Review-
Nicolas Winding Refn’s earlier venture, Drive,
revolved around an ordinary man who felt compelled to embody an ideal action
hero. Circumstances present him with the opportunity (and fate) of fulfilling
this action hero persona he not only wants to be, but, believes he is. Here,
Julian, a terrified boy haunted by mystic tales of a moral reprimander Chang,
is thrown into circumstances that force him to confront this ghoul, who also
happens to be his worst nightmare. Both films bear similar intent and share the
same language. They are based on real emotions, but set in a heightened
reality.
The troubled and tortured Julian is both heart
and soul of this terribly bleak world. He is the first tragic character in the
Refn universe. Ryan Gosling discards his tough guy persona (largely evident in Drive
and for a shorter span of time in The Place beyond the Pines) and delivers his
most complex performance yet. Just watch him paralyzed with fear when Chang
first sets his eyes on him. Or his mouth quiver when a trailed Chang is
suddenly nowhere to be seen.
What makes Vithaya Pansringaram such an
unforgettable embodiment of horror? A combination of his receding hairline (which
is befitting to Chang’s all-knowing nature and intuitive ability), the nonchalant
expression borne throughout on his face (you won’t see a hint of remorse) and
the fact that he treats both his professions, karaoke singing and slicing
limbs, with equal importance. The way the film cuts between him at both of his
fortes brings about a matter-of-fact routinely nature, as if it was just
another working day. Refn pits Julian and Chang against each other in a fight
sequence choreographed with deep thought that will subvert all prior expectations.
I expose this to you because it wasn’t nearly what I was expecting.
Kristin Scott Thomas channelizes Crystal, Julian’s
mother, a woman who possesses the survival instincts and domination-seeking
tendencies of an apex predator. She wouldn’t think twice to serve up her little
sacrificial lamb on a silver platter. It’s a delicate role that could veer
off into caricature, but Thomas conveys her unapologetic nature so effectively
that the abominable Crystal fits in Refn’s world perfectly. The auteur has a
clear-cut vision of his characters even though their extreme characterizations
tend to border on archetypal.
I’ve never in my cinema-associated life
felt a stronger and keener sense of dread. And knowing that this mirrors
Julian’s own sense of dread only elevates Only God Forgives in my eyes.
Seriously, has there ever been a piece of music to intentionally evoke a sense
of queasiness? Or stomach-churning fright? Cliff Martinez seems to have
achieved both of these milestones here.
This horror mood piece is intense, sharply
impressionistic and Refn’s most definitive work to date. I’ve, seen...no, experienced nothing like it.
