This movie is so hard to talk about, because the question is: “What is it even about?”
I like movies with abstract themes and strange storytelling, but this was just incomprehensible. Its plot revolves around the machinations of rich men to control the future of their city “New Rome”, but the plot is kinda meaningless. There’s never any real threat to Caesar’s goal. Just plot events that could be obstacles but then are immediately resolved/neutered. Ok, fine! Surely then it’s an art-house piece with a deep message? I was waiting for everything to add up in the finale, but it just ends up with Caesar delivering a speech filled with platitudes so bland that I thought it was a joke. Then the credits rolled and the 2 of the other 5 people in the theater with me started laughing.
jordanlund@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
It’s definitely worth watching. I can’t say I fully understood it on one watch, the time stopping ability is clearly a metaphor, but I’m not settled on what for yet.
It started with Caesar, then passed collaboratively to his wife, then their baby.
Edit I’ve been thinking about it tonight and I think I have it…
At the start, the Architect can stop time, as an architect, he has the ability to form a lasting, permanent impression on the world around him. His posterity as it were.
Through the film, he loses that level of influence, and similarly loses the ability to stop time.
When he falls in love, he regains a level of influence over his destiny, and so does she. They can stop time together, but not separately.
The film ends with their baby stopping time, as his permanent impact on the world has been transferred to a new generation. Father and mother are frozen in time as the baby moves forward.
Edit Having now seen it a 2nd time on UHD, yes, I think I had it right.
Bonus - the UHD is not avaiable in the US, but it is region free if you import it from the UK. The Blu Ray that comes with it has the bonus features and it’s region locked, but that’s a solvable problem.