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      Helen

      2008 1 hr. 19 min. Drama List
      67% 21 Reviews Tomatometer 36% 100+ Ratings Audience Score A woman volunteers to be a stand-in with a crime reconstruction to help get over her troubled past. Read More Read Less
      Helen

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      Critics Consensus

      This enigmatic debut British/Irish feature is beautifully photographed and has an intriguing premise, marking its makers out as talent to watch.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Lawlor and Molloy translate their majestic visual skills perfectly in their feature length debut; in the end it is only the cardboard acting which prominently lets Helen down. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Given that it is underlying storyline is quite harrowing, this film was well made and beautifully executed Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Nice idea, cack- handed production. Mercifully short. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a very arty film, it's very sort but it seems to go on forever, this is because of the way it's shot. I really like the way it's been shot, beautiful colours and some really interesting angels. From an art and style point of view I like this film. The plot on the other hand is dull, and although I think it's an interesting idea, the story drags, and because of this I wanted to drop off. The acting is also strange, very wooden and no passion, the actors look uncomfortable, but I think that's the point. The film is worth a watch, as it is good to see a film that's not your typical, put A into slot B, but to be honest you need to really love the art of film to enjoy this piece. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member I watched this film at the International Thessaloniki Film Festival in 2008, but never found it on the database here, or better, never bothered looking for it in the database here. There are some movies that I believe could easily have been a short film, and this is one of them. Tedious, slow, self-indulgent, contrived, bad copycat, directional grandeur wannabe with a rotten cherry on top. A movie Gus Van Sant would make from the womb, or a film student as a drama <i>Blair Witch Project</i> specimen. I'm attacking this movie harshly, but I just had it with films who want to be like other films and fail. Remember Duplass' <i>Hannah Takes The Stairs</i>? Well, this is <i>Helen Takes The Park Path</i>. One of those films I felt like slitting my wrists during! Some endless 79 minutes those were for me..The best moment in it was that it ended. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member An ambitiously meditative film, but just as the story grips you it ends, leaving you mystified beyond the call of the enigmatic plot. Ultimately, Helen doesn't quite work, but it remains an oddly haunting experience. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Photos

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      Helen

      Helen (2008) Helen (2008) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (21) Critics Reviews
      Rex Reed Observer Rated: 1/4 Jan 22, 2013 Full Review Time Out Rated: 2/5 Jul 29, 2010 Full Review Anna Smith Empire Magazine Much like an ambitious video-art installation, it's intriguing, inconclusive and not as challenging as it wants to be. Rated: 2/5 May 1, 2009 Full Review Anton Bitel Projected Figures Christine Molloy & Joe Lawlor’s astonishing feature debut tracks a lost young woman looking to reconstruct a crime and herself Aug 24, 2023 Full Review PJ Nabarro Patrick Nabarro The film is almost a progression of Helen gaining agency at the expense of the cipher, Joy. Rated: 4/5 May 1, 2020 Full Review Nikki Baughan Roll Credits Earnest in intent but shaky in delivery, Helen is a film whose execution just can't live up to the strong ideas behind it. Rated: 2/5 Oct 31, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A woman volunteers to be a stand-in with a crime reconstruction to help get over her troubled past.
      Director
      Joe Lawlor, Christine Molloy
      Screenwriter
      Joe Lawlor, Christine Molloy, Ben Slater
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Sep 30, 2016