The Goldfinch (2019)
What a failed attempted masterpiece looks like.
Presentation:
Sometimes less is more as Deakins illustrates how simplicity allows performances to shine more. His work here is not the most impressive, but retains those subtle invisible touches of beauty. The problem is the original novel is difficult to adapt as the story ends up feeling all over the place with jarring pacing. This feels like 3 films, or story arcs crammed into one. It reminds me of a child trying to mash a square block into the triangle opening. Just no cohesion, probably due to editing and lack of organizational preparation. I think it’s quite embarrassing to watch. The edits don't retain emotional continuity, which deprive the first half of character development and emotional investment. The long winded character building is prioritized which should make us care about the later half, but it ends up being so rushed that everything falls apart. The film tries to be emotionally charged, but fails in making us care one way of the other. The later arcs of the film feel borderline random and tonally inconsistent from what the first half of the film would suggest. Is this a crime film or drama? Most important, the film never addresses why the Goldfinch painting is emotionally important to the main protagonist.
Conclusion:
A failed attempted masterpiece. This film falls apart and is pretty much a bad film that although had its moments, is too ambitious to do justice to the many arcs of the lead character's longitudinal life. It could have been a masterpiece with the impact of American Beauty but ends up being a popped soufflé. Perhaps Fincher would have been better suited to take this script on, as I don't agree that the core tone of this film should be a drama. Incohesive story almost saved by beautiful cinematography from Roger Deakins.
Recommendations
Shakespearean level comedy, ay?