No Such Thing

A film with undeniably interesting subject matter and great potential, which ultimately fell short of its creator's ambitious goals. I couldn't decipher exactly what Hal Hartley's intention was, as the film oscillates between several genres and fails to fulfill any of them. However, I assume the director wanted to create a dark satire on the twisted state of the modern world, an existential drama about an eternal being, and an unfulfilled love story between two completely different characters. The problem is that all these ingredients fail to blend well together, so whenever Helen Mirren appears on screen, it becomes comical, whenever the monster appears, it becomes a dark drama, and the unfortunate Sarah Polley switches between not-so-much sexual and emotional positions, even to the grotesque and, above all, untrustworthy manner. Hartley is undoubtedly a talented contemporary director and screenwriter, but he lacks discipline and perhaps the oversight of a producer. You cannot deny that the film has atmosphere, especially in the first part, when the peculiar inhabitants of a remote village and the monster surrounded by the inhospitable Icelandic nature excel. However, as soon as the plot moves back to civilization, the film falls back into mediocrity. Overall impression: 55%. (01.03.2009)