The Mysteries of Pittsburgh

It starts out very nicely. There's a slight but very interesting mystery feel to the opening minutes, which set me up perhaps a little too well for the ensuing action "show". The first half is still tolerable and bears the hallmarks of a typical indie film – no monstrous set design, touches of lyrical cinematography, and purely human direction that follows the feelings of the central trio and (still) interweaves their fates quite interestingly. But then comes a screenwriting masterstroke whose effects are almost lethal. I fear that if anyone feels a desperate need to analyze and justify the actions of the two male leads, it will have fatal consequences. Worst of all, however, is that I began to loathe the initially not entirely uninteresting storyline with the father at the end (perhaps as a result of that "deadly plot twist"), which knocked the final rating down yet another notch. I don't stand in the way of creativity, but it is necessary to distinguish between tasteful screenwriting play and exhibitionistic, contentless wanking. (18/09/2011)

A very strange film that, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what to think of. On the one hand, it deals with quite compelling themes like interpersonal relationships, human sexuality, the future and so on, but on the other hand, I kind of felt all along that there was more to be squeezed out of it. The cast was likeable and all of their roles fit, in that respect I was satisfied. In short, a film that is most marred by the untapped potential that really lay dormant somewhere. (01/08/2016)