Bottom of the World

source: Bottom of the World

It would be a cop out to call this movie 'Lynchian' even though it does have some similarities to 'Lost Highway'. "Bottom of the World' is a well written and well crafted work of surrealism in the form a mystery. The mood is set early on and maintained throughout and for as 'out there' as it gets it has a ending that makes perfect sense and is satisfying. This movie deserves a much higher score than it's being given. Hollywood has dumbed down audiences so much that they are ill equipped to react with anything but anger to any movie that challenges them to think. If you like movies by David Lynch, Ingmar Bergman and Fellini and Ryan Gosling's directorial debut 'Lost River', I would say you should check this out. I don't think the haters will ever get it so I wish they would just not watch it instead of trashing it with their rating. I give this movie a solid 8 but to up the average I added a point. There needs to be more movies like this.

As many have stated, this isn't your average film. However that's not always a good thing. It jumps all over, never explains enough, and that's the cliche... Like I said, if you're easily amused (take no offense to that I'm envious of you people) then you'll most likely enjoy it, and think it's the modern day inception. But if you like a little substance / depth to your movies then you're going to be disappointed. If you've ever seen the movie Momento then this is very similair. Except, if you like Momento (amazing movie) you'll hate this. Momento was a non-linear store with a digestible plot. The plot of this movie however is non-existent. And tricks many viewers into thinking it's deep & mysterious. When in reality it's just a poorly made film.

"Wayne was doing really weird things with his eyeballs. Wayne's dad was a Marine. It turns out he was doing Morse code with his eyes. He was saying, "SOS, SOS, SOS, SOS., over and over and over." Perhaps I'm a weird personality. That's the reason why I really enjoy movies like "Bottom of the World". Contrarious, difficult to understand, confusing and slightly disturbing. As the denouement kicked in and the inextricable story became a little bit clearer, I was totally stunned. It was undeniably clear to me that I wanted to watch this weird movie again one day. Only to discover other clues. Clues that escaped me. I fully realize that most people who saw this movie, won't like it at all. Many will see it as a waste of time. A meaningless, dumb film with an incomprehensible story-line. To be honest, I had that same feeling after the first 15 minutes. We see Scarlett (Jena Malone) and Alex (Douglas Smith) cruising across the US. Two youngsters in an old, American car, on their way to L.A. and enduring the scorching heat of the desert. Where do they actually come from? What goal are they aiming for? And where are they exactly? I had no idea. They decide to spend the night in a strange looking hotel, with an impressive and magical looking lobby, while the part where the guestrooms are situated, resembles that of a cheap motel. And then one absurd fact follows after another. A local television channel with a pseudo preacher (Ted Levine) proclaiming religious messages. A weirdo who observes their room at night. And then Scarlett seems unable to leave town without feeling as if her head explodes. And finally she disappears. And then there's even bigger confusion when Alex wakes up in a seemingly different life as a married, well earning husband. Even more weird. The woman living next door is Scarlett. From here on, the story lines seem to twist around another like cooked spaghetti and there are several facts that refer to what's real. I'm not such a big fan of films full of symbolism and metaphysical states. The makers tried to find a proper balance between reality and a sort of dream phase. In the end I was wondering which personage actually exists and which personage originated from a subconscious mind. I assume that everything has to do with a guilt feelings caused by an unacceptable act from the past. (Think this is a hazy description? Well that's intentionally.) Jena Malone is no Scarlett Johansson, but in a way she succeeded in looking sensual and seductive. On the other hand, she also appears to have perverse traits and you start to question her mental health. The story she tells about her nephew and the way she treated him, isn't something a mentally healthy person could come up with. Even if its purpose was just to shock Alex. Personally, I thought Douglas Smith acted rather soft and absent. And wasn't he a bit too young to be a married guy? At first I thought it was his mother in the kitchen. All in all, a fascinating film that leaves you behind with more questions than answers. More reviews here : http://bit.ly/2qtGQoc

Bottom of the World is a wonderful intellectual challenge. I've seen it some four times now, and am only starting to grasp what's actually told in the movie. It is a non-linear movie, so be prepared. The key to it all is the subconscious. Look for the clues and it begins to make sense. Look for my full review on my blog.

Anyway, this film was fairly fun if you like to think, figure things out. Like watching the 'best of' compilation of someone else's fever dreams. Bottom of the World delves under the surface, to the dark foundations that we embrace by night and ignore by day. This conceit is taken to a psychological level and into the disturbing unconscious mind of Scarlett (Jena Malone) and her creation of a new reality. The film leaves us with more questions than answers but hats off to trying to make something different and challenging to the viewer. I don't recall a film that was entirely a creation of the sub-conscious other than - Fight Club?

Easily one of the strangest and most confusing films I've ever seen, Bottom of the World. is also a captivating and intriguing film. Most people will probably hate it, but for some reason I was fascinated by it...some scenes are very suspenseful and creepy, others are wonderfully strange and surreal. Also seems to be a religious angle to the film as it deals with sin guilt, redemption and purgatory. Far out.

To be brief and to the point. This movie thinks it is more clever than it actually is. The acting is pretty good but the story and the constant going back and forth between dreams, flashback and reality is a gimmick that's just meant to confuse the viewer until the "great reveal". Not so great, in my opinion. This type of storytelling has been done before.

I had the pleasure of finding this movie on Netflix and watched it because I was extremely intrigued by the unique title and the interesting poster attached. I loved this film so much I actually made an IMDb account to leave this review. This movie came to me at the right time. It seems to me the producers have been doing the same sort of esoteric research I have been because I could follow the plot with no problems at all from the beginning. The movie is atmospheric, colorful, creepy and haunting, everything you could want from a visceral indie film. The movie is clearly a mixture between some real life truths mixed in with a plot device first introduced by the Twilight Zone episode "Stopover In A Quiet Town". If you had trouble following the plot of the story, watch "Stopover In A Quiet Town" and you will understand it a lot more. The acting is ,at velour, particularly from the striking male lead who carries the progression of the film largely on his back alone. If this were more popular I would love to see this film nominated for an Oscar, but there's no way this little engine that could would be given a fair shot. Now for those who watched the movie but were unable to enjoy it because they couldn't understand the plot: Spoiler alert. Its a simulation matrix. A large part of the first half of the film takes place in a parallel universe, or an offshoot tangent. The original universe was the one where Scarlett messed around with the paraplegic. He eventually died because of her actions, and she feels no remorse. The paraplegic in this original universe is actually Alex. You can think of it as his soul. When he died, that universe ended and their souls were brought into this alternate parallel universe to interact again. This time they are young lovers. But it is Alex's destiny to kill Scarlett in retribution for what she did, and in doing so, free her soul. The masked man Alex sees from the hotel is actually him, again, from a different parallel universe. This version of Alex has managed to somehow cross dimensions to interact with his other selves, whom he reveals the nature of their reality to. Every time Alex dies in a universe, he wakes up in an alternate parallel universe playing different roles, but always destined to interact with Scarlett, until he finally does the deed and kills her, thus freeing them both from the simulation matrix. The fact that the entire movie takes place in parallel dimensions/a simulation is hinted at all throughout the movie. They can't leave the small town to go to LA, possibly because LA doesn't really exist since they are destined to stay at the small town. That's why Scarlett feels "crushed" whenever they try to leave. The strange motel they check into is actually on the same location as where Scarlett tortured & killed the paraplegic, hence it is where their souls must dwell until they leave the matrix. The house Alex wakes up in after the pastor shoots him is ALSO in the same location as the strange motel, its just in an alternate dimension. The masked man (who is actually Alex from a parallel dimension" mentions "cities of pain buried underneath the ground" aka the different layers of each dimension all built on top of one another on the same place. The pastor tells Alex that it's true he is in a dream, but Scarlett's dream, then shoots him. This is true and proves a point: Alex can die a million times over, and the end result is that he will just keep waking up in a different dimension. He will only be released when he kills Scarlett, thus freeing them both from her sin. Its her loop, not his. Its truly an incredible film. If you didn't "get it" the first time, watch it again.

This is a movie that offers an assortment of David Lynch trademarks, in service of a story that's all surface and has none of the pervasive worldview - the perspective - of a David Lynch film. It reads as homage, I guess, but aside from the flattery of imitation it has nothing to offer. Elements of Lost Highway, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart are pretty obvious. There's even a lamp with a red shade. I guess if, like the filmmakers, you enjoy Lynch and have no idea why, you might like this. But if you like substance with your knockoff style, move along.