casch0101 Review of The Human Contract

The Human Contract (2008)

Poorly written dark, bizarre, confusing film

[5/10 · 19 October 2009]

I have been a (good, intelligent, bright) film buff since my teens (I am now 60). Yet, I have never seen such an awful performance as Jason Clarke's here. On the other hand, I had never heard of this actor until I read his bio at IMDb.com and was knocked out to find that he has been in about 40 movies!. This sort of Josh Lucas-looking fellow is certainly an awful actor...at least here!. On the other, I am a beautiful women admirer (as many of my pro jazz composers and musicians colleagues are), and have been a follower of beautiful Spanish Paz Vega long before she got into American studios and got a reasonable grip of her English (in a Penelope Cruz vein). Paz is beautiful and a very good actress altogether. She plays her role in such a natural way and easiness that you actually believe her...But Jada P. Smith, ah!, that's another matter!. Too philosophical writing at times contrast with trivia; characters with lots of tension are left abandoned not quite resolving or explaining the reason of their acts (Pinket Smith's husband on screen?...the long repeated boy calls mom who doesn't answer sequence...the not clear relationship of Clarke's character with his mother...and so on. The sex scenes are almost plain soft ardient porn (explicit but with clothes on), which I don't mind at all, only that why they don't fit in with the rest of the film?. Who is this guy (Clarke)and why is he so violent?. No history is suggested to cover the interratialness of brother and sister -- (white and afroamerican respectively). Colors of the film have been overstated with lots of red both in costumes and burden faces and blood, contrasting with black and rather dark scenes. I dunno...This film is a huge question mark, embellished onty by beautiful Paz Vega.