As I Lay Dying

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Diana O I have a very different perspective than most reviewers here. For me, this movie was like a punch to the stomach, very haunting and disturbing but like a car crash that I simply couldn't turn away from. I didn't read the book or know anything about the movie before viewing it so I had absolutely no expectations. For me, it well captured the family dynamics of parental abuse and manipulation. One cannot grow up in an abusive home with dysfunctional parents without becoming dysfunctional yourself as we saw, especially in Darl. Spoiler alert: my heart broke for each of the adult kids at seeing their lives ruined by their abusive father. The pregnant daughter needed help. It was easier for her to be manipulated into being raped than ask her father or brothers for help. One son lost his leg. His LEG over the BS excuse they must bury their mother in a far off town. No matter the objections of the kids or terrible obstacles, the father's desires were the only ones that mattered. That's typical of abusive parental coercion. At the end, we see the father's true intentions, not to honor his deceased wife's wishes as he continuously barked about, but rather a clever manipulation for his gain (new teeth and a new bride) at the expense of his children. Seeing the truth of his cruel manipulation at the movie's end was fantastic movie-making. It felt like a slap across my face at the manipulative deceit and the only reaction the kids could do was acquiesce in resignation to their fate. About Franco's character, Darl, he was the rebellious one of the family, an he did the only thing he could think of to turn around and return home on this ill-fated journey. He set a barn on fire. Unfortunately, it backfired on him, and he lost his freedom, an even worse fate than the trip. That's not non-sensible chaos! It is exactly the kind of behavior abused teens and adults sometimes exhibit, (albeit his plan was poorly thought-out). If you don't get / understand the nuances of this movie, you most likely grew up in a normal home. If this movie resonates with you and especially if you think about it for months afterward, you have most likey lived such family dynamics. Bravo Faulkner and Franco. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/29/23 Full Review dave s James Franco is to be commended for his attempt at a film adaptation of William Faulkner's unadaptable novel As I Lay Dying. While the film is essentially faithful to the source material, this may not be a good thing considering the complexity of the source material. While the film has its powerful moments, it too often gets caught up in the characters' monologues, which work in the book but are awkward in the movie as characters stare into the camera while reciting stream of consciousness dialogue. The film is also hurt by Franco's choice to use the split screen technique, which only serves as an annoying distraction. Despite the negatives, the performance of Tim Blake Nelson as the patriarch is phenomenal. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member I love Faulkner and I didn't think "it"--a film of this book--could be done. Well, it has been done and it is a pleasure. Perhaps only for those who appreciate Faulkner, given the negative response, but one of the best films I have seen in a long while. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member The movie captures the book so well. If you've lived a life that's related it will chill you to the bone with realism. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/05/19 Full Review Audience Member Great movie! The acting of Tim Blake Nelson as Anse Bundren was phenomenal. It deserved at least an Oscar nomination. But I guess the Oscars are not into these themes. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Not royalty - not gods- not Heroes. Instead a common southern farming family embarks on what becomes an epic tragic odyssey to bury Their mother and wife, Addie Burden. Things go badly until they become worse. Over the course of this slow burn we begin to get a clearer and clearer picture of the patriarch behind this ill conceived venture. How do you express the complex and rich musings of people with limited verbal ability? He has figured this out. Watch it twice When you know what a character does you can make better sense of what is crossing his face the 2 nd time round Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews

As I Lay Dying

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