Duck of Death
Member
Bill Condon's latest film, Kinsey, just came to town and I caught a screening. As the title of the thread suggests, I was quite impressed.
Liam Neeson's performance is excellent, but Laura Linney's performance is equally as good. The best dynamic of the film is the uncertainty and awkwardness of Laura and Alfred Kinsey as they try to maintain a loving relationship while Alfred abandons and challenges the sanctity of sex. This character interaction and this marital challenge produce some surprising results, but they would come off as laughable or stupid if Linney and Neeson weren't convincing as a couple. Fortunately they are convincing, and their relationship is natural and loving.
The film is well-crafted as a whole. Condon uses a subtle visual style while occassionally throwing in few meaningful montage sequences. The script is well-written, but there is a fault. As with most biopics, the film at times try to explain too much about Alfred Kinsey, and as a result some areas of the film are slightly superficial. For the most part the film remains focused on the pivotal work of Alfred Kinsey and what his work meant to the world.
Kinsey is a powerful work because of its respect to Alfred Kinsey and what his studies implicated about society, and these implications and challenges are just as relevent today as they were in Kinsey's time. Is society an inhibiting force that prevents us from being who we truly are? Or is society right in keeping us restrained? The film never provides an answer. Kinsey's views are presented, but some of his challengers aren't one-dimensional. This underlying tension is strengthened by the dynamic between Kinsey and his wife: Kinsey is trying not to be a hypocrite and throw away his theories at home, but he is a hypocrite at times and his theories do occasionally damage his family. There is no declaration of whether or not Kinsey was right with his work, and it is this level of truth and honesty that makes the film standout.
The film ends with an interesting note about love and how neither science nor instrumentalist society can use it to justify their findings. It is a poignant touch that summarizes the talking points of the film for the audience in a lighter tone.
Go see Kinsey whenever it begins playing near you and be ready to talk about it.
Wonderful film.
Liam Neeson's performance is excellent, but Laura Linney's performance is equally as good. The best dynamic of the film is the uncertainty and awkwardness of Laura and Alfred Kinsey as they try to maintain a loving relationship while Alfred abandons and challenges the sanctity of sex. This character interaction and this marital challenge produce some surprising results, but they would come off as laughable or stupid if Linney and Neeson weren't convincing as a couple. Fortunately they are convincing, and their relationship is natural and loving.
The film is well-crafted as a whole. Condon uses a subtle visual style while occassionally throwing in few meaningful montage sequences. The script is well-written, but there is a fault. As with most biopics, the film at times try to explain too much about Alfred Kinsey, and as a result some areas of the film are slightly superficial. For the most part the film remains focused on the pivotal work of Alfred Kinsey and what his work meant to the world.
Kinsey is a powerful work because of its respect to Alfred Kinsey and what his studies implicated about society, and these implications and challenges are just as relevent today as they were in Kinsey's time. Is society an inhibiting force that prevents us from being who we truly are? Or is society right in keeping us restrained? The film never provides an answer. Kinsey's views are presented, but some of his challengers aren't one-dimensional. This underlying tension is strengthened by the dynamic between Kinsey and his wife: Kinsey is trying not to be a hypocrite and throw away his theories at home, but he is a hypocrite at times and his theories do occasionally damage his family. There is no declaration of whether or not Kinsey was right with his work, and it is this level of truth and honesty that makes the film standout.
The film ends with an interesting note about love and how neither science nor instrumentalist society can use it to justify their findings. It is a poignant touch that summarizes the talking points of the film for the audience in a lighter tone.
Go see Kinsey whenever it begins playing near you and be ready to talk about it.
Wonderful film.