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Separation makes for a horrifying viewing experience purely for its disinterest in portraying domestic issues and horror. One gets a feeling that one will be subjected to hours of therapy to comprehend the intentions behind its creation. Such regressive movies are the outcome of a drunken fool in a pub asking baffling questions with no real rationale behind them. Questions like whether ex-wives will forever be the bane of one’s existence. A drunk fool in a pub asking such questions begs the inference that separation is an overnight success.
Those critiques for the film “Separation” trump that of the film style in the 20’s and how it carried political motifs. The two core female characters in the movie are infamously defined through the male lead and his actions, which makes people question if this is meant to be a joke. On the other side, supportive characters include male colleagues of the protagonist, which further loses the audience into thinking what message the movie is trying to convey. It feels almost pointless to state that this goes beyond the sexist stereotypes that prevail in modern cinema. This movie is a paradoxical undermining of the idea of scares and possesses a deep sense of contradiction. The ending is structured around a twist that is heavily ridiculous and immensely easy to anticipate. While it could very well be the director’s Aesthetic for works such as “The Boy II: Brahms” and “The Devil Inside.” Maybe this is the director’s worst work.
The film’s drama opens with Vahn deeming that she has had enough of her husband as an artist, Jeff. Jeff is the stereotypical “starving artist” who gets left behind which hints that he may have put all of his dreams too heavily towards artistic ventures that do not support his family. Maggie, on the other hand, goes the extra mile and wonders why they are getting a divorce. Jeff claims that it is Maggie’s rich father, Paul, who is the one who filed for divorce and full custody of their daughter, Jenny. He then goes on to speculate that Maggie is taking her irritation out on him which makes him wonder whether the divorce would have been in his favor. While pausing for idle chatter with him, Maggie claims that Paul neglected most of his statement, thus goes on to slaughter his argument and reminds him about every dollar he gave her. Jeff sits there watching his ex-wife continue to bully him which compels her to forget that they are living in two different realities and that it is not in any of his best interests to support her children or her lavish spending. As Maggie invoked on Jeff over the phone, a car comes charging towards her which results in her being stubbed down. To her, all she remembers is saying “Because she is mine.”
The sustenance of her retaining such fantastic details is revealed to surprise Jeff and Jenny and comfort them in the truth that Maggie’s altering reality only came along.
Again, the movie’s starting point is, “What if my wife’s ex continued to orchestrate my life even after her death?” Jeff and Jenny begin perceiving puppets–like creatures that resemble his artwork for a project titled Grizzly Kin (imagine early Tim Burton sketches). Bell cannot refrain from resorting to cheap jump scares and the horror trick of a double dream sequence shift which I am almost certain was made illegal back in 2003. The worst aspect of “Separation” alienating all the viewers in the process, aside from Jeff walking imagine a crab puppet for the first time, is not scary at all. This does not mean the prerequisite surreal funhouse look that this monstrosity of a project requires from the start.
Let’s get back to the main issue. It’s not putting much effort, and that’s a problem. Approaching the 50-minute mark, one scare scene has appeared. In addition, just about a ton of domestic drama has taken place which I still find uninteresting. I have started wishing to at least catch a glimpse of “The Boy” movies just to put an end to the tediousness. There is also a panic attack scene that happens to be the stunningly inept centerpiece of the entire film, this one happens to be during a park puppet show. A red palette washes over the screen while a bubble bursts in slow motion. It’s almost as if thinking a horrid movie can be made, and it’s astonishingly easy. Even if the word “PUPPETS!” was displayed on the screen, it wouldn’t feel strange. Still, there is one thing I am concerned about that I am making this sound more enjoyable than it really is. It is not. In terms of being nervous, it’s unequivocally boring.
Actors like Friend and Cox who are great performers in “Homeland” and “Succession” respectively, get buried in the poor writing and filmmaking here. The latter is just a prop in the film hoping to feature in the illogical final act. The former was under-directed so much, that even looked bored at times. No credible characters, no heightened suspense, and no fear in this movie the way there was in “Insidious” meets “Kramer versus Kramer.” So much wonder about how it all came together.
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