by Cookie N Screen
Concepts are fantastic for films. As a writer, director or producer, sitting on an idea and developing it so eloquently into film is exciting. Ideas come but it takes a lot of determination to execute it well. See that’s the problem - having a base point isn’t enough when you can’t leap into a final product well. A lot of directors have these issues and they steam from either overblowing the script with too many added extras or never bothering to enhance the premise enough for it to be interesting.
Paragraph suffers from the latter and it’s such a dull watch, that you can’t help but wonder what went wrong.
Concepts are fantastic for films. As a writer, director or producer, sitting on an idea and developing it so eloquently into film is exciting. Ideas come but it takes a lot of determination to execute it well. See that’s the problem - having a base point isn’t enough when you can’t leap into a final product well. A lot of directors have these issues and they steam from either overblowing the script with too many added extras or never bothering to enhance the premise enough for it to be interesting.
Paragraph suffers from the latter and it’s such a dull watch, that you can’t help but wonder what went wrong.
The film is slightly over an hour and honestly, it feels as long as the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. Paragraph revolves around a mother and her son walking along the beach of a foreign country. Unfamiliar with the landscape and the terrain, she makes ends meet by giving palm readings and doing odd jobs while struggling to survive. She comes across John, a man who had met them once before and he furthers their journey further. But is it all just a dream? Is someone just regaling their thoughts? Or are they fleeing that same memory?
“Oooo” I hear you say, reading that plot. “Sounds intriguing!” you coo like a little old lady. But there is nothing here to entice that idea along. Sure, you get roped in by the plot but at no point in the film is there any indication that this is happening until the very end which feels like a taped on idea. The writing doesn’t enthuse the premise of the blurb and it aches without proper exploration. Which begs several questions; why put it in the accompanying paragraph instead of the script? It feels as though it is relying too much on a few sentences to keep us engaged and a soft narration. And it doesn’t work well at all. There isn't much connecting the characters either - and when conversations do happen, they are trope filled hipster lines that you'd expect to find on Instagram photos.
“Oooo” I hear you say, reading that plot. “Sounds intriguing!” you coo like a little old lady. But there is nothing here to entice that idea along. Sure, you get roped in by the plot but at no point in the film is there any indication that this is happening until the very end which feels like a taped on idea. The writing doesn’t enthuse the premise of the blurb and it aches without proper exploration. Which begs several questions; why put it in the accompanying paragraph instead of the script? It feels as though it is relying too much on a few sentences to keep us engaged and a soft narration. And it doesn’t work well at all. There isn't much connecting the characters either - and when conversations do happen, they are trope filled hipster lines that you'd expect to find on Instagram photos.
Add that to the tedium. Now, the film is beautifully shot. That isn’t an issue. Any seaside town of emeralds and sunsets of oranges would be exquisite because of the vibrancy. Honing in the colour, the cinematography rolls off in this sublime way. Visually, it’s stunning to look at. But it seems to favour these shots over the story which means it drags along without any reasons or rhyme. The slow drawn out pace is, frankly, boring and detrimental for the entire film that it’s dispiriting. Paragraphs has so much promise.
It’s an irritating watch because there is a lot initially here that simply isn’t embellished. The acting is strong, especially from lead Katharina Rivilis who is able to convey a lot of emotion and character journey in her nuances and skill. Frankly, though, she is squandered in a need to be arty or constrained with the story. Paragraph should have been fleshed out better, just a little bit more room to allow the characters to flow and crash like the sea backdrop. Instead, it is about as enticing as watching sand. A rather disappointing film, indeed.
It’s an irritating watch because there is a lot initially here that simply isn’t embellished. The acting is strong, especially from lead Katharina Rivilis who is able to convey a lot of emotion and character journey in her nuances and skill. Frankly, though, she is squandered in a need to be arty or constrained with the story. Paragraph should have been fleshed out better, just a little bit more room to allow the characters to flow and crash like the sea backdrop. Instead, it is about as enticing as watching sand. A rather disappointing film, indeed.
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