Before We Vanish

Audience Reviews

View More

Draco W Mar 5, 2019 The cinematography seems simple but simplicity is impressive. A dish that is quite simple, fun, but rather difficult to understand. Before We Vanish is a spectacle that is so intriguing, full of drama, but a plot that tends to be in slow. In some scenes, there is an obvious plot hole and there is so much waste of times. For the rest, this is a horror, thriller, and drama movie. A film about understanding the nature of human complexity and what's actually missing. See more

Harry S Feb 11, 2019 It is unsettling to follow two characters trigger conceptual thoughts about the self to a confused character, when you know it will end in the theft of said concept from their mind. This is one of the most effective scenes from the movie âBefore we Vanishâ? by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. He manages to blend a down-to-earth narrative with an alien invasion exquisitely well, and explores how we define ourselves through themes and concepts. However, it lacks a bit in execution and falls a bit short of how far it could have taken itself. Thereâ(TM)s no doubt that there is enough of a baseline to create a more lengthy piece on what this type of invasion might look like, and though it may have ended up even more dystopian it likely would have been more satisfying. In terms of narrative strengths, this film carries compelling character dynamics and, aside from those, the second-most powerful attraction of this film is the theme of conceptual gain and loss. In what is most likely an attempt to narrow down the narrative focus within the confines of a movie, Kurosawa keeps two groups within an arm's length of each-other and contrasts the differences in theme between them through humour, warmth and a little bit of ambivalence following some of the more provocative moments of the movie. The visual language is simple but effective. It makes good use of a fairly pale color pallette and has a clear understanding of the concepts behind camera placement and technique. But if you go into this movie expecting a visual spectacle youâ(TM)ll be fairly disappointed. In the end, however, that would be counter intuitive to the overall movie language that flows throughout this film. At moments the cinematography attempts some shocking moments, but while it never really excels at shocking its audience it does a good job at creating highly uncomfortable scenarios by taking its time to expose the audience to philosophical scenarios. A striking to me was the one described in the beginning of this text, where the prolonged exposure to what the audience by then has come to recognize as a hostile act being acted out in a playful act, similar to how a cat can play with a mouse before devouring it. There isnâ(TM)t anything spectacular going on with the music or audio cues throughout the movie however, something that feels like it could have been considered for more subtle effects. But perhaps, much like an overt cinematography, it would have taken away some of the essence of the film in its way of narrowing its focus down on dialogue and philosophy, as is a common pillar in Japanese cinematography. Thinking, conceptualizing, communicating, these are aspects of humanity that can be very complex and the movie does a good job of grinding them down to more easily digestible and tangible pieces. It speaks clearly through its colorful cast, ambiguous alien mindsets and fairly straight-forward story beats. If youâ(TM)re on the lookout for something a bit out of the ordinary, but which wonâ(TM)t cause too much confusion, or if youâ(TM)re not too used to philosophical movie escapades, then this movie might be right up your alley. Itâ(TM)s a film which doesnâ(TM)t concern itself with too much melodramatic, but which speaks a language that can appeal to a larger group, perhaps a for families that want to engage in something other than the typical action film or comedy relief. And perhaps, it could also fit those who are looking to enjoy a chill philosophical derivative at the end of their day. See more

Hermione P Jul 18, 2018 The movie starts strong with interesting characters being portrayed by talented actors, but ends with a whimper as it leans too heavily on a cliche and fails to really show the reasoning behind some of the characters choices, or the development and growth of others. See more

Mar 29, 2018 Good movie that remain intriguing till the very end

Albus S Nov 18, 2017 Alien invaders assume human bodies and try to understand human’s view on life and the world. More conceptual than action-packed. Interesting premise, but gets too repetitive. All the build up for a conclusion that has been staring us in the face since the ten-minute mark. See more

Read all reviews

Before We Vanish

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING