I had high hopes heading into this movie and maybe that contributed to my now dissatisfaction with the story and directing choices. Having only watched the trailer prior to the movie - it seemed like it would be a dramatic experience delving into the lives of 3 artists. I thought it would show us how fast things can go array when our emotions get the better of us. The first half of the movie was great. The second half ruined it for me. It was self indulgent and peculiar; and tore apart any attachment I had to the story. I wanted reasons for why the crew were included so much in the story and it ended up just being to provide commentary on the life of an independent film maker and what independent films look like to make. The other theme of the second half - the destruction of Allison's mental well being to benefit art - was alright on it's own but since it serves no greater purpose, this too was lost in the mix. After watching the movie, the confusion of what was real or fake - missed the mark and I wasn't left curious - I was just left angry. As most are saying, the acting is fantastic. If I separate out both pieces, the acting was spot on I loved Aubrey Plaza in this movie. I really enjoyed Sarah Gadon's character in the first half (she is barely featured in the second half). Trying to decipher the relationship history between Blair and Gabe was fun and thrilling in an attempt to make sense of her actions. I would give this a 6.5 but I can't - so I went for 6. Excellent acting - but I wish the directing and writing choices cut out on the vanity and added more story.
Review of Black Bear
