When a film starts off with a word from the director or cast members, I'm typically left rolling my eyes. But for the creator to appear and emphasize his shoestring budget and a production time of over half a decade, whether intentional or not, comes across as an attempt to insulate from criticism. It won't affect this review. Here's an honest take.
The film does a great job of portraying Abraham as a tragic figure plagued by the dread of carrying out an unthinkable act commanded by God. Visually stunning at times, there's no denying Helling's skill. The natural lighting and simple sets work effectively for their purposes. Unfortunately, Helling's use of long cuts overstay their welcome and at times feel hackneyed and other times indulgent. Scorsese or Malick he's not, but Helling certainly has solid instincts for capturing the mood.
The script is effective enough and the acting decent. It's interesting that the when God talks it's a booming voiceover drenched in reverb. It's not bad, maybe just a little cheesy.
The pacing leaves a bit to be desired, even though I appreciated going back and forth between the journey to the scenes with Sarah over the years. The journey itself was mostly a walking simulator and talking by a fire. Some extracurricular drama keeps things interesting without straying too far from the text. The actors inject effective pathos throughout.
Helling has shown promise with His Only Son and I'm eager to see what he's capable of in the future.
65/100.
The film does a great job of portraying Abraham as a tragic figure plagued by the dread of carrying out an unthinkable act commanded by God. Visually stunning at times, there's no denying Helling's skill. The natural lighting and simple sets work effectively for their purposes. Unfortunately, Helling's use of long cuts overstay their welcome and at times feel hackneyed and other times indulgent. Scorsese or Malick he's not, but Helling certainly has solid instincts for capturing the mood.
The script is effective enough and the acting decent. It's interesting that the when God talks it's a booming voiceover drenched in reverb. It's not bad, maybe just a little cheesy.
The pacing leaves a bit to be desired, even though I appreciated going back and forth between the journey to the scenes with Sarah over the years. The journey itself was mostly a walking simulator and talking by a fire. Some extracurricular drama keeps things interesting without straying too far from the text. The actors inject effective pathos throughout.
Helling has shown promise with His Only Son and I'm eager to see what he's capable of in the future.
65/100.