The story appears simple on the surface, but is revealed, especially after multiple viewings, as more multi-layered and textured than Cassavetes at his best. Ostensibly it concerns a 14-year old Catholic girl, Wynne (Agutter) growing up in this post-modern wasteland, who develops a crush on her much older adoptive brother (Marshall)- a crush which perversely deepens and grows into infatuation once she starts to believe he is the local sex killer. This is in itself an idea that makes you sit up and jolt, but as the narrative develops, it continues not necessarily along a linear path but in several confusing and fascinating directions: the family's history, (detailed effectively in chilling flashback during an improvised seance) is a chequered one, and has suffered at least one major relocation and upheaval in the last ten years. At the crux, however, it's the depiction of socialal changes that make I Start Counting so fascinating and elevate its language far beyond the confines of the standard horror film. The major subtext- that teenage girls were maturing more quickly than before, and developing full sexual and romantic appetites (even if in thought rather than deed) but were not possessed of enough discretion to make the right choices- was a step forward for a genre in which its young females had previously been portrayed as bimbo victims (Cover Girl Killer and The Night Caller spring to mind), but not one that all viewers would necessarily agree with. But most striking of all, and possibly the most enduring image which the viewer will take away with them, is of the masterful symbolism with which director Greene invests every shot. Every inch of the Kinch family's world- their house, their walls, their TV, Agutters underwear, bedroom furniture and toys, Sutcliffe's clothes, Marshalls van, the local Catholic church, their town centre, their record shop) - is painted a bright, scintillating white- a white which, by inference, is slowly becoming smudged and corrupted with the dirt of the outside world. White also symbolises, of course, purity and innocence (two qualities Catholic schoolgirls are supposed to hold dear), and it is into this world of innocence that the ever-present red bus (a symbol of violation and penetration), conducted by the lecherous yet similarly juvenile Simon Ward, makes regular journeys. The allegory is further expanded in one scene where Agutter believes she sees the Christ figure in church weeping blood: by the time we acknowledge it, its gone, but the seed has already been planted. Rarely in a genre production has the use of colour and background been so important or effective in creating a uniformity of mood. I Start Counting is as near-perfect an end to a decade as one could hope for, and exactly the kind of film people should be making now- which is, of course, exactly why they never will. A genre essential. by D.R.
#venezia78最佳导演奖 4.5/5
挺精致，挺细致的，演员也都好，氛围好，节奏稳。不过有些情节和细节的设置还是有点明显，我看着觉得不够精妙，不够有天分。反正片子不错，但是给我的刺激比较少，让我老想走神。
千万别对后辈爹味十足，他正是暗中对着你吐信子的小毒蛇。
我一度以为是《断背山》，菲儿与彼得可谓对男人银幕形象的两种经典凝视——阳刚与阴柔，没想到最后竟然来个冷血murder。不明显的同性暧昧，这文本更像是一个女性视角下的窥探，但全都是表象。叙事极其克制，主要靠细节推进：侮辱焚花、误解、咒骂、解刨学、死牛、性暗示、感染、去世、会心一笑，貌似最强悍的反倒最脆弱，最柔弱的反倒最狠。尤其值得一看的，本片摄影和配乐运用极佳，西部草原远景辽阔壮丽，透光云层，内景调度，窗口视角，暧昧镜头，简坎皮恩太用心了。都说是今年奥斯卡小年，我个人更看好此片拿BP和BD。8.2
卷演得太用力了。邓斯特夫妇再合作一万遍也不让人厌倦。少年前途无量。
好慢好無聊。一個好故事硬要故意深沉複雜，為敘事而敘事，沒有連接，只有很睏
配乐很好，镜头很好，剪辑干净利落，两处性张力爆表。但是具体整个到底多么好我也没太感觉出来…在众多2021年度评选之中这部都是名列前茅，更是感觉有点过誉…
年度最佳。不自禁地和CMBYN相比，窃以为这片更加克制和隽永。视角不仅来自于一方，更来自于两个看似无交叉却终将交融的维度。很多角度都非常学院派，会是奥斯卡的大热。
时过境迁，我终于理解不会隐藏自己的人才是真的弱者，我们终其一生被什么打败？其实是性格。
一场精心策划，还是过河拆桥？都是成年人，我想彼得一早看出菲儿的本心，妈妈以为是菲儿引诱了儿儿，其实我想是彼得请君入瓮。
终于看到一部“电影”了，要是能在大银幕上看感受应该会更好。
古典文学专业/音乐/日常表演「男性气质」（粗野，肮脏，无礼，野性）/二十年悼亡死去的恋人（年上/养成）/偷看健美杂志/歇斯底里的崆峒深柜，被「独立自主聪慧机敏/被认为有女性气质人格/的男性」所夺魂并击败：经典（也意味着司空见惯）的性别话语反差操演。
怎么回事，导演是不是还没从剧的创作状态出来…？平淡到睡着。过于平淡让绿木的配乐也显得很奇怪。
与其说影片讲了个复仇故事，不如说是一个弑父故事。且这里的“父”并不是一个典型的男权形象，正相反，他恰恰是个备受压抑，乃至于要通过扮演一个强悍直男来协调认知失衡以完成自我保护的角色。这也让“弑父”的动作具备了更浓的悲剧色彩。
辣手摧花／擦馬鞍／閹割牛隻幾場戲，剛好對應真實性向的隱晦展示，對一種潛在的陽剛牛仔男性形象符號的迷戀，以及自我「閹割」的儀式。摧花更預示著影片後半段對Peter 的培育，暗含心理上的居高臨下，希望對方服從。卻沒想到對方會「弒父」，可惜後面Power of dog的詮釋有點太直給了，狗的形象對照，一個是虛無的指涉，遠處的山巔與牛仔，一個是具象的實物，他身邊的狗，同時也是母親身旁的忠犬，一開場的獨白就暗含了全片的主題。
隐晦而克制，俄狄浦斯，兄弟同床，忘年不伦，母与父，兄与弟，叔与侄，牛与犬
Campion 的手法好细腻，确实很适合呈现隐忍的感觉（但也很容易让人失去耐心）。12年拍一部的节奏太爽了！
虽然两名主要角色都是男性，但是电影的每一帧都透着女导演手术刀一样锋锐的分析。女人眼中男性的肉体和情感，他们的暴戾和脆弱，冷酷和诡计，像被Phil割开的公牛，像被Peter解剖的兔子，被血淋淋地铺开。而画面又像18世纪的油画一样厚重。节奏很慢很慢，却蕴藏着一触即发的危险，让人看得提心吊胆。
7.8(2⃣️)，女性视角下解读的toxic masculinity，在尚未开化的隐秘世界中被击溃被掩埋。在男性气质充足的蛮荒沉闷环境中引入一股源于阴柔的剑拔弩张的“恶寒”，无需在情节上大费周章，镜头和配乐已经把情绪一一言说，甚至都不给予真正爆发的场面和时刻，结局的灰烬被悄悄吹散在沙土中依然让人瞠目结舌。针对“阳刚”的温柔暗杀，冷血背后是痛苦的释放，好落寞好悲凉
罕见的题材。讲述少年人的残酷。具体就是残酷的少年人杀死了长大成人的残酷少年。片子极闷，音乐是加分项，一直在暗示事情不妙。《断背山》后传。
Copyright © 2015-2023 All Rights Reserved
