So. Much. Attitude.

One thing everyone in this movie has is attitude. One thing none of them has is personality. I can see what these people are doing – it’s hard to miss, the only thing they talk about is what they’re doing – but I can’t see why they’re doing what they’re doing, or how they feel about it.

In the world of The Third Person, everyone is only ever angry at, arguing with, or disappointed by someone else. There’s not a single lighthearted moment to contrast with all this “tension”. There’s not a single line of dialogue that isn’t simply aggressive. There is no poetry in either the writing or the photography. The story seems to be that there are three stories – and a device does not a movie make. What this film thinks is drama is merely melodrama; intertwining merely intercutting; causality merely sequencing; climax merely yelling, breaking things or tripping over stuff.

With a foundation this thin, it could have at least used visual style – that might help to explain where the focus, or at least the money, went. This feels like a film student’s first draft, and it never rises above the level of soap opera.

Why am I watching this in an internationally co-produced film starring big-name actors? This movie is far less intelligent or clever than it thinks it is. I’m not even at the end, and I’ve already spent more time and energy on this, both watching and writing, than it deserves.

Ok, I’m at the end now – so what, this was all in his head? And everyone was him? What is this, The Three?