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The Blazing World

Play trailer 2:30 Poster for The Blazing World Released Oct 15, 2021 1h 41m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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57% Tomatometer 51 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Decades after the accidental drowning of her twin sister, a self-destructive woman returns to her family home, finding herself drawn to an alternate dimension where her sibling may still be alive.
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The Blazing World

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Critics Consensus

The Blazing World's scattershot script isn't always able to support writer-director-star Carlson Young's ambitions, but its arresting visuals hold the attention.

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Critics Reviews

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Monica Castillo RogerEbert.com The Blazing World falls short narratively and visually. Rated: 1/4 Oct 18, 2021 Full Review Sarah Jane Austin Chronicle Overstuffed and overextended, The Blazing World is buoyed by the soundtrack (especially the songs by Isom Innis and Sean Cimino in their project Peel), and the too brief appearance by the wonderful Soko. Rated: 2/5 Oct 15, 2021 Full Review Frank Scheck The Hollywood Reporter There's plenty of imagination on display in The Blazing World, but it's buried amidst the narrative and stylistic self-indulgence that assumes we'll be interested in going on this very strange and ultimately enervating journey. Oct 14, 2021 Full Review Rory Doherty InSession Film While filled with technical splendor, The Blazing World has great ambition but fails to come up with original ways to explore its infinite universe. Rated: B- Jun 13, 2024 Full Review Vadim Rizov Filmmaker Magazine I had little choice but to take the film at absolute face and textual value. These influences aren’t transfigured beyond the sum of their parts, they’re just familiar window dressing... Nov 28, 2022 Full Review Cody Dericks Next Best Picture The visuals may be hypnotic, but they're in service of a valiant effort of a movie rather than a totally mind-bending adventure. Rated: 5/10 Jul 11, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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brad p ‘The Blazing World' is Avant-Garde Horror Fantasy on Acid Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Joe C Art school fluff. The premise is interesting enough, but the telling goes nowhere understandable or interesting. More money on plausible narrative and less on fantasy sets and graphics may have made this a viable watch, but with any sanity the writer/star/director will never be able to make a movie again to know for sure. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/01/22 Full Review Darryl M The Blazing World, the fantasy thriller from writer/director Carlson Young, opens on the unfortunate drowning of a young girl while her parents and twin sister are distracted. Years later, Margaret, the surviving twin sister, still struggles with the death, the devolving relationship between her parents, and the visions of the mysterious man who appeared to her when her sister drowned. Now, believing her sister may still be alive in a different dimension, Margaret sets out in a journey of self discovery through the darkest corners of her imagination. Part Alice in Wonderland, part Coraline, part Lynchian nightmare, The Blazing World attempts to address trauma through unconventional means. Starring Carlson Young, working on both sides of the camera, the acting is the weakest component of The Blazing World. Young is unconvincing as Margaret, the film's lead, caught in a self destructive pattern while dealing with her parent's violently crumbling marriage and the possibility of her twin sister being alive in an alternate world. Had the film been lead by a more competent actress, it may have been a more salvageable product but as it stands, Young's performance greatly hinders the overall result. Likewise, Udo Kier (Europe's answer to Nicolas Cage) sleepwalks through his line deliveries, mumbling his way to a paycheck. The only two people who seems to be attempting anything approaching decent is Dermot Mulroney and Vinessa Shaw as Margaret's parents. They're the highlights of the film as they bicker and argue their way through scenes together and show surprising depths of loneliness when in scenes with Maragaret separately. The Blazing World is director Carlson Young's full length adaptation of her 13 minute short of the same name that premiered at Sundance in 2018. Sadly, the feature length version is a reminder that some short stories are better left as short stories. The strange riff, or maybe homage, to Alice in Wonderland is caught up in a meandering story that winds up being a bit of an incoherent mess, narratively. Young seems to be modeling the tone of the film after the works of directors like David Lynch and Terry Gilliam, but the cute camera tricks used to convey doubt or disorientation are quickly overused, turning them into more gimmicks than effective tools. Without enough story to stretch the adaptation, the film feels far longer than its 99 minute runtime suggests. Still, for all that, Young has a clear, firm vision of what she wants the film to be, I just don't think her vision matches the subject matter at hand. For a movie that's supposedly addressing untreated grief and mental health issues, the decision to attempt style over substance isn't a great idea; whether this was the trappings of a rookie director attempting to ape the works of established directors or just Young attempting to do her own thing, The Blazing World comes across as a hollow, empty foray into touching on serious issues. Overall, The Blazing World, while noble in its intentions, falls well short of the mark on execution. Subpar acting does the film little favor as some actors struggle to work with the bad writing and some look like it might be their first time on camera. While this isn't a film to be avoided at all costs, it's not a film that should be eagerly sought out: it's a movie to queue up with friends and stiff drinks after all other movie options have been exhausted. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/24/22 Full Review Audience Member Visually stunning with a great eery score . As far as a directorial debut I think Carlson has an incredible career ahead of herself . 3/5 Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/04/21 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Blazing World

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Movie Info

Synopsis Decades after the accidental drowning of her twin sister, a self-destructive woman returns to her family home, finding herself drawn to an alternate dimension where her sibling may still be alive.
Director
Carlson Young
Producer
Brinton Bryan
Screenwriter
Carlson Young, Pierce Brown
Distributor
Vertical Entertainment
Production Co
Wavelength Productions, Greenbelt Films, American Stream Wave , Tealhouse Entertainment
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 15, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 15, 2021
Runtime
1h 41m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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