13 (Tzameti)

...man, I wish someone would just come out and tell me who Josh actually is 😢 😵 😳
(...Smoogj, not Sebastian, just so we're all on the same page...)

milk said:haha look at the ego looming over the horizon... spreading its claws like a raven over some ordinary guy's fate... "look at me, look at me, look at me" as if he's crying out...😁😁 ...well, damn—you'll eventually have to accept the fact that some people just won't care who you are... but hey, take it as a compliment... I don't like you because of your fame, but because you're actually 😁😁...

So, does this mean you'll be avoiding those clever little allusions you use to drop hints? Come on, darling—you're losing my respect with these silent, vague substitutions of arguments.

milk said:did he really expose the organizers? does the word of one anonymous person—who, by the way, meets his end shortly after like a Kafkaesque dog—really matter that much?

The organizers were clearly exposed because the director made sure the key information about them landed right in the hands of the police. It didn't have to be that way. A Kafkaesque hero doesn't die because of a bag of cash.

milk said:is the money in the box about the family's survival, or is it more of a metaphor for what a single life is worth?

If he had taken it, this would have been a different story altogether.

Well, I finally sat down to watch it, and I have to say—I’m siding with Smudge on this one. To start with, until he actually reaches the crime scene, the pacing is just agonizingly slow—it drags—and those moments that should have been high-tension felt incredibly flat. Though, I did find it quite engaging watching the duo discuss that top-secret deal inside the house, especially when the kid nearly busts through the ceiling right into the bedroom 🙄—honestly, you can't use a lack of budget as an excuse for stuff like that 🤮
The central hook is great, I suppose, but that alone isn't enough to make the movie work as a whole. The ending is just... messy and totally underwhelming. My gut feeling is that the director was smart enough to realize the film's only real value lies in you know which specific scenes, so he tried his best to steer clear of Shyamalanism. Unfortunately, he just isn't skilled enough to pull it off. And regarding the lead—I can't tell if it's the director's fault or if the kid is simply a terrible actor, but I really didn't care for his performance 🤮

And yes, Xavier, Shyamalan offers so much more than just a twist in his movies—have you even seen Unbreakable? I suspect you might be a bit of a film snob, personally 😉

fused 🤣

p.s.—regarding those Kafkaesque twists and turns—I suppose I’ll weigh in once I've actually managed to get through some of his work 😳

MrBeast said:So, what? You're going to stop using those sneaky little hints to get your point across? Please. You're just losing all credibility with these vague, half-baked arguments.

Good grief, the ego on this guy is unreal 🤣...and honestly, I don't care who you think you are. You're just going to have to accept the facts, no matter how much they bruise your pride 🤣 🤣...
...
I'm not buying the "exposure" angle either...like I said, even a hero like Captain America doesn't fall because of some minor setback...I disagree with your final point entirely too.

milk said:Good grief, the ego on this one is unreal 🤣—and frankly, I don't care who you think you are. You’re just going to have to accept it as a fact, no matter how much you hate it. 🤣 🤣...

Oh, I get it now. You're worried about your moderator status—scared I'll report you to the admins? Don't worry, I'm not that much of a coward. 😘

Go find some privacy, please🤮

Alright, back to the movie. Someone mentioned that the film touches on the status of immigrants in France. I’d love some elaboration on that—since, in my infinite arrogance and ego, I somehow failed to see how the protagonist's immigrant background defines their standing.

Not me—honestly, the only one I thought actually looked like a genuine person from France was the lead; everyone else just seemed like typical, plain old white guys from the suburbs. Even then, I'm not entirely certain if he's even an immigrant himself—it's just that he didn't seem like a true native from France.

I didn't dive too deep into all the fine print while I was reading, but from what I gathered checking the synopsis on IMDb, it feels like the plot draws some heavy inspiration from Kafkaesque themes... or maybe that's just my own intuition kicking in.

Well, I suppose the concept matters more than the actual plot—if that makes any sense.

wearygardener13 said:it really came to life 🤣

p.s. speaking of those Kafkaesque webs and tangles, I'll dive deeper into that once I've actually sat down with some of his work 😳

Yeah, honestly, I haven't even watched it properly; it just popped into my head after a quick glance at the IMDb page... so, I'm definitely not an expert here, so take my word with a grain of salt! Cheers

The middle section was solid, but that first half-hour was such a slog I had to rewind three times just to catch up. If they’d actually paced the intro better and spent more time on the unraveling and the actual procedures (including how they get out of the woods), the final twist might have actually landed. Plus, the whole "noir" label would feel a lot less forced.
As it stands, the whole vibe feels like a total Fincher wannabe, and honestly, it gives off some serious Nolan debut energy—except, you know, executed with zero competence.
Regarding the cinematography—I'm assuming this is digital? I wasn't a fan; it felt amateurish and flat. It probably would've worked much better with some gritty, dirty tones, something like Beyoncé.
But hey, word is there’s a Hollywood remake in the works.

ironcrane7 said:The middle section was actually great—but man, that first half-hour was such a grind that I had to rewatch it three times just to catch up. I guess if they had slowed down during the intro and focused more on the unraveling and the specific procedures (including the exit from the woods), the final collapse would have felt much heavier—and maybe those noir vibes would have made more sense.

yeah🙏 🙏 👍

Personally, I don't think it was all that bad. A few scenes definitely give off those Melville vibes, especially the ones involving the highway. I caught it during a screening around 8 or 9 in the morning—basically a pre-release showing. Some idiot messed up the reels (or maybe the discs, I don't know), so at one point you’re skipping ahead through part of the movie just so it can loop back later. To make matters worse, that glitchy section didn't even have subtitles. I mean... seriously, who was running the projector? It's honestly unbelievable. Since it was so early, there were only a handful of people in the theater, so my quiet "hello? anyone there?" didn't really do much. A few folks on the side protested under their breath, I guess. So, I can't really give a fair judgment on how good it actually is. Either way, I'm not nearly as disappointed as some of the people in here seem to be.

Mr. Beast said:Alright, let’s get back to the movie. Someone mentioned that the film touches on the status of immigrants in France. I'd love if someone could expand on that a bit. In all my arrogance and ego, I think I missed how the protagonist's immigrant background actually defines their situation.

I guess I can sum it up in a few sentences. It’s not like immigrants in America are living the dream or anything. It’s more that they just have to scrape by however they can. I mean, obviously, an immigrant is probably going to be more willing to take a shady job than some native American who already has everything they need.

Anthony Davis6 said:Look, let's just say it in a few sentences—it's not like immigrants are being handed everything on a silver platter in France. If anything, they have to scrape by however they can. Of course an immigrant might be more willing to take on some sketchy job than a local American who already has everything they need.

But hey—the issue is that the movie doesn't really show that he's facing typical immigrant struggles. What happened to him... well, I guess it could have happened to anyone, regardless of whether they were an immigrant or not, right?

clone said:Look, let's be real for a second—it’s not like immigrants are being rolled out on red carpets in America. It's more about survival; they have to make do with what they can. Naturally, an immigrant is going to take whatever job comes their way, whereas a local American who's already comfortable won't touch certain gritty roles.

And apparently, I missed the part where everyone else participating in the game is also considered an immigrant.

sad but true said:Look, I think the issue is that the movie doesn't really show us why this is specifically an immigrant's struggle. What happened to him could have happened to pretty much anyone, right?

Well yeah, sure it could happen to anyone, but I guess it’s unlikely someone living a relatively stable middle-class life without major setbacks would ever step foot in a shady setup like that. It feels like immigrants are almost tailor-made for these bizarre little "games" played by bored wealthy people, mostly because they don't have much to lose. The other people involved were probably just desperate or unstable, but I suppose that's just a byproduct of how they live—you know, addicts, gamblers, and things like that. That's definitely not the case for the main character.

Anthony Davis6 said:Of course it was possible—but it's unlikely someone with a stable life and zero struggles would jump into such a shady setup. Immigrants are practically built for these bizarre "sports" played by bored wealthy elites—they have nothing left to lose. The other participants were either desperate or just plain crazy, though that’s really just a byproduct of how they live (addicts, alcoholics, gamblers... basically everything the main guy isn't).

Hold on a second. The guy the protagonist replaces is actually a white American—and based on the storytelling, he isn't some addict doing this for a fix; he's a professional doing a job so stressful that he ended up hooked on morphine.
You claim the others were all desperate. Fine. But my point remains: why are they desperate if they aren't immigrants? If being an immigrant is the sole reason for their hardship, then that's one of the movie's central themes.