Film Review: What Richard Did

[2012 drama directed by Lenny Abrahamson, watched July 22, 2014]

  • The film is based on a book based on a factual well-known local event (the students from the actual event attended a private school in Blackrock, which is down the road from where I am living)
  • Hello baby Jack Reynor
  • An anti-misfit film? That ends up showing how even the most traditionally popular people can become isolated?
  • One of the more accurate depictions of adolescents that I have seen recently. Contrasts with many shows aimed at adolescents (like those on the Disney Channel) that depict caricatures more than characters. What Richard Did surprised me with how much it felt like reality. For instance, the introductory scene with the boys in the car (“You drive like my fuckin’ granny… and my granny’s dead”) seemed like a pretty accurate depiction of teenage guys driving around
  • Simple, clean-cut style (contrasts with the themes of the film)
  • So much smoking in Ireland…
  • The wealthy side of post-Celtic-Tiger
  • Do NOT put your actors in stripes
  • Lots of long takes create a more meditative, introspective atmosphere – different than Hollywood films which often rely on constant action
  • The role of alcohol and possible consequences following irresponsible consumption
  • Richard’s story about accidentally drowning his pet in a shotglass while trying to give it a bath – I wrote a note with “foreshadow? Kill accidentally?”
  • Did Richard’s friends just call Lara “a big girl”?! And did Richard just say that bulimia not at all funny, but at the same time really funny? Sometimes people suck
  • Multiple shots of Richard with eyes closed, facing Lara; Lara facing away and gazing off. They are lounging together in a contented pose, but at the same time it seems awkward and distant
  • Murder tears friends apart (shocker). And lying eats at you
  • Parents want to protect their children, but sometimes they do not know what to do and no one has the answers
  • Richard is dying inside, but I think the color tones of the film have become more vibrant? Why is that? There is certainly more red, which makes sense from a blood-and-guilt standpoint
  • Heroes can fall so far
  • Parallel images of the mother of the murdered child, and the killer, both crying. Futile attempts to comfort. Death hurts all parties involved
  • An open ending: this story is not about crime, but about character

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