Viewed – 19 July 2009  Blu-ray

Definitely an acquired taste.  This appears to be, at least at first a dark fantasy in the style of something like Terry Gilliam’s seminal Brazil, with a distopian fantasy city called Meanwhile, and a masked avenger out to assassinate a mysterious cult leader.  Then of course we have the switches to modern day, real-world London, where a father searches for his missing son, a jilted man begins to see a figure from his past, and a disturbed student continually tries to kill herself for the sake of her art project.  Seemingly un-connected stories however begin to entwine and effect one another, and gradually, it dawned on me this was a whole lot more interesting than I at first realised – and not the film I was expecting at all.

First time director Gerald McMorrow, weaves a dark, magical and often haunting tale of four very different characters, and the imagery and atmosphere is consistently breathtaking.  Add to this accomplished performances, especially from former Bond girl Eva Green who’s sheer presence on screen is a work of understated beauty.  I felt captivated and in love every time she appeared … playing both the art student and the jilted man’s mysterious girl from his past, both strikingly different.

Working on a budget around six million, it is a stunning achievement considering the restraints the director had to work with, and although it’s one of those films that will leave you puzzled and confused come the end credits, hopefully like me you will still find it enjoyable and moving, with a story you might be scratching your head over for days to come – in a good way.

Verdict:  4 /5