I did keep making comparisons with Annihilation, and one thing that struck me was how much this one was about personalities. The four characters are like tarot cards. Martin: perpetually bewildered, timid, and in need of aid; Alma pragmatic, keen-witted, and clear eyed, and Zach and Olivia as opposite-direction mad and self-absorbed as you described. One thing I really liked was how Martin and Alma never, ever slide into Zach and Olivia's frenetic explanation-izing: when asked, Don't you see, they always very honestly say No, and not in a dogmatic way, but because really Zach and Olivia aren't making sense, or no sense that extends beyond their own minds. Alma and Martin point out the contradictions in the other two's behavior, but the other two are past caring about such things.
It's interesting that the older two fall into a culturally derived story of what they're dealing with, whereas Alma's able to approach her experiences completely freshly. I loved the line you quoted: "I don't think you've been listening."
I found the visions lovely, but somehow rather two dimensional in comparison with the enveloping effects in Annihilation. The outsider/alien/other aspect felt more roundedly present for me in Annihilation; in this film I didn't have as much ability to reach beyond the storytelling, interpretation-offering humans to the other itself. I think that's part of why I ended up with the impression that this was more about humans and how they react to something mind-breaking. Here is a great lacuna: watch the humans embroider around its edges.
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I did keep making comparisons with Annihilation, and one thing that struck me was how much this one was about personalities. The four characters are like tarot cards. Martin: perpetually bewildered, timid, and in need of aid; Alma pragmatic, keen-witted, and clear eyed, and Zach and Olivia as opposite-direction mad and self-absorbed as you described. One thing I really liked was how Martin and Alma never, ever slide into Zach and Olivia's frenetic explanation-izing: when asked, Don't you see, they always very honestly say No, and not in a dogmatic way, but because really Zach and Olivia aren't making sense, or no sense that extends beyond their own minds. Alma and Martin point out the contradictions in the other two's behavior, but the other two are past caring about such things.
It's interesting that the older two fall into a culturally derived story of what they're dealing with, whereas Alma's able to approach her experiences completely freshly. I loved the line you quoted: "I don't think you've been listening."
I found the visions lovely, but somehow rather two dimensional in comparison with the enveloping effects in Annihilation. The outsider/alien/other aspect felt more roundedly present for me in Annihilation; in this film I didn't have as much ability to reach beyond the storytelling, interpretation-offering humans to the other itself. I think that's part of why I ended up with the impression that this was more about humans and how they react to something mind-breaking. Here is a great lacuna: watch the humans embroider around its edges.