17/34
It took 7 years to finance
Line of Events
The Maynards and their children lead a near-perfect billionaire family life. Amon is an avid hunter, but he doesn’t shoot animals because the family’s wealth allows them to live completely without consequences. Ayn Rand: The Point Is Who’s Gonna Stop Me?.
We saw it at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival
Filmmakers Daniel Hoesl and Juliane Niemann clearly have an interesting satirical take on the wealthy class, and while there are some good ideas here, I find it underdeveloped and not as strong as the film thinks it is. The production design, camerawork, and color presentation are gorgeous and truly beautiful, helping to capture the atmosphere and essence of the characters. The direction from Hoesl and Niemann, while slightly chaotic, has a clear vision of what style and atmosphere they are going for.
It doesn’t feel like an investment or an interesting emotional connection
Many of the performances are solid, a few of the child actors are a bit weak. The narrative is a good concept, but unfortunately it feels as strong as it thinks it does because the narrative feels underdeveloped with some of the themes and characters. Like there were some good ideas that didn’t really live up to the potential they wanted.
But it could have been stronger
There are certain moments that are shocking, edgy, and quite bizarre, and I understand where the filmmakers are coming from and their vision. But it doesn’t feel entirely earned and the style is a bit too similar to something from Ruben Ostlund or Michael Haneke. Overall it’s not bad because there are some moments that I appreciate.