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Four Boxes (2009)
Surprising, mind-bending indie
This movie's plot twists pretty much require a second viewing to fully understand what went on - every half hour or so you realize what you thought you were watching wasn't what it seemed, and you have to rewrite your initial impressions as you go. Kind of brilliant. The script was smart, snarky, funny, the plot was thoroughly engrossing, and the precise art direction (for all its greyness) made even the brief little details visually and emotionally compelling - the kind of details most low-budget independents can't muster. True, not everything gets explained in the end, but do you really want it to be? Personally, I like a little "What the hell was that?!" from my movies, and this movie delivers. I wouldn't exactly label it a "thriller," as its pacing and interests seem to extend beyond that, but it is definitely suspenseful. An undercurrent of social commentary tugs at Four Boxes throughout - the characters seem adrift in the banalities of suburbia, and their search for success and a pathway out is both believable and a little sickening. Overall, kinda icky, kinda great.