Never heard of it. I'll check it out.
Also the review has gone all symbol-y on me.
There, I fixed the "smart quotes." Better now?
Yep. All good.
I'd have to agree with you. Brilliant movie with a few quibbles. Although, the whole one-dimensional good/evil forces are completely relevant. Drifters, like Ink, exist as the gray. Plus, I don't know if this was the intention, but the movie does have some religious overtones. I also would include some of the actors in this movie made some parts kind of cheesy. Indie does not equate to bad acting, but with this movie you almost would think that was the case.
It's funny, isn't it, the metric of "appropriate for children". I would not worry one bit about showing a kid a movie with the word "fuck" in it... But I personally would not consider a movie where a dad is a suicidal monster to a child. "Ink" is, in my opinion, firmly an adult film, but not because of the swear words. YMMV
It's funny, isn't it, the metric of "appropriate for children". I would not worry one bit about showing a kid a movie with the word "fuck" in it... But I personally would not consider a movie where a dad is a suicidal monster to a child. "Ink" is, in my opinion, firmly an adult film, but not because of the swear words. YMMV
Okay, you guys are completely, COMPLETELY missing this. This isn't just about good and evil. It's about the potential in all of us to do right, to do good, or to do evil.
And trust me, the characters aren't one-dimensional, once you start looking at their actions. The Incubus, if you look at them closely, are actually EXACTLY THE TYPE OF PEOPLE WE ARE TOLD TO TRUST ALL OUR LIVES. Those that smile, and seem friendly, those that reach out to you when you hurt. THOSE people all wear the masks and smiles of the Incubi.
The Storytellers are liars, cheats, they go into people's houses without permission, YES TO GIVE DREAMS, but it's still breaking and entering! Not to mention that while they are so very 'cute' several of them have major character flaws! The Pathfinder, for instance, has anger management issues, and is a bit of a prick! Emma's Storyteller has severe self-doubt issues. And Liev is just as suicidal as her person! She EAGERLY went with Ink to the Incubi, not knowing if Ink would be able to overcome what he'd done to himself!
Yes, this story IS appropriate for children, just because the indepth bits of the story are a little too... HIDDEN for them.
But those of us who know where to look can see the hidden meanings in these things. Even worse, we can see just how much the story tears up those who are in it.
While I agree that some more depth should have been given to the Incubi, I think it would have probably ruined the CREEP factor of their presence. Truthfully, for a movie, it was done BRILLIANTLY. For a movie. If it had been a series, a mini-series even, they could have delved even more into the world, and probably would have had me for YEARS.
In my opinion, this TOTALLY needs to be watched by EVERYONE.
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Excellent, minor quibbles
I stumbled across this movie while testing out Netflix' video on demand service. Netflix rated it highly for me, and it sounded interesting, so I hit play and...
Wow, I was totally blown away. Everything from the art direction, to the music, to the acting, to the plot in this movie is fantastic. It is seriously the best movie I've seen all year.
However, I'm not writing this review just to gush. Rather, although the movie was absolutely brilliant, I have a few minor quibbles that I would like to point out.
First, there is the plot. Don't get me wrong, the plot was great, but it is almost directly from the "after-school special" school of writing. Although Jamin Winans handles it with amazing deftness, there are a few moments when it drifts into glurge, especially during the scenes where Liev goes all "I know there is good inside you," to Ink. Furthermore, at one point after her capture Liev says, "I didn't come to fight you," But, if I recall correctly, wasn't she the one that attacked Ink first?
The second thing that bothered me is the simplistic portrayal of good versus evil. The Storytellers are all cute guys and girls; the Incubi are all ugly men. The Incubi dress is SS approved uniforms. The Storytellers give all sweet dreams; the Incubi give all bad dreams (in my experience, dreams are a chaotic mix of all emotions.) The Storytellers live in a serene forest; the Incubi live in an urban wasteland. This makes both the Storytellers and Incubi one-dimensional, and I normally have no empathy or interest in one-dimensional characters. I'd much rather some of the villains be sympathetic and some of the heroes flawed. However, the presentation works for me in this film probably because Ink manages to be both.
Finally, the biggest issue I have with this film is the amount of swearing in it. Ink would make an excellent family film, accessible to viewers of all ages - a film you could grow up with, adding layers of understanding as you pass through new life stages - were it not for the copious volumes of swearing John and Jacob engage in. I don't think that was necessary at all, and in fact, jarred with the overall tone of the movie.
Overall, I recommend this movie very highly – it is original, beautiful and powerful.