mom's body to him killing the assassins and sitting with the dying man was just so powerful and surprising. After that traumatic ordeal, Joe goes on a search for answers and unfortunately discovers that everybody that he is linked to has been murdered. © 2021 reddit inc. All rights reserved. I agree the film characterizes his mother through "small moments of human-ness", but only to a degree. Nina, who has also been through hell and back, is Joe's equal in having experienced the violence in a world filled with constant noise. So at this point, im going to go ahead and just explain the films plot conflict for anybody who seemed to be confused at this point. Good Posture in Cinema is underrated. In fact it’s probably more likely than it is unlikely that these things have occurred in governments and political systems throughout human history. Extensive analysis on 'You Were Never Really Here' (Aesthetics, Character, Story, and Theme). But a few seconds later, the child gets shot and killed by a teenager of the same foreign descent in order to steal the candy bar that Joe just gave her. That scene just hit me really hard. Boundaries blur between real and imaginary, crime and art, the watcher and the watched. Directed by Lynne Ramsay Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Judith Roberts, John Doman, Alex Manette, and Ekaterina Samsonov. A former FBI agent and Marine, his abusive childhood has left him damaged beyond repair. (self.TrueFilm), Video Essay: https://youtu.be/bBuGGuPnp9o. The young hotel worker knocks on the door and when Joe opens the door, a cop shoots the innocent boy in the head and gets one of his partners to carry Nina away. This isn’t the best theater average for … Joe lives with and cares for his elderly mother (Judith Roberts) and is haunted by disturbing memories of their family's past. Huh. This scene truly conveys that Joe has a good heart. Nina suggests that they should go somewhere because it’s a beautiful day. There were allusions to Hitchcock, and that's where my comments came from. Joe is an extremely morally complex and troubled character that demands the audience to think beyond the conventional good guy/bad guy dynamic in film. A short overview of the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award (1956-1969), Casual Discussion Thread (February 16, 2021). This again conveys the realities of people who have traumatic pasts and how it subconciously becomes an essential part of their identity. This is a relationship you don't see very often, and it almost had a Hitchcockian vibe which I found thrilling. Extensive analysis on 'You Were Never Really Here' (Aesthetics, Character, Story, and Theme). "You Were Never Really Here" has a jittery caffeinated energy reminiscent of the great sleazeball thrillers of the 1970s and '80s, gritty New York movies, corrupt cop movies. ;), [–]ProphetoftheBull 15 points16 points17 points 2 years ago (8 children). This sets the tone and structure of how the film chooses to convey information regarding Joe’s past. You Were Never Really Here, 2017. I just took them more as this instead of attempts at unique backstory, [–]Carlito148[S] 5 points6 points7 points 2 years ago (0 children), TheLaughingCat, I totally agree with your assessment regarding the film being about a lack of agency. You can also hear happy childlike sounding music coming from the building as he kills the bodyguards and rescues the girl. The film is able to reveal and communicate character, plot, and thematic elements purely through the uses of sound and cinematography which of course the director Lynne Ramsay gets huge credit for. You Were Never Really Here was the clear winner on the theater average chart earning over $130,000 in just three theaters for an average of $44,276. People are so busy dealing with their own personal issues (noise) that we neglect to see what others are dealing with. A complete masterclass of cinema. A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. Joe is able to recover the girl by obtaining the security key code and bashing everybodys face in with a ball pein hammer which I thought was interestingly shot. So bringing it back to the current scene, its possible that the mother wasn’t actually asleep and just pretended that she was because she assumed that the movement she heard in the house was Joe. And also we’ve come to learn that joes choice of weapon which is the ball pein hammer, is influenced by his abusive and traumatic past. When he sees this girl, he thinks of the girl that he wished he could’ve saved but couldn’t, and also thinks about what could’ve been if he had saved her. I understand that everybody will see it differently but the kind of thought provoking and mesmerising film like You Were Never Really Here is what I wish for when I walk into a theatre. However, this conflict was pushed aside by the whole pizzagate storyline and didn't feel meaningfully resolved. I mean the guy who hes help giving a peaceful death just helped somebody kill his mother, and he still has mercy and pity for him to the point where he is willing to give the guy a peaceful send off. He also lived his life in a way where he was somewhat untraceable. The worst of it occurs within your mind, making your pain unseen by the people around you. The Jonny Greenwood score was worth the price of admission alone. If you thought this was a film about a disturbed loner avenging an innocent, you got snookered. Throughout the entire film, there are moments where Joe feels anxiety when he finds himself in different situations, and each time he begins to experience some form of anxiety, the film abruptly cuts back to one or more of his traumatic memories. Not only does he do that, but he lays down with him on the ground as they both begin to hum a song that’s playing in the background. Joe is a troubled man. It’s modern life. It’s something that we’ve seen quite a bit in film already imo. Boy, did that change in that scene in which Joe is carrying his mother out into the water. And also Before he began his job, it shows joe having bad anxiety attacks throughout his preparation. This is something that’s more fun than anything, but it really does show the preciseness and delicacy of Lynne Ramsays direction and execution. We also hear her counting down from 40. To me it sounds like his father is calling him a pussy and to stop slouching. Hey next time just reply to my comment if your disagreements are solely with my interpretation. It’s a film that in my opinion does a perfect job at immersing and engaging its audience through the delicate and stylistic use of the aesthetics. One piece that stands out is the gliterry necklace that the camera focuses on for a second. Also I can't agree with you that the film "never hinted towards" Hitchcock or his work. He takes two shots kills one intruder but accidentally leaves the other one critically wounded but still alive. In YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE, Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) -- a veteran who suffered trauma both during war and as a law-enforcement officer afterward -- now makes his living rescuing kidnapped girls and making the perpetrators pay, violently, with a hammer. I was actually happy to see the film derail from just being about the father and mother* dynamic. Find out where You Were Never Really Here is streaming, if You Were Never Really Here is on Netflix, and get news and updates, on Decider. He hears movement going on downstairs and begins to slowly approach the noise. But I feel like his lack of agency is an exploration of post traumatic stress and how traumatic things that occur in peoples life can subconsciously incorporate itself as a part of ones identity. You Were Never Really Here is a mental and moral dissection of a human being who suffers from some serious post traumatic stress. Theater Averages: Never Really Here Arrives on the Top. Sure there was that great scene with the rocks and the lake, but if we had spent more time with their relationship that scene would have been more affecting. To me, I believe this introduction is attempting to give you a false first impression of Joes character and is teasing our tendency to rapidly assess peoples moral character solely based on minimal pieces of evidence. Showing all 15 items Jump to: Certification; Sex & Nudity (2) Violence & Gore (9) Profanity (1) Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking (1) ... We were unable to submit your evaluation. One really cool thing that I noticed about this scene, is that it cuts away from the scene where we hear her counting in her head to allow us to observe joe take care of a situation, it eventually cuts back to her where we can hear her counting down again. You Were Never Really Here (released as A Beautiful Day in France and Germany) is a 2017 psychological thriller film written and directed by Lynne Ramsay. He has a very specific set of skills, and he uses them to great advantage. There’s a scene in particular where a group of asian girls ask him to take their picture. Joe then immediately sets on his mission to find the governor and kill him in order to retrieve Nina . The teenage girl is unfortunately a victim of child sex trafficking. The notion of his mother being asleep when they shot her may seem comforting on the surface. He attempts to take their picture but becomes petrified as he observes their faces. Joe follows the governors tracks and it leads him to his mansion estate. It's sort of my go to recommendation for people who like this movie. Looking to watch You Were Never Really Here? He lumbers through New York City like a … He allegedly claimed that Nina was his daughter that ran away from home and got kidnapped, but in reality, he is just a disgusting powerful politician who voluntarily involves himself in child sex trafficking. It’s something that he doesn’t necessarily want to do, but his traumatic past has influenced him to be drawn towards violence. What is a noteworthy cinematography technique that originated from painting? Not a single person in the restaurant pays mind to it. So in this quick subtle flashback, we see Joe give a candy bar to one of the foreign children. Sorry for being that guy who obnoxiously chimes in just to tell people they're doing something wrong, but just so you guys know, if you're commenting in an official discussion thread for a movie with the spoiler warning in the title, you're allowed to talk freely about anything in the movie without having to use your own spoiler warnings. Even more interesting I think the suit he uses is from the man he interrogated and held his hand during his death. I think I disagree with lots in the OP, but don’t find these moments cliche. Joe calmy approaches as he puts his hand on her shoulder while his face shows true concern and devastation. He sees his mother for a glimpse and sees his father with a wet cloth over his head. Get an ad-free experience with special benefits, and directly support Reddit. Joe lives with his elderly mother and does his best to take care of her. And that turned out to not necessarily be true. Even as his lifeless body was bleeding out and with Joe's blood on her face, the waitress smiles and places the bill on the blood covered table-with no acknowledgement of the horrific event that just occurred.