Tuesday 28 October 2014

Serena 2014

Susanne Bier directs this very tedious film starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Based on a novel of the same name about a North Carolina timber businessman in the Depression era and his very ambitious wife, the film follows the growth and death of their relationship, and the effects of euphoria and despair on two people.

The problem here is that in some ways we see shades of There Will Be Blood (2007), but very quickly they disappear leaving behind an empty carcass of a film, devoid of depth. The main characters never once become likeable or even identifiable and never once are they compelling. Their motivations and reactions just don't make any sense. The film feels like a dead weight, which you can't wait to get out of - except it drags on for ever. A surprisingly bad offering from some stellar names.